North East based Linthorpe Beds has been crowned Independent Retailer of the Year, at a highly prestigious national awards ceremony.
Linthorpe Beds were judged, alongside four other finalists, by a panel of experts and came out as the best independent bed retailer in the UK.
Commenting on the reasons for their victory Lisa Artis, PR and Communications Manager for the National Bed Federation said “ Linthorpe Beds showed an impressive sales increase in the qualifying period, with like-for-like sales at 17%, which stemmed from investment in marketing, the website and strong add on sales. It took a bold, brave move to refurbish their flagship store, as well as a second store and committing to a new van fleet to defy the notion that traditional retailing is dead.”
Keith Humble who owns Linthorpe Beds with his wife Sandra said “We’re thrilled with this award and that the effort of every one of our staff has been recognised and we have been judged the best independent retailers in the country. Obviously, we couldn’t have done this without the amazing team. It’s a tremendous boost to win, especially when looking at the quality of the other entrants. It makes all of the investment of time and money worthwhile.
“This is the first award we have ever entered, and we won! we also celebrated the birth of our first grandchild in the same week, so it was a double celebration!
The awards are organised by The National Bed Federation and well-known writer broadcaster and performer Gyles Brandreth hosted the event. Linthorpe Beds received their award from National Bed Federation President Tony Lisanti.
Commenting on their success in what others have found to be tough trading conditions Keith continued “Our approach has been to invest significantly in our business and in our staff and we put customer service at the heart of everything we do. We are confident that is the way forward for retailing in this sector and we are targeting continued growth”
Linthorpe Beds have stores in Bishop Auckland, Portrack Lane, Stockton and Darlington. They now employ 35 staff, a far cry from their early days in 1990 when Directors Keith and Sandra Humble set up their first showroom in Linthorpe Road with 3 members of staff.
Keith said “As the business grew and we improved the overall experience of shopping with our company we never lost sight of what our customers were looking for namely, high quality products at a great price but with the aftercare that we would want ourselves.
Keith continued “We’re going to use the award to its maximum advantage and try to build our brand further. It’s great for the people of the North East to know that they have another fantastic business on their doorstep where they can shop and get the best products and service that will match anywhere else in the country.
“I’m sure that the award will enhance the trust that both local and national customers have in us and will drive the business to even better things in the coming year.”
