Mar 12 2010
Alice Beer talks to BBC local radio stations about Plumbs and keeping that in-herited piece of furniture rather than throwing it away.
A survey has revealed that two thirds of UK homeowners would rather bring a piece of furniture back to life and enjoy a piece of family history than buy something new.
Feb 26 2010
Plumbs are giving away 5 free pairs of tickets to the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair, these tickets can be used any day expect Saturday. Additionally each winner will receive 2 tickets to the Gala Evening on Wednesday 24th March.
Find out more about the fair – CLICK HERE!
How to Enter:
There are a two ways to take part in our competition. You can either:
1. Sign-up to our monthly newsletter. Anyone signing up between the 26th February 2010 – 16th March 2010, will be automatically entered – Sign-up here…
2. Become a fan of our Facebook page. Anyone joining between the 26th February 2010 – 16th March 2010, will be automatically entered – Become a fan here…
3. Follow us on Twitter and re-tweet this message:
RT @Plumbsltd: Win one of 5 pairs of tickets to the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair. For details http://tinyurl.com/ydgzdyf #plumbstand
Everyone can be a winner. For everyone signing up to our newsletter we will issue them a promo code that can be used both online and phone booking to get £1 off.
A Few Rules:
Each Re-Tweet will receive 1 entry into the competition
Each Newsletter Sign-up will receive 1 entry into the competition
Each Facebook Fan will receive 1 entry into the competition
The competition winner(s) will be contacted personally
Prizes must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred
There will be no cash alternatives
Open to UK residents aged 18 or over
We do not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries
Competition closes @ 23:59 on 16th March 2010
The winner will be selected and announced on 17th March 2010
Feb 16 2010
Come and see us and our loose cover & reupholstery products at the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair 2010. Located in the Business Design Centre, London from the 24th – 28th March.
Win one of 5 FREE pairs of tickets to the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair – Click Here…
Come and see us at stand E11 – you will get to see:
Enjoy a fantastic day out at this year’s Country Living Magazine Spring Fair. The Business Design Centre in London’s Islington will be packed with fresh ideas for the home and garden. Discover – and sample – a whole host of delicious regional produce in the food hall and pamper yourself with gorgeous fashions and unique jewellery. Meet some of the UK’s most talented artisans and really celebrate spring in style.
Feb 09 2010
Last week, we got together about 250 Plumbs employees to take this aerial photo to commemorate our 50th year in business. It was a very cold day but luckily all the waving and many takes kept us all warm.
Feb 02 2010
To celebrate our golden anniversary, we have created an exclusive new collection, honouring our 50 year heritage with a range of fabrics manufactured by British design houses.
Our collections include ‘Bijoux’, a new co-ordinated range of textured tweeds and crushed velvets following the very latest style trends for a combination of design and colour and ‘Timeless Classics’, an exciting new range which blends beautiful florals, plains, mini designs and stripes in co-ordinating room settings.
Autumn 2010 will see the release of a special ‘Prestige Collection’ showcasing the very best sellers from top British brand names such as Sandersons, Crowsons and Blendworth and ‘Venetian Palace’ – a top of the range, yet affordable, collection.
We have been producing and designing quality made-to-measure loose sofa covers and loose chair covers for half a century.
From the early days as a North West market stall, Plumbs have grown into the UK’s biggest supplier of loose covers and have diversified in recent years adding curtains and the highly skilled art of reupholstery to our range of services.
With 50 years under the belt and having covered 3 million suites to date, this family-run business have embraced five decades of home interior fashion from the vivid oranges of the 1960s, the elaborate and coordinated styles of the 1980s to the clean minimalist approach of the 1990s.
To see a selection of these new 2010 range of re-upholstery, loose covers and curtain fabrics – please click here…
Jan 29 2010
Transform your living room this Spring with loose covers from Plumbs. With hundreds of fabrics to choose from including cottons, linens, chenilles, easy care stretch fabrics plus luxury velvets, loose covers are ideal if you’re looking for a slightly more informal way to update your furniture.
Offering an alternative solution to replacing a tired sofa or chair, Plumbs loose covers are hand crafted from start to finish and made to measure, which means that they look, fit and feel as good, if not better, than the original upholstery. Plumbs even offer co-ordinating curtains!
