Future focus for luxury design retailer

Retailer Nest is focusing on growth after a successful first half of 2021 which the business has attributed to a flurry of commercial contracts and ‘direct-to-designer’ projects.

The luxury design destination, which is based in Sheffield, and was one of the early adopters of online retail within its sector, has seen an increase in sales of 38% in the first six months of the year-to-date, in comparison to the same period in 2020 and as a result is on a recruitment drive.

Ashlee Sanderson, Nest’s sales manager, said the boost in sales was down to a growing number of contracts to provide furniture and lighting solutions to hotels, leisure facilities, flexible workspaces and residential developments, including the sales suite of the Urban Splash House pavilion project in Inholm, Cambridgeshire.”

She added that the firm had also “expanded its interior designer client base further to the launch of its business-to-business arm, Nest Contracts”, which delivers furniture, lighting and accessory design and installation services to property developers, interior designers, architects and electrical wholesalers across the UK.

The business currently employs 35 members of staff, and is now looking to grow its team to deal with the increase in demand, with vacancies now in the purchasing team, the contracts sales support team, and its accounts department, as well as a marketing intern.

The expansion follows news last month that Nest had acquired a second site in a move which will see the team establish a dedicated design destination within the city’s iconic Park Hill development.

Purchasing the Scottish Queen, a landmark building at the heart of Phase 1 of the award-winning redevelopment project which once housed one of the four original onsite pubs, the space spans an impressive 3,500 sq. ft and includes a basement and terraces to both sides.

Sanderson added: “It’s been a very strong six months for the business, with a real increase in the number of commercial contracts we are now delivering – both directly to the businesses themselves, as well as through our growing list of interior design customers.

“Along with rising website traction, much of the work reaches us as a result of word of mouth, and as our reputation for delivering a full-service offering – including the emphasis we place on customer service as part of the planning and installation of the furniture we procure – we anticipate the number of commercial projects that we are working on will continue to grow.

“We’re now looking forward to the opening of our new design destination in Park Hill, and to expanding our team to enable us to keep up with the demand and to deliver the very best possible service to our customers.”