Oak Furniture Land

Oak Furniture Land
Private
Industry Furniture Retail & manufacturing
Founded Chippenham, United Kingdom (2006)
Headquarters Swindon, United Kingdom
Area served
 United Kingdom.
Key people
 Jason Bannister
(Managing Director)
Products Living room, bedrooms, small office/home office, dining room, furniture
Number of employees
 650 (2013)[1]
Website www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk

Oak Furniture Land is a privately owned British designer, manufacturer and retailer of fully assembled hardwood cabinetry furniture, sofas, beds and mattresses for bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and small office/home offices. The company has 62 stores across the UK, and its headquarters in Swindon in Wiltshire, England. [2]

History

Oak Furniture Land was launched through its website on Boxing Day, 2006.[3] The company started in 2003 by selling on eBay. They opened up their first shop on an airfield in the cotswolds. However their first showroom on a retail park was in Cheltenham,[4] with turnover of £85m and a profit of £9.2m in the year to September 30th 2012.[5] Oak Furniture Land has been listed in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 League table 4 times - 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

In late 2012 the business moved its national distribution centre to a 302,000 sq ft building in South Marston near Swindon, Wiltshire.[6]

In 2013 the company introduced the Snapfulfil SaaS Warehouse Management System. The tool has also more than halved handling damage due to the fact the warehouse can now make consolidated picks and group product types as they are loaded onto a lorry going to a depot.[7]

In 2014 the company launched a dedicated sofa brand - SofaStore.com, with a stand-alone website, 4 dedicated showrooms and a concession in all but one (Ipswich) of the company's 58 furniture stores.

In an interview with The Sunday Times on the 10th January 2015[8] Mr. Banister stated that his chain has sales of £194m.

April 2015 the company owner, Jason Bannister "shortlisted in the London and South region of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award run by international accountancy firm EY."[9]

Showrooms

Oak Furniture Land products are sold exclusively through its own retail outlets - online and a growing network of showrooms. There are 62 stores throughout the UK and up to 12 further showrooms are planned to be in operation by the end of 2014.[4]

Delivery

Deliveries to customers are organised so that all items – assembled cabinet furniture, sofas, beds and mattresses are delivered at the same time, by Oak Furniture Lands sister company, JB Direct, a premium two man delivery service into the room of the customer's choosing, free on all orders.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Swindon-based retailer Oak Furniture Land to take on new staff". Swindon Advertiser.
  2. ↑ "OFL Showrooms/". OFL.
  3. ↑ "Online retailer to mogul/". Telegraph.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Online shops move into the High Street/". BBC.
  5. ↑ "Oak Furniture Land reports record sales and profits". Retail Week.
  6. ↑ "£22m property investment deal puts Oak Furniture Land centre under new ownership". Swindon Business News.
  7. ↑ "Oak Furniture Land focused on efficiencies and personalisation". Essential Retail.
  8. ↑ "How I Made It: Jason Bannister, founder of Oak Furniture Land". The Sunday Times.
  9. ↑ "Swindon bosses join the battle for Britain’s top entrepreneur award". Swindon Business News.
  10. ↑ "Oak Furniture Land: From eBay trader to retail mogul". The Daily Telegraph.

External links