Darren Bastin, Sales Director UK and Ireland at RetailSystem, talks about getting back to business.
The decorations have been packed away, the last of the sweets in the numerous tubs have mysteriously vanished, and everyone’s slowly finding their feet again. After the December whirlwind, there’s a real sense of getting back to business, tidying the shop floor, resetting displays, and taking stock of what worked, and what didn’t.
December in furniture retail has its own particular brand of pressure, sofas, beds, and dining tables all having to land in customers’ homes before the big day. Routes are planned and replanned, phones are full of “just checking” calls, and everyone holds their breath hoping the last delivery makes it down the drive before dusk on Christmas Eve. When it all goes to plan, it feels like a small miracle. When it doesn’t, it’s a story retold for years.
Then January strides in like it owns the place. The mince pies are swapped for sales signs and suddenly the showroom fills with bargain hunters wrapped in coats and confidence, convinced the person before them got a much better deal. Negotiations begin, eyebrows are raised, and every price tag gets inspected with forensic detail. It’s exhausting. It’s entertaining. It’s January.
Then the calendar rolls round to one of the absolute highlights of the year, the January Furniture Show. It’s the industry’s annual reunion, a chance to see what’s new, catch up with familiar faces, and soak up that unmistakable energy that only the NEC can generate. There’s always something special about that first wander through the halls, spotting the styles, colours, and ideas that will shape the year ahead.
After many calls and messages back and forth across Ireland and the UK, the January Show is where it becomes properly personal. Conversations move from inbox to handshakes, and people who previously only know each other by name finally meet, share a smile and a conversation.
What never changes is the resilience of furniture & bedding retailers. Year after year, they adapt, adjust, and keep moving forward. Rising costs, tighter margins, and higher expectations would test anyone, yet this industry meets it all with determination and humour in equal measure.
The January Furniture Show is as much about people as products. It’s the gossip, the December war stories, the laughs over coffee (or another libation), and the unspoken understanding that no two weeks in retail are ever the same. There’s comfort in knowing that whatever lies ahead, the trade will face it together.
As the doors open on another year, here’s to fresh ideas, honest conversations, and plenty to look forward to. If you’re heading to the show and fancy finding out more about what RetailSystem can do for your furniture business, you’ll find us in Hall 5, Stand A42. And if you’re staying closer to home, here’s wishing you a strong start, a busy showroom, and a year that brings more good days than bad.
www.linkedin.com/in/darren-bastin-429a0a2b7/ / darren@retailsystem.com
