Upholstery manufacturing group Sofa Brands International has committed to its Wiltshire outlet store after what has been a successful opening period.

Situated on New Road in the town centre of Chippenham, the Sofa Brands Factory Outlet store officially opened on 12 January 2024.

Since then, the store has “exceeded expectations” with management keen to continue its presence in the town and build on its growth.

Craig Lyus, Group Marketing Director, said: “We’re delighted that our initial months of trading exceeded expectations, in what is a very challenging market for sofas and furniture at the moment.

“The fact that we’re able to offer our major brands like G Plan and Parker Knoll at a fraction of the RRP has clearly struck a chord in the current economic climate.”

The Factory Outlet serves its G Plan factory and offers the brand alongside Duresta and the Lounge Co at discounted prices, while its other Outlet in Long Eaton is fed by the Parker Knoll factory and has been in place for six years.

“Both stores stock our customer cancellations, rejected orders and development models which would have historically been sold to auction houses at a fairly sizable loss,” Craig continued.

“The addition of Chippenham and some tweaks we’ve made to operations at both sites has seen our outlet turnover increase by fivefold in the past 18 months.

“I think this success is indicative of the current climate and the tightening of belts we’ve seen in the market in the past couple of years. Lots of customers still want a premium British-made sofa from a recognised brand and the outlets offer a viable, affordable option.”