| Type | Ltd |
|---|---|
| Industry | Furniture manufacturing and retail |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Farnborough, Hampshire, UK |
| Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Furniture |
| Revenue | £30 million (2008) |
| Website | sofaworkshop.com |
The Sofa Workshop Ltd are a furniture manufacturer and retailer formerly based in Lodsworth, West Sussex, United Kingdom, now at Farnborough, Hampshire. They are best known for creating stylish retro furniture and offering an unprecedented level of fabric customisation. [1]
Sofa Workshop, founded by Andrew Cussins in 1985, opened their first store in Maidstone in 1986. Cussins sold the company to MFI Group in 2002 for £12.25m. When MFI ceased selling lounge furniture, Sofa Workshop was bought in October 2006 by furniture retailer New Heights. New Heights appointed an administrator in May 2008.[2] At that stage the company had 31 stores in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, employing 160 people. The company had revenue amounting to £30 million in the year ending May 2008.[3]
On 31 December 2008 Sofa Workshop announced that they were lining up Leonard Curtis as a possible administrator.[4] Leonard Curtis stated at the time that there had been expressions of interest in purchasing the company.[3]
On 31 January 2009 it was reported that Sofa Workshop had been sold. Leonard Curtis said 10 of the company's 30 stores had been bought by Erewash Upholstery, which is controlled by a consortium of investors led by Andrew Cussins, who founded Sofa Workshop in 1985.[5] Soon after the management buyout, Cussins moved on.
Since the change of ownership, Sofa Workshop has re-established itself as one of the key furniture retailers in the UK and has seen a 40% increase in profits in the year ending December 2010.[6]