Ashendon Village Furniture

Why buy from Ashendon Village Furniture?

Consumers are becoming increasingly price conscious according to Paul Flatters, chief executive of the Furniture Foundation. He told retailers at the annual lunch of the British Shops and Stores Association, that the UK was undergoing ‘a cultural revolution at the thought of paying too much money for certain items’

"The obsession with price is a result of an increasingly competitive marketplace, and the internet, which is making low inflation more obvious to consumers. Nowadays the consumer can go into a store, find the model name, and find out online who is selling it for the best price."

Flatters says the Rip off Britain campaign, which started in the 1990s and focused largely on British consumers paying over the odds for motor vehicles, was among the main reasons for the UK consumer’s high awareness of price.

"The retailers that can charge more for their products are those that can attribute strong brand values to their merchandise."

This article appeared in The Cabinet Maker magazine 21/06/06.

Top end retailers miss out on web

Consumers are being deprived of high end furniture online as retailers have been slow in seeing its potential, according to James Roper, online research group, IMRG, chief executive.

He claimed that high end furniture was now the only area in the industry which was still 'wide open' for retailers to take advantage of and more should be done to attract customers via the Internet.

He said: 'There is nothing out there. No top end brands. High end professionals are not selling online. It is one of the obvious things to do.'

But top end designers and retailers said they were not missing the boat, just being realistic!

This article appeared in The Cabinet Maker magazine 09/05/07.