From on-trend botanical prints and opulent purples and deep reds to countryside-inspired florals and natural fabrics, Plumbs diverse loose cover collections offer something for everyone.
If your furniture is over ten years old then re-upholstery could be the perfect way to bring a well-loved sofa or chair back to life. Re-upholstery allows you to keep all the original features of your existing furniture, including the shape, comfort and style, but in a brand new fabric.
Plumbs upholstering services range from standard recovering to complete reupholstery including any wooden features, studded work and button backs.
Jan 19 2010
Latest government figures say we in the UK send more than half our waste to landfill. That is a huge 62 million tonnes a year in England alone. Now the aim is to reduce landfill by at least 50% over the next 10 years…..
Jan 09 2010
From 1960 -2010 Plumbs have revitalised the looks of over 3 million pieces of furniture in the United Kingdom through loose covers and reupholstery and provided thousands of British jobs.
So how did it happen….
Plumbs in the 1960s
Founded by Tom and Bernice Plumb, the company originated in Blackburn in the 1950s, where it began life as a market stall selling decorative cushions and ‘settee sets’. Plumbs stretch covers could be placed over sofas and chairs offering an instant make-over.
In the 1960s, their son, Geoff, launched a mail order business specialising in fitted furniture covers. The 60s was the era of a large ‘I’m Backing Britain’ campaign which encouraged the public to buy from UK businesses. Thus manufacturers such as Plumbs became increasingly popular.
Plumbs in the 1970s
Plumbs opened its first high street shop in Bolton in 1972. It was at this point that they introduced continental bedding to both the high street and the country via mail order. Another innovation included furniture with removable covers. The store emphasised the quality of its products, but still offered value for money, leading to the opening of a further 91 shops nationwide.
Plumbs in the 1980s
Plumbs launched a free Home Consultancy division which saw consultants visiting customers’ homes. The Consultants provided a made-to-measure service, helping customers achieve covers for the the more complex furniture styles popular at the time. By measuring furniture, Plumbs were able to use fabrics with less stretch. Customers could also purchase a range of matching accessories to complement their furniture. Plumbs began to supply curtains, pelmets and tie-backs for a co-ordinated look.
Plumbs in the 1990s
During the 90s, Plumbs created a bold new style using two designs together. These were then photographed in co-ordinated room sets, serving as inspiration for customers. Later in the 1990s a trend for simple and neutral furniture fabrics emerged. Plumbs responded to this trend with a collection of natural cotton and linen covers.
Plumbs in the Noughties
Plumbs began offering a Reupholstery Service in 2003 and is now considered the biggest and most trusted reupholsterer in the UK. Plumbs is now able to collaborate with famous brand names including Sanderson and Swaffer, producing non-stretch fabrics for tailored loose covers.
Plumbs in the Teenies
Technological investments have also been made, including an in-house photography studio and state of the art Lectra manufacturing systems.
Today, Plumbs produce over 1,000 furniture cover, reupholstery and curtain orders each week. 50 years of employment, British manufacturing and good old fashioned service. To celebrate it’s golden anniversary, Plumbs has created an exclusive collection honouring it’s 50 year heritage. They also want to encourage the U.K. population to promote the refurbishment and re-use of household furniture,
So where will the next few years take Plumbs. I suspect an increasing amount of reupholstery will be a characteristic. This is such a product of the day. Real craftsmanship in a throw away world is hard to find, and Reupholstery encourages re-use or recycling.
The Plumb family would just like to say thank-you for 50 years of custom, thank-you to all those employees who have contributed and we hope to continue for a long time to come.
Jul 16 2009
Today, Sarah became one of 25 staff working at Plumbs to have completed 25 years of service. Grand-daughter of Plumbs founder Thomas Plumb, Sarah initially had ambitions of going into nursing but became captivated in the family business at an early age, becoming Managing Director of Plumbs in March this year
Sarah says, “Over the last twenty five years I have worked in all areas of the Business and have worked with some fantastic people. Today has given me an opportunity to reflect on times and people past and to look forward optimistically to the future. In such challenging economic times it is positive to be working in British Manufacturing and to be seeing growth in demand for our product. I have loved working for our Family business, long may that continue!”
Plumbs really is a very good environment to work, which is emphasised by the fact, if you take just those 25 staff who have worked over 25 years and combine their years. Together they have given to Plumbs over 700 years of service!
Not every business can say that!
