Furniture retailer bucks sector trend by opening new store

SIMPLY Dutch, the North Yorkshire furniture store, is bucking the retail sector trend by opening a new store in Batley.

It’s the second round of expansion for the Leeming Bar-based business, which is well known for its unusual collection of statues and ornaments.

The firm recently launched a wholesale arm – Simply Dutch Wholesale – which focuses on selling large amounts of oak furniture to garden centres and other furniture retailers across the UK.

The opening of new 8,000sq ft store on Bradford Road follows the closure of Simply Dutch’s Thorpe Arch retail park outlet in Wetherby.

According to a spokeswoman, Simply Dutch’s managing director Jason Hadlow was “disappointed” with consumer footfall at the park and had decided to reopen a West Yorkshire store in a more suitable high street location.

A total of three jobs have been created as a result of the move to Batley. As a whole the business employs 10 people.

Mr Hadlow said that since 2004, an increasing number of people were travelling over from West Yorkshire to visit the chain’s stores.

“We’ve already got thousands of new products in stock and turnover is up on the same period last year,” he added.

“This is largely down to the variety of products we offer, the growth of Simply Dutch Wholesale and the fact that people are investing in their homes rather than moving to new houses and we predict that this trend will continue throughout 2009.”

Since Mr Hadlow took over the family-founded business four years ago the business has enjoyed strong growth with turnover now in excess of £1m.

It’s hoped that the Batley store will turnover £350,000 in its first year.