Plymouth Furniture Store 'moves house'

Moving house is always stressful but imagine a move that involved around 60 sofas, 40 beds and at least 20 dining tables at the last count.

That’s the task facing Ryan Long and his team as they create a series of ‘rooms’ within Furniture World’s latest store in Plymouth which opens its doors next week.

‘I guess it’s a bit like moving house maybe 50 times over,’ Ryan reflected, as his new flagship store began to take shape. ‘It’s not just the sofas, beds and dining table sets, but all the occasional furniture and items we use to dress the rooms plus a whole new home accessory department.’

The new Furniture World Plymouth store (above) has created 15 new jobs. And to celebrate, customers will be offered a glass of fizz at the grand opening on Friday August 4 plus discounts on everything in the shop.

‘This store will be different to our four others in Cornwall,’ said Mr Long. ‘I want to take our customers on an exciting journey. The key word here is inspiration. We want people to come in and be blown away by what they see.

‘Our new ranges have been carefully chosen for their quality and reliability as always. But more than that, we’re offering something different, exciting and iconic.

‘We’ve tended to play safe in the past by offering tried and tested makes and styles. But with this store, I want to take that concept a stage further by inspiring our customers to go for something a little more quirky, fun and unforgettable.

‘We’ve also decided in this store to limit our bed offerings to just five manufacturers. These are the five we consider to be the best quality for the price and for longterm reliability. We’ve taken into account swift delivery by the manufacturers in our choices too.’

Furniture World first expanded into Plymouth seven years ago opening a branch at Coypool Retail Park. But Mr Long had his eye on the former B & Q site nearby which would provide significantly more shop floor space and more consumer choice.

With the building work nearing completion, Furniture World will enjoy 20,000 square feet of retail area set over two floors. As well as individual room sets, there will be stores within stores featuring such iconic brand names as Natuzzi, G-plan, Alf, Silent night and Hypnos. The new Home Accessories Gallery will help customers add the finishing touches to their new rooms.

The B & Q site is being converted into four separate units. Alongside Furniture World, electrical retailers HBH Woolacotts and Dreams bedding company will be opening their doors soon. A fourth business will take over the former garden centre area when the necessary building work is completed.

‘We are very excited about the move,’ said Mr Long. ‘It’s a much more prominent site and a good fit for us working alongside complementary businesses. I think between us we will provide a really good service to the people of Plymouth and beyond.’

Furniture World began in 1984 as a family business, selling furniture from a barn in Cornwall but it quickly outgrew its humble beginnings.

‘We could never get enough stock to supply the demand, so we realised we were on to something,’ said Mr Long. ‘Bit by bit, we have opened stores in Redruth, Newquay, St Austell, Penzance and Plymouth, employing more than 60 people.

‘Key to our success has always been that the customer comes first. We try to offer the keenest prices on good quality furniture and as a result, our customers return again and again.’

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