Media Centre > Heritage Bed Company
18th August 2008
From St Austell to the oligarchs: Cornish factory celebrates the export of its first bed to Russia.
A Cornish firm is celebrating its first export of their traditionally-made beds to the lucrative Russian market.
Enchanted House Beds have just supplied their first order to Russia from their factory at Par near St Austell, which is believed to be the only factory in the world still making traditional brass and iron beds using Victorian hand-casting techniques.
The sale marks a growing trend for the firm of exporting to markets where traditionally the UK have been importers of goods, with Enchanted House enjoying a reverse in the trend.
“In the past year we’ve sent beds all over the world, including Japan, France, Malta, Holland, Germany, Belgium and now Russia,” said Enchanted House owner Nick Horn. “In an age when so many goods are imported from the Far East it’s quite special to find that craftsmen from Cornwall are sending their creations the other way.”
And as the UK’s economy stalls, the export market is providing a lifeline to a business which is based on centuries-old manufacturing techniques.
All brass and iron beds produced in the Enchanted House factory are hand made by a small team of highly-skilled craftsmen. The Victorian hand-casting techniques ensure that the build quality is of the highest order - a feature that appeals to the Russians.
“The order for these beds came from a Moscow firm of interior designers who are creating a rather special home for a Russian businessman,” said Nick. “Our beds are quite unique in that they are built to last; quite simply they don’t fall apart, and their classic design and traditional construction means they will become the antiques of the future.”
The latest export order shows the strength of a rejuvenated business which has ridden the peaks and troughs of the economic cycle over the past three decades.
Established in the 1980s, Enchanted House Beds traded successfully for many years before being bought by a large mattress company in in the late ‘90s. The business was then acquired by current owner Nick Horn in 2005 when the factory faced closure.
The move preserved jobs for skilled Cornish craftsmen, and has allowed the business to grow, expanding the number of bed designs that are made in the factory and allowing the production of bespoke orders.
Even with the business facing tougher times as the credit crunch begins to bite, Nick remains confident for the future:
“At Enchanted House we have a strong UK order book with an ongoing wholesale operation to over 50 top independent bed retailers in the UK, and we also have more overseas orders in the pipeline with another consignment of beds going to Japan next month.
“And in the last month the new website for our new retail outlet, The Heritage Bed Company in Wadebridge, has just gone live making it possible for customers to order our beds from anywhere in the country.”
The full range of Enchanted House Beds can be seen at The Heritage Bed Company's Cornwall showroom at 1 Egloshayle Road, Wadebridge (01208 813366), or online at www.heritagebeds.co.uk.
ENDS
Images
High resolution images for print use can be downloaded here.
Notes to Editors
Enchanted House Beds is the only factory in the world still using Victorian hand-casting methods to produce the finest traditional brass and iron beds. Working with original designs, Enchanted House Beds offer a unique service producing each bed to individual requirements. The authentic cast knuckle fixings create a bed that will last lifetimes and will become an antique of the future.
Enchanted House Beds’ retail outlet, the Heritage Bed Company in Wadebridge, stocks a wide range of iron and brass beds complemented by a superb range of mattresses, wooden beds and bedroom furniture. Beds and accessories can also be purchased online from www.heritagebeds.co.uk
Media Contact - PR on behalf of the Heritage Bed Company.
For more information and images contact: Jim Michell at Barefoot Media.
Telephone: +44 (0)1208 895089 Email: jim@barefootmedia.co.uk |
