NBF Bulletin No: 106 August 2015

Transcription

1 NBF Bulletin No: 106 August 2015 All systems go for the 2015 Bed Show our sixth! Planning on coming to the NBF Gala Dinner but haven t booked yet? Don t delay any longer or you could be too late! How do the British public buy beds? Results just in from our latest consumer research Latest environmental update now available SLEEP COUNCIL NEWS Sleep Council videos edge towards 100,000 viewings Get ready for Sleeptember Latest blog: Time to get more sleep TRAINING COURSES Flammability Course Upholstered Furniture for Domestic Use, 20 th August 2015, FIRA, Stevenage, Herts Fire Safety Requirements for seating, upholstery and beds, 3 rd September, SATRA, Kettering, Northants Principles of Consumer Law and Understanding Bed and Mattress Complaints Course - September 15th 2015 EU Timber Regulations awareness training, 17 th September, FIRA, Stevenage, Herts All systems go for the 2015 Bed Show our sixth! Final preparations are now in hand for the sixth Bed Show and it is promising to one of the best yet with a full house of exhibition stands and, from what we can gather from your catalogue entries, an impressive number of exciting new products to be unveiled. We can t wait and we are sure you can t. We look forward to welcoming all our members, whether you are exhibiting or not. Planning on coming to the NBF Gala Dinner but haven t booked yet? Don t delay any longer or you could be too late! There are just a handful of tickets remaining now for the 2015 Gala Dinner and Awards on 22 nd September. Please contact Kay on kay@bedfed.org.uk or as soon as possible to book yours. How do the British public buy beds? Results just in from our latest consumer research Results are now in from the second of our twice yearly consumer research study carried out by Opinion Matters on a sample of 500 people who had purchased a bed/mattress from January 2015 to the end of June And they make interesting reading, as you can see from our quick summary of key findings below. You can see the full report in the Members Only area of the NBF website (along with the first report). 36% have heard of the Sleep Council up 10% from previous report with a slight bias towards the under 44 year olds 42% said they d seen the NBF Approved label before or during their purchase up 6% from previously, with 50% of the 16-34yr olds having seen it Matt + bedstead 21% of purchases Divan sets 21% of purchases Mattress only accounted for 58% of purchases of which roll ups were 10%

2 was the most popular price paid at 52% The mean price paid was 387, with the over 65 s paying over % of replacement mattresses were 5 years or less old (does this mean people are buying cheap mattresses, but then having to replace them more frequently) Top reason for replacing: 37% stated old product worn out (does this indicate people buying cheaper products and replacing more regularly?) Pocket sprung was most popular mattress core at 44%, followed by foam/latex 30% and open coil 25% Memory Foam was top of the comfort layers at 53% with natural fillings 25% and foam 10% National bed specialists 32% (up 7%) and local independent bed/furniture stores 21% (down 10%) were the most popular to buy from (further evidence of decline of smaller independents?) Online specialists accounted for 16% of purchases (same as previous report) National Furniture stores 10% (up 2%) and department stores 8% (up 2%) were next popular Others, including Amazon & Argos accounted for 10% (down 1%) Instore purchase at 62% (up 2%) was still the most popular, with online at 37% (down 1%) All age-groups were roughly 60/40 purchasing from in store v online Comfort was still the most important factor when purchasing, followed by price (this despite the high number purchasing online does this mean customers are trying instore and then going away to purchase online at another time?). In second place influencing purchase was style/design, then availability/speed of delivery, then guarantee/warranty. Reviews by other customer recommendations was in fifth place. Latest environmental update now available The latest update on all relevant environmental regulations and requirements is now available to view online in the Members Only area of the NBF website. (NB You ll need to register to access this if you haven t done so before) It covers: The publication of revised guidance on the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Regulations 2014 (ESOS) More details on some of the changes to ISO14001 due to come into force next month More details on the new Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations, which were published in March News about how the Civil Sanctions Regime now applies to Environmental Permitting Regulations Plans to reform the administration costs of the producer responsibility regimes for packaging and batteries Details of a new guide setting out low cost measures that small and medium sized enterprises can take to save energy THE SLEEP COUNCIL Sleep Council videos edge towards 100,000 viewings Our fun video series is going great guns online to date the latest update tells us that the six videos have been viewed more than 70,000 times in the first three weeks! If any of you would like to use the videos in your own online activities, we have a special digital briefing pack with links and instructions. Just contact Simon Williams on simon@bedfed.org.uk to request yours. Get ready for Sleeptember We are getting ready to revisit our successful Sleeptember campaign to highlight the healthy benefits of a good night s sleep and we re hoping to engage lots of you and lots of retailers in a concerted effort focusing on how a good new bed could help people sleep better. While there will be the normal PR activity around the campaign, we ll also be focusing heavily on social media through Twitter and Facebook with quirky infographics and competition giveaways.

