Keeping you up to date on upcoming important dates, contact information and other areas of the business. Our staff have been busy raising money to help a number of different causes. Our FIRA Gold Certification has been renewed for another year. Find out what this means for our products. We recently procured some new cabs to add to our already large number of trucks. A BUOYANT SHOW ON HOME GROUND Harlow Leather Earlier this year we launched several new leather models which seem to be going from strength to strength. Performance and luxury... In this issue... At Home Show 2023 FIRA Gold Certification This summer we have opened our doors and invited many customers to view our collections at our showroom in Lancashire. New Additions to our Fleet James Howard joins our select team of sales agents and will be overseeing many customers in London and the surrounding areas. New Regional Sales Agent Charity Events Catch Up NEWSLETTER Spring / Summer Edition
FOLLOWING A SUCCESSFUL JFS 2023 WITH A POSITIVE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR We began this year with an event that had not been at its usual time and place in a good few years. We’re talking, of course, about the January Furniture Show at the Birmingham NEC. This show remains a focal point in the furniture industry and gives a great opportunity for us to showcase our exciting models for the coming year. Our stand was as usual one of the largest at the show and enabled us to display a vast array of both new collections, including our new leather products, and existing popular models with fresh new fabric updates. As we look forward further into 2023 we are looking to further fill our order books and keep innovating when it come to our furniture and the fabrics and materials used to create them. Some examples of this will be shown at our At Home Show beginning this July. In more internal news we are currently striving to improve communication and employee engagement within our factory. We have recently created our employee engagement panel where staff can give feedback or suggestions to a department representative and have these issues discussed and addressed in a meeting. www.buoyant-upholstery.co.uk Telephone - 01282 691631 facebook.com/BuoyantUpholsteryltd twitter.com/buoyantuph @buoyant_uph linkedin.com/company/buoyant
FIRA - A GOLD STANDARD IN COMPLIANCE CONTINUED TRAINING The Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) supports the entire furniture supply chain, helping them to keep informed and provide guidance on compliance. Buoyant Upholstery have been a member of the association for many years and recently we underwent an audit review to renew our certification for the ‘Compliance Scheme for the Fire Performance of Upholstered Furniture.’ The scheme aims to offer reassurance that a manufacturer of upholstered furniture has suitable processes and procedures in place to demonstrate due diligence compliance with the UK’s Furniture & Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations (FFFSR). We’re always looking for ways to further our training here at Buoyant. Employee welfare and keeping up to date with the standards of practice is at the heart of what we do, ensuring all employees are given the same opportunities and treated equally. Recently a select number of managers completed the Bribery & Corruption training and development course which is certified by the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. FIRA International Gold Product Certification is the quality mark recognised across the furniture industry, highlighting products which meet, or exceed, all the current applicable standards. The Certification demonstrates that the product has been assessed against specified performance levels through rigorous testing and is backed by an ongoing audit and re-test programme to ensure certification standards are continually met.
HOME IS WHERE THE SHOW IS! This summer, from Sunday 16th to Tuesday 25th July, we have filled our appointment book with meetings with customers from all over the country. We have stocked our showroom at our factory in Nelson, Lancashire with a comprehensive selection of our new and current models, some of which are displayed in exciting new fabrics. This sort of show can only be conducted as an appointment only exhibition. Many customers will have received an invite in the post and arranged their appointment with their sales agent. For those customers who won’t be able to make it up to Lancashire we will be releasing videos and imagery of the products to help them make an informed decision when it comes to placing an order for their store. The At Home Show will feel like a continuation and a natural progression from the January Furniture Show that was held at the beginning of this year. All the collections that we released at that time will be represented here in stunning and contemporary fabric combinations. One addition that has been developed since JFS is the Warren (pictured left). We displayed the leather version at the NEC and customers were so impressed they requested a fabric version also which is precisely what we have delivered. HOME SHOW BUOYANT SHOWROOM
