CSL rebrands and expands as sales hit £100m
FAMILY-owned furniture retailer CSL is rebranding as Sofaworks as sales approach £100m for the first time.
The family-owned Warrington-based group, which has 26 stores. says it will be opening another nine outlets next year, creating 225 jobs.
By Christmas all the stores will be operating as Sofaworks as part of a strategy to differentiate itself from other furniture stores.
As well as a new website, Sofaworks is launching an app and has developed its own line of sofas for the first time.
Turnover this year is set to be a record – sales are up 17% over the course of the year boosted by three new store openings in 2013 (Slough, Paisley and Solihull) alongside single-digit like-for-like sales growth.
New stores in Coventry and Stockton-on-Tees are opening before the end of the year, while the Blackburn outlet has relocated to new premises.
As a result, the retailer expects turnover for the year to December 31 to surpass £100m (2012: £89.2m).
The company’s expansion comes amid growing consumer confidence to splash out on ‘big-ticket’ items.
Chief executive Jason Tyldesley said: “We have always taken pride in treating customers with respect and being open and honest – these are the values that have been with the business from the start. However, as Sofaworks, we’re taking that proposition a step further, creating a truly unique and market-beating customer offer.
“The change in our name reflects this different approach and the relaxed, friendly and helpful atmosphere people will find in-store. Unlike other retailers, we know that when people are shopping the last thing they want is the hard sell.
“The new stores we open next year – increasing the size of our estate by a third – will also ensure that even more people can experience that difference. With strong evidence of rising consumer confidence, our trading performance and plans for next year mean we are perfectly positioned to capitalise.”
The company has also boosted its senior team with a number of new hires.
Kevin Snowball, formerly of Lloyds Pharmacy joining as head of retail; former Floors-2-Go chief executive Simon Farnsworth has been appointed head of finance; and Jason Glover, ex-head of IT at luxury travel brand Kuoni, has joined as chief information officer.
The retailer is also due to open a new distribution centre in Rugby before Christmas, the firm’s fifth UK site. The company began in 1984 as a single store near Burnley, Lancashire. It remains wholly owned by the family and employs more than 700 people.
