Sofa.com
{{Short description|British furniture company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Sofa.com
| logo = Sofa.com Logo.jpg
| type = Private (subsidiary)
| industry = Retail (various)
| foundation = 2006
| location = London, England, UK
| key_people =
| products = Sofas,
Sofa Beds,
Chairs,
Beds
| revenue = {{loss}} £37.8 million (2022){{cite web |url=https://www.retail-week.com/retailnavigator/sofacom/sofacom-financials/7037762.supplierarticle#:~:text=For%20the%20year%20ending%2030,45.4m%20the%20year%20prior |title=Sofa.com (Financials)|publisher=Fashion Network |access-date=17 February 2025}}
| parent = Frasers Group (2019-)
| homepage = {{url|https://www.sofa.com}}
}}
Sofa.com is a UK-based company founded in 2006 whose primary business is selling sofas, sofabeds, chairs and beds online. It has 3 showrooms in London (Chelsea, Bankside and Islington) as well as Nottingham, Bath, Glasgow, Harrogate and Guildford. More recently, it has also opened concessions in some House of Fraser department stores.{{cite web|url=https://www.sofa.com/gb/showrooms|title=Our Showrooms|accessdate=18 January 2020}} The company was purchased in January 2019 by Frasers Group (formerly Sports Direct International) for "a nominal sum".{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/ashley-rests-easily-with-purchase-of-sofa-com-11624424|title=Ashley rests easily with purchase of Sofa.com|website=Sky News|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}
History
Sofa.com was founded by Pat Reeves and Rohan Blacker when they paid $215,000{{cite web|url=http://www.realbusiness.co.uk/internet_business/talking_disruption_with_sofacom_founders|title=Talking disruption with Sofa.com founders|accessdate=17 October 2014}} for the domain name sofa.com. It was agreed that Reeves would buy the domain in cash and would meet the seller in New York to complete the transaction. On the day Reeves refused to pay cash and informed the seller he would only pay via wire transfer. The seller reluctantly agreed, and provided bank details, purportedly of the company he was employed by. In fact, the bank details were his own and $200,000 were transferred into his account in November 2005. He absconded to South America, but the money ran out ten months later{{cite web|url=http://realbusiness.co.uk/news/domains_dodgy_deals_sofas_and_strippers|title=Domains, dodgy deals, sofas and strippers|accessdate=17 October 2014}} and the seller was charged with theft greater than $10,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29378534.html|title=Dinesen's employee charged in theft|author=Bob Purvis|accessdate=17 October 2014}}
Blacker and Reeves sought a business venture that required fewer staff, fewer physical premises and a product with a higher basket value, and a long shelf life.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/next-big-things-on-the-internet-6284274.html|title=Next big things on the internet?|work=The Independent|date=2 January 2012 |accessdate=17 October 2014}} They believed that furniture could be sold online with a promise of completely free returns if the customer, for whatever reason, rejected the goods.{{cite web|url=http://realbusiness.co.uk/internet_business/talking_disruption_with_sofacom_founders/page:2|title=Talking disruption with Sofa.com founders|accessdate=17 October 2014}} Sofa.com was launched in September 2006, with branding by Perry Haydn Taylor.{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfish.co.uk/blog/portfolio/sofa-com-2/|title=sofa.com « big fish® – branding, design + marketing consultants|accessdate=17 October 2014}} It never holds sales, but sells its products all year round.{{cite web|url=http://realbusiness.co.uk/kate_bassett/mary_portas_attacks_the_[https://selesa.co.uk sofa]_industry|title=Mary Portas attacks the sofa industry|author=Kate Bassett|accessdate=17 October 2014}}
Sofa.com has appeared twice in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100, a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the UK, first in 2011{{cite web|url=http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/fasttrack/leagues/dbfastDetails.asp?siteID=1&compID=3265&yr=2011|title=Company profile|accessdate=17 October 2014}} and again in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.fasttrack.co.uk/fasttrack/leagues/dbfastDetails.asp?siteID=1&compID=3265&yr=2012|title=Company profile|accessdate=17 October 2014}} Sofa.com sales grew from £572,000 in 2007 to £13.0m in the year ending February 2012. In February 2015, CBPE Capital acquired a majority stake in the business.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/770e1254-af88-11e4-a418-00144feab7de|title=Sofa.com attracts private equity investor|last=|first=|date=|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-02-23|url-access=subscription}}
In January 2019, Sofa.com's stores and website operations were bought by at a "cut price" by UK billionaire and Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley.
Products
Sofas are sofa.com’s primary product. They are designed in house and come in over 50 different styles ranging from traditional to more contemporary pieces. They are produced in their own factory and upholstered in a large range of fabrics bought directly from mills{{cite web|url=http://www.sofa.com/our-fabrics|title=Sofa Fabrics - Designer sofas - Fabric sofas - Two & three seat sofas|accessdate=17 October 2014}} in Italy and Belgium. House fabrics consist of linen, cotton, velvet and corduroy.{{Cite web |title=Luxury Sofas - Designer Sofa |url=https://evefurn.com/collections/luxury-sofas |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Eve Furniture |language=en}} Sofa.com also sells sofabeds, chairs and footstools and in 2009 introduced a range of upholstered beds. Most of the sofas are constructed so that the arms are detachable or they split in two, to facilitate easier delivery to the customer.{{cite web |url=http://www.thesmartwebshopper.co.uk/sofacom.phtml |title=www.thesmartwebshopper.co.uk - Sofa.com |accessdate=2012-01-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216235316/http://www.thesmartwebshopper.co.uk/sofacom.phtml |archivedate=2012-02-16 }} Sofa.com runs its own delivery team with vans that use the strapline ‘Sofa.com: I wonder what they do?’{{cite web|url=http://thenurturenetwork.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/cheering-up-potential-consumers-is-a-great-way-to-spread-your-brand-message/|title=Cheering up potential consumers is a great way to spread your brand message|work=The Nurture Network|accessdate=17 October 2014}} and offsets its carbon output through the agency Forest Carbon{{cite web |url=http://www.forestcarbon.co.uk/sofa.com-at-floors/ |title=Sofa.Com at Floors |accessdate=2012-01-30 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120731022459/http://www.forestcarbon.co.uk/sofa.com-at-floors/ |archivedate=2012-07-31 }} by planting trees at a plot in Aberdeen shire.
Design initiatives
In 2010 sofa.com launched its Design Lab{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertypicturegalleries/8890812/Design-Notebook-Teapots-in-wonderland.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117153554/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertypicturegalleries/8890812/Design-Notebook-Teapots-in-wonderland.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 November 2011|title=Design Notebook: Teapots in wonderland - The Daily Telegraph|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=17 October 2014}} initiative, supporting and working with British designers, artists and textile designers. The first collaboration was with St Jude’s, based in Norfolk and run by Simon and Angie Lewin. The second collaboration, with Thornback & Peel, launched in autumn 2012 and includes a range of armchairs, beds and ottomans.
In 2012 sofa.com also launched a nationwide Emerging Designers competition for upcoming British designers.{{cite web|url=http://www.sofa.com/emerging-designers|title=Sofa.com - Finalists 2014|accessdate=17 October 2014}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{official website|https://www.sofa.com/gb}}
{{Frasers Group}}
Category:Retail companies of the United Kingdom