Our cover star this month is The Spring Furniture & Bed Show, organised by Minerva Furniture Group, which sets the scene perfectly ahead of May’s showcase. We explore what’s on show, as well as catching up with a number of exhibitors ahead of the event. These include West Midlands Upholstery, Papaya, Purecare, ISM, FW Style and Wiemann.
May also hosts another industry event, with Long Point taking place across Long Eaton. We caught up with the organisers on what to expect. Meanwhile, Cófra has announced the recent appointment of PL Walsh Furniture as its official UK sales agency, marking a new chapter in the Irish brand’s continued growth and expansion into the UK market. With Ireland in mind, we also spoke with DUXIANA on its Dublin expansion.
This month has plenty of data to digest too. uFurnish.com shares an insight into Q1 2026 consumer trends, while Furnilytics explores furniture web search trends in the UK, covering demands, products and retailers. Furniture And Choice shares an overview of on-trend styles, Snap Finance UK examines how evolving retail credit technology helps boost conversions and Bridgman shares recent current market trends.
We joined in the celebrations of Michael John Flooring’s recent 80th anniversary milestone, while Furniture Link fixes its prices ahead of its ‘At Home Show’. Gallery Direct talks about outdoor’s add-on opportunity, we dive into The CloseCo. story so far and Man Wah highlights its May Madness promotion in partnership with WSS Specialist through the Meta Sofa platform. Birlea reflects on a strong start to 2026, Comfortex is honoured as a champion of innovation and IFD moves forward with purpose and clarity.
We caught up with Sealy, Beehive Furniture, Willis & Gambier, Higgys, Sofa Source, Avriio, Image, Jaipur, Limelight, Staingard, Torelli and Mammoth on their respective updates. TOKABO says it is ready for partnerships, we introduce EB London following its recent launch, Fox Williams helps us understand the implications of AI agents for agency agreements, and BigFurnitureData talks about driving the digital evolution of supplier content.
Tom Hudson, Head of Product Performance at Gallery Direct, talks about his role, admiration for his father and a resurgence of heritage looks in our latest Big Interview. Meanwhile, Spencer Lee, Director at Lakeland Furniture, talks about his role, recent investments and the need for wide-scale clearer product information in our Retail Focus feature. James Wilson, aka The Sleep Geek, talks about missing an opportunity, George Sinclair asks: How many beds is enough? And RetailSystem also poses a question: Are you battling with the decision of when to upgrade your system? We sat down with Nigel Hillier in our latest Meet the Agent/Rep feature, while letters from China, Vietnam, Ireland and USA detail respective market updates.
Furniture Sales Solutions rounds off the edition by explaining why being calm in tougher times is key to winning a customer’s confidence. As a final note, I’m delighted to announce the 2026 Big Furniture Group Awards – get voting!
That’s enough from me, so enjoy our latest magazine. If you have any news you want to shout about or if you’re keen to get involved with the industry’s leading publication, drop me an email on dan@bigfurnituregroup.com. We’d love to share your story.
