Section
The Trade
The business of a small workshop: material prices, supplier news, pay benchmarks and live jobs, every figure sourced.
The year the sofa trade changed hands
In six months the ownership of a large part of British upholstery and bed manufacturing has been rearranged, much of it through administrators' offices. This is the sequence, from the primary documents.
Valerie Hayes: “A full diary can actually hide underpricing very effectively”
After 30 years in accountancy, upholsterer Valerie Hayes has written The Upholsterer's Pricing Guide, launching at the Festival of Upholstery on 2 October. She answers eight questions on true costs, billable time and why busy is not the same as profitable.
Autumn Long Point: registrations up 40 per cent as the Guild widens its audience
Thirty furniture brands opened 15 showrooms in and around Long Eaton for Autumn Long Point, 14 to 16 September. The Long Eaton Guild of Furniture Manufacturers reports registrations up 40 per cent on the spring event.
Nearly half of the UK's upholsterers are self-employed, ONS figures show
About 12,800 people work as upholsterers in the UK and 36,100 as furniture makers. Roughly 48% of upholsterers and 56% of furniture makers are self-employed, and four in ten upholsterers are 55 or older.
Stanley Mackintosh represents the UK in Cabinet Making at WorldSkills Shanghai
The Rycotewood Furniture Centre apprentice is one of two Team UK competitors in the wood trades at the 48th WorldSkills Competition. Jamie Matthews of Mivan competes in Joinery. Medals are awarded on 27 September.
Festival of Upholstery 2026: why the trade is heading to Birmingham
The Festival of Upholstery returns on 2 and 3 October at the National Conference Centre and Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham, with a broader practical programme, live demonstrations on a big screen and the trade awards.
Industry turns out in force for BFA's AI Summit
The British Furniture Association's sell-out AI Summit at Coventry Building Society Stadium heard from Google Cloud, Autonomate, Push Group, Furniture Connect, Chick Digital and ACID.
£543
Average mattress price fell 16% to £543 in a year, NBF survey finds
The National Bed Federation's 18th Consumer Bed-Buying Survey shows shoppers spending less, replacing sooner, buying online more, and a third choosing roll-up mattresses.
62%
UK-made furniture holds 62% of the home market by value, BFA review finds
The British Furniture Association's UK Furniture Market Review, built on ONS and HMRC data, shows British manufacturers' share slipping from 65% in 2019 and a steep loss in wooden-frame upholstery.
Government wants the furniture trade's evidence on Digital Product Records by 21 September
FIRA is urging every furniture business to respond to a Government Call for Evidence that could decide how product safety, composition and end-of-life information is recorded and shared.
HLF Group reports revenue up 40% and a £3.5m year ahead
HLF Group, the Blaydon contract furniture supplier to hotels, serviced apartments and holiday parks, says revenue is up 40% on the prior year and projects turnover of £3.5m over the next twelve months.
2026 UK Furniture Salary Report: What the Industry Is Actually Paying
Entry-level to Head Upholsterer: advertised salaries across Reed, Indeed, Glassdoor and Talent.com, read alongside our own placement experience, to give the trade a working benchmark.