Manchester investment house provides £150k package for diversifying furniture firm

Manchester-based investment house The UK Manufacturer has led a £150k package to help develop a unique concept in high quality handmade furniture.

Authentic Furniture, based in Derbyshire, is using the investment as it diversifies, adapting its business model to both online and offline retail.

Recently opened beneath 400 year old timber beams and close to the Chatsworth Estate in the Peak District, Authentic draws on centuries of furniture manufacturing experience within Derbyshire, and plans to open another in the South of England.

Authentic considers themselves part of a “disruptive new breed of retail specialists”, blending multiple sales and marketing channels.

Tim Lowry of Authentic Furniture said: “Traditionally a business such as ours might have targeted 20 showrooms but times have changed. At least 80% of our mature business will be online.

“Showrooms are useful places for customers to come and physically touch the quality but one of their main purposes is giving reassurance that a majority online business is actually ‘real’ and ultimately reliable. It’s all about the genuine narrative.”

Authentic creates unique, recycled hemlock, redwood, lime, and oak in the beds, cabinets and tables.

Seven individual layers of upholstery ensure sofas will keep their shape for decades. From hand turned beech feet on the furniture, to the Yorkshire lambswools, Lancashire velvets, and pieces signed off by hand, Authentic feeds consumers’ growing appetite for artisanship.

The company is aiming for £1 million turnover in its first full year of trading and recently was singled out for investment by The UK Manufacturing Accelerator, a specialist funder of high potential manufacturers.

CEO of The UK Manufacturer Malcolm Evans said: “Authentic ticks all the boxes for us; UK manufacturing, excellence in all things, disruptive business model and experienced, ambitious management.”