Furniture retailer Barker & Stonehouse has opened its 11th store in Guildford, as part of an expansion drive and commitment to extend its reach across southern England.
Advised by specialist retail consultant Edgerley Simpson Howe (ESH), the UK’s largest independent, family-run furniture retailer, has secured its third store in the south following the 2013 launch of its showroom in London’s Battersea and a new store in Hove which opened its doors last April.
Barker & Stonehouse’s new 42,000 sq ft store at Ladymead, Guildford extends over two floors and incorporates an impressively curated furniture range which features brands including Timothy Oulton, Riva 1920, Vi-Spring and Ercol. The £10m showpiece was built on the site of the former fire station after the retailer acquired the 1.4-acre from Surrey County Council.
The company was founded during the Second World War and opened its first store in Stockton in 1946. Today it boasts a portfolio of eight stores across the north of England and the Midlands, a showroom in London’s Battersea and two outlets in York and Middlesbrough. The new store s in Guildford and Hove, together with the recent acquisition of a new 53,500 sq ft distribution warehouse in Crawley, reflects an appetite to extend its portfolio south of the Thames.
ESH advised Barker & Stonehouse on its latest southern acquisitions. They require an optimum store size of around 20,000 sq ft on either a freehold or leasehold basis.
