New Premises for Ayrshire Furniture Business

01/08/2011

An established Ayrshire furniture business celebrated the opening of its new showroom today (1 August 2011) after securing funding from Clydesdale Bank.
 
Family-run retailer Hunter Furnishing opened its new 23,000 square feet showroom in Heathfield, Ayr, providing a spacious area to showcase its extensive range of top-end lounge, dining room and bedroom furniture to potential customers. Clydesdale Bank provided a funding package in excess of £1.5 million to assist with the purchase of the new premises.
 
Until recently, Hunter Furnishing, which has been operating in Ayr for 31 years, operated out of a 12,000 square feet rented showroom on Newton Estate, Ayr.
 
The company offers an extensive range of contemporary and classic household furniture and quality carpets, including brand names such as Stressless, Ercol, Duresta, Wade, Derwent, G-Plan, Skovby and a new carpet department with ranges by Axminster, Brintons and other renowned manufacturers.
 
Hunter Furnishing’s holding company – R.A. Richardson Furnishings Ltd – also owns established furniture retailer Hampton & McMurray, based in Glasgow’s Renfrew Street, which has been in business for almost 60 years.  Last year the businesses reported a joint annual turnover in excess of £3.2 million.
 
Clydesdale Bank delivered the funding to the company in the form of a long term loan and overdraft facility as part of its investing for Growth strategy – an initiative which helps successful businesses to grow.
 
Hunter Furnishing’s Director, Neil Richardson runs the business in partnership with his father Allan and his brother Alistair. Neil commented: “The opening of this new showroom in Heathfield, Ayr, is a very exciting development – both for our customers as well as the staff and the owners of the company.  
 
“Our strategy for the business is to enhance the variety of products we are able to display in our showroom, giving our customers a clear idea of how the furniture will look when in situ.    This new showroom is almost double the size of our previous premises, which significantly increases our dedicated gallery display.”
 
“We’re delighted with the support we’ve received from Clydesdale Bank who have committed time and energy to getting to know the business. We’ve been able to build a strong relationship with the team and have been impressed by the access we’ve had to the key individuals at the Bank.”
 
Andrew MacLean, Managing Partner at Clydesale Bank’s Paisley Financial Solutions Centre, said: “Hunter Furnishing Ltd is one of Scotland’s most respected furniture retailers with strong roots in Ayrshire and the surrounding areas. 
 
“We are delighted to be able to help the family-run company with the purchase of its new showroom which will bring considerable benefits to existing and potential customers.”
 
Clydesdale Bank launched its new business support initiative – investing for Growth – to help successful businesses grow and develop. The support package offers both new and existing business customers a dedicated planning service and a more flexible approach to lending.
 
Loan repayment holidays, interest-only repayments and extended loan and credit facilities are just some of the flexible support options available under the investing for Growth initiative which also includes a dedicated financial planning service.