Published on : Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Heritage sofa factory that once owned the Collins & Hayes brand will relaunch as Billy & Slouch during January Furniture Show from January 21 to 24, 2018. The Hastings factory, which also supplies white-label to a number of leading national furniture retailers, will introduce the collection from the longstanding C&H stand space in Hall.
Sales and marketing director Vicky Phillips, said, “We want to stand proudly and say we are back, we’ve got the investment, and we are here to stay.”
Upholstery designer Alan Pledge, who created a number of the factory’s previous best-sellers, has been drafted in to help formulate Billy & Slouch’s launch collection.
“The ranges that we have put together are very modern, contemporary and on-trend,” said Ms Phillips.
Born into a Long Eaton upholstery family and having worked with famous names including Parker Knoll and Derwent, Ms Phillips said the name of the new brand is a nod to Hastings’ heritage and William the Conqueror, with Billy chosen to reflect the more modern nature of the business’ product offer.
There will be ten new models at the January Furniture Show, five casual styles and five contemporary. Ms Phillips says the casual collection will feature pastel and chalky hues, with linens and naturals. She says visitors to the contemporary side of the stand will be greeted with “an explosion of colour.”
“The plan was always to come back into the independents market. Lots of mass-produced factories can’t cope with the sort of flexibility that many customers ask for, whether that is a customer’s own fabric or made-to-measure sizing.
“We aim to show people an excellent product and do a good job of reassuring them that we are back on track and in a financial position to be as supportive as we previously were. I owe that to the people who work here at Hastings. They have been through a lot, remain dedicated and are looking forward to getting back up to capacity again.”
Tags: Alan Pledge, Billy & Slouch, Collins & Hayes, contemporary, furniture, January Furniture Show, upholstery
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