Why Buy your New Sofa, Chair or Bed from Long Eaton Sofas?

We are a 100% Made in Britain Manufacturer of the highest quality upholstery and have been selling what we make direct to the public for over 35 years. The only parts we do not make inside the factory are the polished legs and feet and feather of fibre cushion interiors. There are other factories making sofas and chairs 100% in Britain but virtually all sell through wholesalers and retailers and cannot sell direct to the public as their retail stockist would then regard them as a competitor and stop buying from them.

Some manufacturers and retailers claim to be selling Made in Britain Sofas and Chairs. Most are not. They are often British retailers and online sellers but they import products from low wage economies and in one case they have their own factory in Poland but sell through their high street stores and franchises in Department stores.

Since January 2019, members of the British Furniture Manufacturers Association are only required to have 51% of the manufacturing process to be done in Britain in order to claim that their products are Made in Britain. Consequently many of the brands that promote their British credentials have their fabrics cut and sewn in Eastern Europe, import frame components from Eastern Europe and assemble finished articles in Britain. Incredibly they are allowed by the BFM to put their Made in Britain display label on the furniture in shops. We believe this is totally wrong and as a result are not members of the BFM and will not join this association either, as we believe it is misleading the buying public into thinking they are purchasing a truly made in Britain product when they are not.

The level of skill in our factory is unrivalled by any other manufacturer in Britain. Everyone of our crafts people are apprentice trained and have served the company for many years.

Our Senior Cutter has 30 years service, Senior Sewing Machinists 32 and 30 years, Senior Upholsterers 32 and 26 years, Senior Frame-makers 20 and 18 years. They ensure that the high quality standards we set are met on every piece we make, whilst training the current intake of apprentice trainees. Even so, every piece we make is inspected by a member of the family before it is signed off and packed for delivery.

The majority of upholstered furniture sold in Britain is sold by high street retailers and out of town stores. The vast majority is imported from low wage economies so the retailer can apply an extremely large mark up to make a profit. In most cases the retailer will only be paying the manufacturer a third to 40% of the price they charge the buying public. Therefore the manufacturer may only receive £333 if the retailer is selling the sofa at £999.

By buying from Long Eaton Sofas® directly you can get a very high quality sofa and chair at £999, which a retailer would want to sell for anything between £2,499 and £2,999. Usually customers visiting our showroom soon appreciate the quality and value they can get by buying from us rather than a retailer.

Because most retailers are importing the upholstery they sell, what they have on display is what you have to buy. They do not offer to make pieces to your exact size, the fabric choice will be limited, there will be no chance of changing the seat comfort and you will not be able to change the style or the colour of the legs or feet.

At Long Eaton Sofas® there is no such thing as a standard sofa or chair. You can have your furniture made to your size, in an enormous range of fabrics or leather, you can try the various cushions we offer and choose the one most suitable for you and you can choose the colour or style of the feet or legs.

As customers often say to us “no wonder you are always busy when we visit. There is nowhere else you can get exactly what you want and not have to get a second mortgage to pay for it.”

Please make an appointment to visit us and see for yourself the bespoke quality you can get at a price that no retailer can match.

At Long Eaton Sofas®, we recognise the need to limit our impact on the environment and we understand that there is an increasing need for furniture with a sustainable life cycle. We know that becoming eco-friendly is a large task and so we are making steps towards this by improving things in everything we do.

To read more about what changes we have already implemented and what we aim to improve on further, please click here to visit our Sustainability page.