This month’s Long Point show saw the team behind upholstery brands At The Helm and Hydeline Furniture host an informative (and fulfilling) presentation at their new showroom in Harrington Mills, treating guests to fresh product, consumer insights and a tasty lunch, reports Furniture News’ Paul Farley …
Earlier this year, the supplier took the opportunity to relocate the brands from their upstairs showroom in West End Mill across the road, securing the expansive ground-floor space that previously housed the likes of Collins & Hayes, Richard Stamp Agencies and Alexander & James.
In time for May’s Long Point exhibition, the new occupant redecorated and dressed the rustic, industrial space to echo its award-winning January Furniture Show stand. In the case of At The Helm, this meant introducing rugs, translucent drapes and wall art to frame an array of roomset displays, each starring the brand’s trademark sofas and chairs, brought to life by the supplier’s wider lifestyle offering of cabinet and lighting.
“We’re very pleased with how the showroom’s turned out,” CEO Jonathon Tan tells me. “It’s not only the perfect space for unveiling the more affordable models in our broadened ‘good, better, best’ offer, but it gives retailers an idea of how best to display our range.”
At The Helm galleries are already bound for select Furniture Village stores and elsewhere, he adds, as a growing number of retailers recognise the attractiveness of such a coherent and considered product offer.
At The Helm has always been keen to tap into consumer demand, and today’s presentation by trend forecasting agency TrendBible, which signals a partnership with the lifestyle brand, aims to summarise how furniture businesses can better understand what drives their customers (and in turn more closely address their needs).
“People want fewer, high-quality, longer-lasting items,” explains TrendBible’s head of consultancy, Laura Jolly Yan, backed up by commercial director Jo Slaven (ex-Sofa Brands International and Belfield Group). Laura says businesses must focus more on the benefits of their products, not the features, and innovate to attract new audiences – while providing continuity and reassurance for existing customers.
Clearly, in At The Helm, TrendBible has found a lifestyle offer full of potential. Since it first came to market in 2018, the brand has consistently demonstrated that it has the nous and vision to go far, and closer consumer engagement seems a logical next step.
As the well-attended presentation draws to a close with questions from the floor, calls are heard from the doorway – lunch is ready. The sun has emerged, and the promise of complimentary pizza and salad draws a steady flow of showroom visitors and traders from elsewhere in the mills, squarely reinforcing the presence of both brands in their new home and Long Eaton’s wider furniture community.
Commercial director Michael Sheedy and head of marketing Rochelle Bedford are visibly satisfied with the result, which proved a definitive highlight of Long Point, offering a tantalising glimpse of the brands’ next step.
As one might say to a pizza chef, “top that”.
See more in our report in October's issue.
Pictured, from left: Hydeline’s Jonathon Tan, Rochelle Bedford and Michael Sheedy, with TrendBible’s Laura Jolly Yan and Jo Slaven