HOME IS WHERE THE SHOW IS! The January Furniture Show is where we also revealed our five luxurious leather collections using ethically sourced Kind Leather®. These models have proved to be incredibly popular and all will be displayed here at the At Home Show. Pictured to the left is the Austin Leather which proved to be one of the favoured collections shown in January, other leather collections include the Beatrix, Warren, Ren and Harlow. View the collections at our website: www.buoyant-upholstery.co.uk The At Home Show will feel like a continuation and a natural progression from the January Furniture Show that was held at the beginning of this year. All the collections that we released at that time will be represented here in stunning and contemporary fabric combinations. One addition that has been developed since JFS is the Warren (pictured left). We displayed the leather version at the NEC and customers were so impressed they requested a fabric version also which is precisely what we have delivered. HOME SHOW BUOYANT SHOWROOM SUN 16TH - TUE 25TH JULY BUOYANT SHOWROOM, FACTORY 2 WATERFORD STREET NELSON LANCASHIRE BB9 8AJ
HOME SHOW COMING IN SEPTEMBER ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE After the success of our Macmillan coffee morning last year we decided to make the coffee morning / bake sale more of a tradition. Along with other charitable events we’ve raised a significant amount for many causes Many of you will remember in our December issue we were drumming up support for our National Sales Manager Jackie Stobbs, who was about to embark on the London to Brighton Ultra Challenge. This is an epic walk from London to Brighton in under 24 hours! We’re pleased to announce that she has now completed this challenge, smashing it with a time of 22 hours and 35 minutes! So far Jackie has managed to raise a staggering £3795 for Arafest through Justgiving alone and her page is still open if you wish to congratulate her by making a donation: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the-arafest-amigo In the previous newsletter we mentioned the incredible total we managed to raise through our Macmillan coffee morning which inspired us to hold more events such as this and raise even more money for local charities. This year we have continued to hold coffee mornings with different themes. These have included Easter, Summer and a very patriotic one for the King’s coronation. Here are just a few examples of the local charities that the proceeds from these coffee morning help to support: Coffee Mornings and Bake Sales Ultra Challenge - Complete! Sky dive for Pendleside Hospice Our Payroll Clerk, Rebecca Day, will be bravely leaping from an aeroplane this September to raise money for Pendleside Hospice. Pendleside Hospice is a cause very dear to our heart here at Buoyant, the vital work they do supports so many people and their families in the final stages of life. To support Rebecca and Pendleside visit her Justgiving page and donate what you can: www.justgiving.com/page/rebecca-day-1684922479838
RAIN FAILS TO STOP THE FUN AT THIS YEAR’S ARAFEST! Once again this year musicians, organisers, retailers and revellers gathered at Leven Airfield in Hull for Arafest 2023. This year was the 9th Arafest to be held and the festival continues to grow in popularity with camping, live music, food and drink, and fun for all the family. Whereas previous years have seen glorious sunshine throughout the weekend the weather this July has not been kind to any areas of the country and it really came down on the festival this year. However this did nothing to dampen the spirits of the festival goers and the bands and artists performing live who kept the party going through the rain. SAY HELLO TO OUR NEW AGENT! Back in March we welcomed a new agent onto our Sales team. Please say hello to our new sales agent for London and the South East areas - James Howard. Those of you with retail stores in London and the South East may recall receiving a letter from our National Sales Manager announcing his appointment to the team. James is already well known and respected in the industry after working for many years with Clarion Events and we’re sure he will be an asset to Buoyant for years to come. We wish him every success for the future. See the agent map on the back page for contact details.
SAVE THE DATES... 24th July - 7th August 2023 Summer Holiday 9th December 2023 Arafest Ball 2023 16th - 25th July 2023 At Home Show We recently acquired four new trucks to expand our already large delivery fleet. The new Renault Trucks T440 4×2 Evolution tractor units, which have been supplied by dealership JDS Truck and Van, add to our 20-truck fleet and follow the strong performance of other Renault trucks. Hans Jansen, our Commercial Director said: “We need delivery vehicles that perform well, are reliable and keep the drivers happy. The three T380s we’ve been running for the last four years have ticked all of these boxes and we’ve had very few problems with them.” AGENT CONTACT INFO NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR FLEET JACKIE STOBBS - National Sales Manager - 07974 090 319 - [email protected] STUART GILCHRIST - 07801 020539 Connor Meeks - 01282 691631 EXT - 2128 MARIAN HANS - 07753 567 245 JUDE HANS - 07917 101 709 Katie Harris - 01282 691631 EXT -2126 PAUL LONGMUIR - 07734 906 866 Key Accounts - 01282 691631 EXT - 2201 TERRY BARROW - 07525 328 712 Marcin Gornik - 01282 691631 EXT - 2118 JASON PICKETT - 07834 375 059 Zed Iqbal - 01282 691631 EXT - 2125 1 2 3 4 5 PAUL OWEN - 07977 334 470 Emma Dale - 01282 691631 EXT - 2127 LAURA CHAPMAN - 07764 357 461 Katie Harris - 01282 691631 EXT -2126 JAMES HOWARD - 07943 457 785 Emma Dale - 01282 691631 EXT - 2127 JAMES HOWARD - 07943 457 785 Emma Dale - 01282 691631 EXT - 2127 6 7 8 9 JACKIE STOBBS - 07974 090 319 Emma Dale - 01282 691631 EXT - 2127 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 - IoM, IoW and Channel Islands 21st - 24th January 2024 January Furniture Show 2024 18th December 2023 - 2nd January 2024 Christmas Holiday