Economic clouds have a silver lining for Derbyshire firm

• Office Furniture
• Chairs
• Desks
• Reception Furniture
• Storage and Filing
• Used Office Furniture

Published: 01/11/2012

by ORS UK

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AS companies continue to battle against the tough economic climate, one Burton firm is benefiting as others tighten their belts.

 

Office furniture supplier ORS UK, based in Derby Road, has been so swamped with stock that it has had to open a new, temporary storage facility in South Derbyshire, with its Burton, Birmingham and Manchester warehouses already packed to the rafters.

 

 

Managing director Karl Ward, who bought the business two-and-a-half years ago, said the firm was bucking the wider trend, with its turnover last year up by 10 per cent.

 

He told the Mail: “You’ve got companies that are closing down, reorganising and restructuring and on top of that there’s all the public sector cuts.

 

 

“In this harsh economic climate, companies have got a choice — to keep all these desks with no-one sitting at them, paying rent and rates on them, or to reduce the amount of space they use.

 

“If they can get out of a lease or reduce the space, they will do, and all those empty desks have got to go somewhere.

 

“In the old days, it all would have ended up in landfill, but people these days are more environmentally aware and the cost of landfill is extortionate. It doesn’t take many desks to fill a skip.”

ORS, founded in Burton in 2000, has seen sales of secondhand furniture overtaking those of new stock in recent months, with customers including big firms such as John Lewis and Sports Direct.

 

Mr Ward said: “We’ve seen a big change in the last 12 to 18 months.

 

“It’s all because of what’s going on in the wider economy and that has a knock-on effect.

 

“The balance has absolutely shifted from new to secondhand.

 

“We probably sell about 60 per cent secondhand now and 40 per cent new, whereas it used to be the other way around.

 

“People are looking for value these days and the quality of the secondhand furniture we are getting is as good as new.”

EthoSource Makes Upcycled Office Furniture Look Good to Womenkind

• Office Furniture
• Cubicles
• Used Office Furniture
• Green Products and Services

Published: 01/11/2012

by Ethosource

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EthoSource makes upcycled office furniture look good to Womenkind, a high style marketing firm.

 

 

Womenkind is a New York marketing firm that specializes in marketing to women. Their discovery process focuses on understanding exactly what their clients’ targeted demographic wants and will respond to. EthoSource takes a similar approach, getting to know their customers’ preferences and work environment in order to make certain that both their needs and wants are met. “We do brand strategy,” explained Kristi Faulkner, President of Womenkind, “and that means really understanding our clients’ visions and goals and helping them get clarity if they haven’t yet. I think that’s exactly what EthoSource did.”

EthoSource visited Womenkind’s new space before it had even been built, working with Womenkind to identify exactly the right fabrics and fixtures. “They gave us ideas on everything,” said Faulkner. “They showed us how to make the space functional.”

Womenkind was concerned about function, but aesthetics were also a high priority. A New York City marketing firm has to be conscious of image, and Womenkind is a high style firm. Creativity and good looks are always important to them, and they care about the details.

At the same time, they had a small space to work with and they liked the idea of using pre-owned office furniture. Womenkind was considering the idea of pre-owned furniture, but they weren’t ready to compromise on style.

EthoSource account executive Lisa Frizol shared photos of previous EthoSource installations to show Womenkind that a sleek look could be accomplished with used office furniture. Womenkind decided to go with EthoSource and their all-encompassing Office Furniture Management services.

EthoSource specializes in the refurbishment of Herman Miller Ethospace cubicles. Ethospace has the versatility to work well in all types of office environments and lends itself to be fully customized to the customer’s needs. Through its versatility, EthoSource’s designers were able to configure the cubicles in a way that maximized the work space and functioned according to Womenkind’s needs.

EthoSource’s refurbished cubicles used chocolate brown laminate work surfaces with extra white trim to produce a professional, high tech look with flair. EthoSource also provided customized, extra white, bookcases for the private offices. The new cubicles and bookcases suited the hardwood floors and glass of Womenkind’s Broadway offices as well as the tastes of Womenkind’s creative team.

“I don’t feel like we compromised on anything,” said Faulkner. “It’s really good value for a small, growing company like ours. Saving money on our furniture allowed us to invest in other areas.”

Womenkind also liked being able to recycle by using EthoSource’s refurbished workspaces. “I loved the idea of recycling,” said Faulkner, “and they had beautiful products. We got a good value and did something good for the planet.”