Furniture store flying the flag - Nottingham Evening Post

Furniture store flying the flag - Nottingham Evening Post

IT'S not hard to get lost in Nottingham's largest independent furniture store, which boasts a vast 50,000 square feet of showrooms. Occupying a large, key site on Huntingdon Street, Hopewells is currently flying a number of Union Jack flags in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The store, which sells a vast selection of modern, inspirational designs, normally flies the flags of some of the European companies represented in store, but has replaced them all with Union Jacks to mark the occasion.

1. Key site: The store and some of the stunning furniture on sale.

While the excitement of the last couple of weekends is now dying down for many, it is just starting for Hopewells.

The store's summer sale starts after the preview for existing customers on June 16 and 17.

The family-run store, which has traded since 1885, first developed its reputation for refreshing modern designs back in the 1950s, importing light and vibrant woods and styles from Scandinavia and other European countries.

But today it has not only asserted itself as an interior design beacon but also a company synonymous with quality and service too.

Managing director Adam Hopewell runs the store with his wife Janet, director, his father John Hopewell, chairman, and associate director Alan Ball, who said: "Together we endeavour to ensure standards are maintained and Hopewells remains a destination to inspire rather than mimic the more typical outlets found on the retail parks."

Some of the store's key brands include Stressless of Norway, Ligne Roset of France, Natuzzi of Italy, Hulsta of Germany, Skovby of Denmark. Duresta and Hypnos are just two of the many quality British brands that are showcased.

The building itself is one of Nottingham's more unusual. The side of the building which can be seen from road level was built in 1973 and links through a second floor level to a 19th century mill with another three floors – each one measuring 10,000 square feet.

Mr Ball says: "We aim to inspire and are able to completely furnish a home not only with exceptional products but with a wealth of experience within our company to help ensure our customers are thrilled with the result and return each time they require furnishings or accessories.

"Although we don't sell kitchens or bathrooms, in terms of furniture and furnishings we do pretty much everything else.

"We have our own interior designers but we also work closely with many designers and architects who are able to utilise our showrooms rather than selling to their customers from catalogues, taking advantage of the array of products that just won't be found anywhere else in the region.

"You might find some of our products in a high quality store like Harrods, but our selection is really quite unique."

So whether it's an inspirational accessory, bespoke soft furnishings, flooring expertly fitted or simply furniture you will cherish, all supplied with service honed over generations and with the guarantee of the best value, it really does have to be Hopewells.

The company aims to offer high quality at the best value and promises to match the prices of its products, if found elsewhere at a lower price.

The store is open from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.

The company plans to begin trading online in the near future, offering a selection from the vast ranges for those who prefer to shop from home. Visit www.hopewells.co.uk

For more details, phone 0115 953 6000 or e-mail info@hopewells.co.uk

Source: www.thisisnottingham.co.uk

Ikea employs security guards to stop gypsies entering car parks - Daily Telegraph

"We argued with him there for about a minute before he said 'OK go on', it was like he was convinced we weren't gipsy so we could go on.

"I know this kind a camper van is slightly unusual, but it is not exclusively used by the travelling community."

After parking the van, he went to remonstrate with the guard who said they were not the only people he had stopped and questioned.

The guard, who was caught on tape, told him: "A lot of them are coming in similar cars. If you had said yes [to being a gipsy] I wouldn't have let you into the premises."

In the recording of the conversation, the attendant can be heard to say: "We are stopping them because they are coming in and taking things off our loyal customers, that is why I'm here in the car park."

Mr Massey added: "We were honestly gob smacked. Even if they have had problems with travellers using their electricity supply or parking there at night it doesn't justify the racial profiling of customers at the front door. "It is not acceptable, I'm disgusted."

The Gypsy Council said Ikea "should be ashamed of itself". A spokesman added: "God help anyone who they think looks like a Gypsy – lots of Gypsies don't walk around with big earrings."

But Garry Deakin, the Ikea store manager at Croydon, defended the practice.

He said: "Over recent months the travelling community in the Croydon area have been attempting to access the customer car park to set up their mobile homes.

"(It) not only has an impact on our customers' shopping experience, but also poses a health and safety risk due to the build up of human and animal waste.

"After discussions with both the local traveller liaison officer and Croydon Council, Ikea Croydon implemented preventative procedures to secure the car park, including a security officer to patrol the entry to the car park to prevent the mobile homes entering the car park."

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk