England Furniture Incorporated

England, Inc. is an American manufacturer of upholstered furniture. It is based in New Tazewell, Tennessee,[1] and was founded in 1964 by Charles England and sons Eugene and Dwight “whose goal was to provide an employment alternative for the people in their region of Appalachia.”[2] England is well known in the industry for pioneering a method of rapid delivery of custom furniture through its proprietary transportation system.[2][3] England Inc. sells its furniture through furniture stores (some with galleries called Custom Comfort Centers) across America and Canada.[4][5][6][7] In 1995 England was acquired by La-Z-Boy.[2][8]

History

England, Inc. was founded in 1964 by Dwight England, in partnership with his Father and Brother, under the name “England UPH MFG Co., Inc.” By 1984, England was working around the clock. The company was the first to offer 2 week delivery for a full truck-load of furniture where most other companies could only offer delivery in 6–12 weeks.[9] In 1987 Rodney England took over from his father as President of England Furniture. In 1992, England Furniture was awarded the East Tennessee “Entrepreneurial Company of the Year.”[9]

By 1994, England Furniture had sales of $106 million. The following year, England was acquired by La-Z-Boy to operate as an independent division.[2]

Suppliers

England, Inc. has a reputation for long lasting, quality furniture. This is in part due to its carefully selected suppliers for all materials that are involved in the production of England furniture pieces. [11]

Fabrics

England furniture primarily uses four carefully chosen vendors for their fabrics. These vendors are Richloom Fabrics, David Rothschild Co., Culp Fabrics, and Chambers Fabrics.[10] Each fabric used in England products is thoroughly tested by a variety of machines, some of which measure durability, stain resistance, and seam separation.[11] Each fabric vendor for England Furniture must adhere to England Furniture’s strict fabric quality guidelines, which are often more rigorous than industry standards.[12] By using these vendors, England can consistently offer upholstery in over 400 fabric choices in less than 21 days.[13]

Materials

Other vendors for England, Inc. include Stein Fibers, for polyester fiber, Leggett & Platt Inc., for metal components, and Hickory Springs, for specialty foam.[10] England ’s high quality standards are constantly pushing these companies to maintain high performance while also working to create new technologies for even better products.[14] An example of the new technology used in England Furniture is the optional Coil-Enhanced Foam Cushion which features 9 spring coils embedded in the core of a foam cushion. The coils enhance the durability and longevity of the cushion ensuring a quality sofa for many years [15][16]

Packaging & Shipping

England’s goal is to provide quality furniture in a short shipping time. In order to ensure its furniture arrives to the customer in the same condition as when it left the factory, they trust Hayter Die Cutting and Sealed Air Corporation for packaging the pieces.[10] Hayter Die Cutting is known for using the heaviest caliper cardboard in the industry and has supplied various packaging options to England Furniture for many years while Sealed Air Corporation provides a heavy-duty bag used for protection during storage and transportation.[17][18]

References

  1. ↑ Hoover’s Inc. “England, Inc.”, accessed on June 01, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 England Furniture ”About Us”, accessed on June 05, 2011.
  3. ↑ Home Furnishings Business “England to Retire From La-Z-Boy Sawyer Named Successor”, accessed on June 05, 2011.
  4. ↑ Furniture Today “England Opens Six New Custom Comfort Centers”, accessed on June 04, 2011.
  5. ↑ Furniture Today “England Opens 4 Galleries, Custom Furniture Store”, accessed on June 04, 2011.
  6. ↑ Furniture Today “England Installs 3 Galleries”, accessed on June 04, 2011.
  7. ↑ Furniture Today “Four Retailers Install England Custom Comfort Centers”, accessed on June 04, 2011.
  8. ↑ La Z Boy Website “Our Brands”, accessed on June 05, 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 England Furniture Factory Tour "The History Of England Furniture", accessed on May 05, 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 England Furniture Suppliers "England Furniture Company Suppliers", accessed May, 05 2013.
  11. ↑ England Furniture Quality """The Olenator"" and the Fabric Testing Machine at England Furniture", accessed May 05, 2013.
  12. ↑ England Furniture Suppliers "David Rothschild Co.", accessed May 05, 2013.
  13. ↑ England Furniture Suppliers "Richloom Fabrics Group", accessed May 05, 2013.
  14. ↑ England Furniture Suppliers "Stein Fibers Ltd", accessed May 05, 2013.
  15. ↑ England Furniture Quality "Introducing the New Coil-Enhanced Foam Cushion from England Furniture", accessed may 05, 2013.
  16. ↑ England Furniture What's Inside "England Furniture What's Inside", accessed May 07, 2013.
  17. ↑ England Furniture Suppliers "Hayter Die Cutting", accessed May 07, 2013.
  18. ↑ England Furniture Suppliers "Sealed Air Corporation", accessed May 07, 2013.