“ The benefits of our Clip technology are twofold . Firstly , it allows the piece of furniture to be completely dismantled into its constituent parts , most of which can be recycled . Secondly , with upholstery being a rare skill , it helps mitigate the impact of the skill shortage we face in the industry , something that has been exacerbated since Brexit . Currently , following the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation , the UK upholstery market is depressed . However , as the market begins to recover with increasing consumer confidence and focus on deferred luxury purchases , recruiting large numbers of skilled people could prove to be a barrier to growth .
Clip enables us to manufacture sofas in a way which can be taught relatively quickly and will therefore play an important role in helping us scale the business . While Clip will never replace conventional upholstery , it gives us another string to our bow .
“ Moreover , we look forward to the day when extended producer responsibility ( EPR ) becomes a reality in the UK furniture market , empowering us to get ahead of the curve by offering a product that addresses the sustainability issues at its core . Indeed , a conventionally upholstered product may not tick all the sustainability boxes , but Clip is a big step in the right direction ,” Tom informs .
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