3 The Sleeptember toolkit is now ready to be downloaded from the Sleep Biz website here hopefully giving you enough time to brief your design team and get your promotions and marketing in place to support this campaign. The kit includes the Sleeptember logo, three different poster options which can be printed any size, two banner options and an animated banner for use on websites, two infographics as well as a downloadable Fact Sheet. We hope you will get behind us and support the campaign. Our campaigns wouldn t be as successful as they are, without the support we get from YOU! Latest blog: Time to get more sleep It s been all over the press about how Public Health England is launching a new government marketing campaign next year to encourage adults between the ages of 40 and 60 to spend more time sleeping to boost their health and wellbeing. We re all for it TRAINING COURSES Flammability Course Upholstered Furniture for Domestic Use 20 th August 2015, FIRA, Stevenage, Herts Following the recent BBC investigation into upholstery on sale in the UK containing foams and fabrics that do not comply with British law, this course run by a furniture industry expert can offer manufacturers and suppliers peace of mind. What will the course cover? This one day course will provide delegates with a key understanding of the requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended), BS7177 for mattresses and divans and BS7176 for non-domestic seating, with particular focus on the following core aspects: An introduction to the Regulations Type of products covered by the Regulations An explanation of the different schedules within the Regulations What is a schedule 3 interliner and when can it be used? Requirements for non domestic seating Requirements for mattresses, toppers and divan bases Product FR labelling requirements Understanding test reports Traceability of materials used in manufacture/ product Visit to FIRA Flammability Test Laboratory What products are affected by the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended), BS7177 and BS7176? A variety of upholstered furniture products including sofas, chairs, upholstered bedsteads, headboards, bean bags / casual seating, cushions, mattresses, toppers and divan bases. Course Prices Prices for this one day course are as follows: 250+VAT(FIRA Members) 400+VAT (Non-members) Further course dates 15 th October 26 th November 17 th December Bespoke training sessions at your premises are also available. For further information or to book your place please contact Tristine Hargreaves on or info@fira.co.uk.

4 Fire Safety Requirements for seating, upholstery and beds, 3 rd September, SATRA, Kettering, Northants This one-day seminar provides a full understanding of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations. It is designed for anyone wishing to understand precisely what the requirements are for domestic sector furniture and the materials that are used in it; these include covers, interliners, foams and other fillings. During 2014 the UK government carried out a consultation exercise with regard to possible changes to the regulations. The seminar will review the status of the legislation. The seminar will be of benefit to materials suppliers, furniture manufacturers and retailers. New companies and recently appointed staff will find the seminar particularly beneficial in providing a solid grounding and an understanding of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations. The seminar will feature the flammability requirements for both the domestic and contract markets, for both upholstery and bedding. Topics covered A description of the necessary tests together with demonstrations An account of the requirements of the domestic Furniture Fire Safety Regulations Mattresses and the General Product Safety Regulations Description of contract furniture requirements Duties and responsibilities of persons in the supply chain (retailers, importers, manufacturers, etc.). Cost SATRA members 125; Non Member 225. For details contact Andrew Munns on andrewm@satra.co.uk or call Or click here Principles of Consumer Law and Understanding Bed and Mattress Complaints Course - September 15th 2015 This one day course is designed to provide delegates with a comprehensive understanding of consumer legislation and the issues surrounding bed and mattress complaints. The course draws upon the experience of The Furniture Ombudsman, which handles hundreds of complaints and disputes a year on beds and mattresses. What the course covers: The legal definition of a contract - A study of the various elements that make up a contract and how this affects your day-to-day business. Statutory rights - A review of the rights and responsibilities that arise from consumer legislation. The Sale of Goods Act - A study of the main elements of this act and how it relates to everyday transactions. Distance Selling Regulations - A guide to the current legislation pertaining to online selling. Consumers' entitlements with regards to remedies - An outline of the various entitlements in law if a fault has developed, as opposed to a retailer's policy with respect to 'goodwill'. Common bed and mattress complaints - Comfort, dipping and settlement, frame damage etc. Do you know how best to deal with these complaints? When might they be legally defined as a fault? Identifying common complaints - Understanding and spotting the common causes for complaints regarding beds and mattresses. Identifying these can allow best practice processes to be adopted by businesses to reduce such complaints. Validity of complaints and potential remedies - A study of how to identify whether complaints are justified and how to deal with them quickly and cost effectively. Cost - Members of both TFO and NBF VAT, TFO Members VAT, NBF Members VAT, Non-members VAT

5 EU Timber Regulations awareness training, 17 th September, FIRA, Stevenage, Herts Since March 2013 the new EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) has been prohibiting placing illegally harvested timber and timber products onto the EU market. FIRA's EUTR Awareness Training course is designed to enable organisations to understand their legal obligations when importing, selling and trading timber and timber products in the EU. EUTR: An Overview Broadly, the EUTR prohibits the sale of illegal timber and timber products in the EU and establishes the obligations for organisations to exercise due diligence when 'first placing' timber and products such as wooden furniture onto the market. The EUTR also requires traders to maintain records to enable supply chain traceability. Key Definitions: Operators vs. Traders Operators 'first place' timber onto the EU market. Traders deal with purchases from within the EU. What will the course cover? This one day course will provide delegates with a key understanding of the requirements of EUTR, with particular focus on the following core aspects: Placing on the Market (Article 2) Identifying whether you are an operator, trader or both. Obligations of Operators and Due Diligence Systems (Articles 4 and 6) Examples of measures and procedures for performing satisfactory due diligence. Obligation of Traceability (Article 5) Maintaining records and other documentation for supply chain traceability as well as responsible timber purchasing best practice. Other relevant supporting Articles including the role of monitoring organisations and the competent authorities. The role of Chain of Custody certification schemes. What products are affected by EUTR? A variety of timber products including sawn and machined wood, composite boards such as fibreboard, particleboard and plywood and veneering sheets together with non-upholstered office, kitchen and bedroom furniture. Who is the course aimed at? 'Operators' Furniture suppliers and manufacturers Importers Compliance Managers and Environmental Staff Procurement Staff Course Prices 250+VAT (FIRA Members) 400+VAT (Non-Members) In-house options are also available