A MAJOR Oldham company is showing off the results of its labour after completing a five-year development plan of its retail site, one year early.
Housing Units was busy after being forced to close for the first time in its 77-year history because of Covid-19 lockdowns.
Instead of sitting back, the Failsworth-based business created several new departments, introducing new brands and improving existing areas to further enhance its offering of furniture and furnishings, which now features 30,000 different high-quality lines.
The company boasts a five-acre site with 120,000 square feet of retail space, more than 60,000 of which is dedicated to furniture.
Among the changes are a new beds and bedroom department, featuring an incredibly modern style and inspired by international travels, making shopping for bedroom furnishings and stimulating.
A distinction between good, better, and best products is achieved using a variety of materials, including soft and hard flooring, luxurious Venetian plaster finishes, panelled wall details, column features and a signature catwalk with feature lighting that makes a dramatic first impression.
The Modern Living concept features carefully selected furniture and accessories with smaller homes in mind.
Products are selected with city living in mind, often smaller in scale and multifunctional.
It also carries a range of decorative accessories, mirrors and art, rugs, lighting, soft furnishings, bed linens and scents.
The Emporium luxury furniture department has been refurbished, meaning an expanded collection.
One key feature of this area was the removal of the low ceiling, creating a sense of light and space.
And from sofas and chairs to dining furniture, customers can explore the finest selections from around the world.
Housing Units – on Wickentee Lane, close to the M60 motorway – is home to the best selection of Eichholtz lighting, with seven stunning room sets over 1,600 square feet.
And the most recent and final phase of the development plan was completed this year in its home furnishing store’s contemporary area, which has 1,800 sq ft dedicated to contemporary European furniture brands such as Venjakob, Himolla, Bontempi, and Calia.
Additionally, an adjacent five-acre site houses a 100,000 square feet distribution centre, allowing many product ranges to be readily available from stock.
And the addition of the Wickentree Restaurant, which includes a private dining room, and the Café 1947, makes Housing Units a destination store.
Established in 1947 and famed for its top-hatted doormen, Housing Units is one of the UK’s leading furniture and furnishings retailers.
And chief executive Nick Fox believes the changes will make their position at the top even stronger.
He said: “This development has solidified our position as the leading home furnishings retailer in the UK’s mid to high sector.
“We seized the opportunity presented by the pandemic to accelerate our plans.
“The five new developments have not only reinforced our goal of offering the best selection of furniture and furnishings in the North West but possibly in the entire UK.”
