Furniture manufacturer ercol has announced the acquisition of its store in Chelsea.
The move brings the former franchise location in-house, allowing ercol to take full control of its London retail operation, with the business officially acquiring the King’s Rd store in May 2026.
The company recently posted an uptick in sales of 3% to £19.7m for the year ended 31 December 2025 with a pre-tax profit of almost £400,000, which included the first full year of ercol’s Chelsea store.
So far this year, in an updated statement on performance, ercol said that despite the market being challenging, it continues to see “meaningful opportunities ahead”, with the addition of the Chelsea store significantly strengthening “our presence in the London market, giving us confidence in our medium- to long-term prospects”.
Commenting further on the acquisition, David Finch, Managing Director, said: “The first 18 months of working with our franchise partner established a robust commercial model and provided a strong foundation through our first ercol flagship store.
“Operating a physical retail environment has been instrumental in shaping our approach and now presents a natural next step as our partner moves on to other business interests. Taking over the venture at this stage feels like a natural progression.
“Over recent years, we have significantly strengthened the brand through new product designs, improved marketing, enhanced digital platforms and the development of our outlet store. Our long-term objective has always been to establish a dedicated ercol brand store, and with these foundations now firmly in place, the timing is right to take this step.
“As a manufacturer, this creates a direct link with the end consumer, offering valuable insights into customer behaviour, product performance and retail communication. These learnings will directly inform how we support and enhance our service across our dealer network.”
David added that the store will also function as a secondary space for exhibitions, new product previews for existing accounts, training and PR activity with key industry partners, while enabling immediate feedback on furniture, finishes and specification options.
The business has also significant investments in strengthening its supply function through targeted recruitment, alongside the recent addition of an extra CNC machine. “These investments support our medium-term objective of reducing factory lead times while expanding overall manufacturing capability,” David said.
“We are continually exploring new opportunities to support the next phase of our growth. We are in ongoing discussions with a number of our partners, building on our strong existing relationships and looking at ways to further strengthen and enhance our distribution network.”
