Sofa Workshop is a furniture manufacturer and retailer in the United Kingdom. The company is famous for its stylish handmade furniture, and they offer an exceptional level of fabric and product customization. The company also produces cushions, footstools, and made-to-measure curtains.
Sofa Workshop was founded in 1985 by Andrew Cussins, and the first store was opened in Maidstone in 1986. The business was considered to be the first high street retailer offering customizable quality sofas to the public at very affordable prices. In 2002 Cussins sold the business to the MFI Group for £12.25 million. In 2006, the MFI Group sold Sofa Workshop to the New Haven Group, and by 2008 the company had 31 stores and 160 employees across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In January 2009, the company was again sold and was bought by Erewash Upholstery which was controlled by a conglomerate of investors led by founder Andrew Cussins. After the change of ownership, Sofa Workshop re-established itself as a key player in the furniture market in the United Kingdom and saw a 40% increase in profits year ending December 2010. The business has 12 shops across the United Kingdom and a franchise in Chester.
Sofa Workshop is best known for its product innovations which much later gets picked up by other furniture retailers. Sofa Workshop was also the first high street sofa retailer to offer removable and washable aniline leather covered sofas. The company offers sofas in over 2,000 different leathers and fabrics, the most extensive collection on the high street.
