A businessman who launched a furniture line in the middle of the pandemic to safeguard 20 jobs and avoid furloughing staff says it has proved a hit.
Jarome Warrilow said his bespoke joinery business Apex Displays saw 40 per cent of its trade put on hold when the pandemic hit a year ago.
Based in Blaby, Leicestershire, it makes luxury shop displays for clients including big cosmetics and perfume brands.
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With retail one of the worst hit areas during a year of lockdowns Jarome decided to branch out, and last summer launched Morph Furniture – building home office furniture made from durable birch plywood.
The new range includes desks, storage boxes and chests which are all made-to-measure – buyers input the required measurements online – then shipped out to customers to be assembled at home without the need for any screws.
The business is working on extending the range to include bookcases, sideboards and tables.
Jarome said he had faced some tough decisions when demand of Apex Displays products slowed.
He said: “Our business specialises in display furniture for the luxury retail market, places like high-end department stores and airport terminals – we literally work globally.
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“When the Covid outbreak took over and this work was shelved, we needed a quick solution to safeguard jobs and continue to use the factory and software we’d heavily invested in.
“The answer soon came after speaking to so many of our clients who were working from home with poor set-ups – coffee tables, kitchen tables, even ironing boards.
“We realised a homeworking desk that could be made-to-measure to suit any space could easily be modelled and manufactured with our existing facilities.
“Using 3D parametric modelling software, our customers can completely customise the size of their desk, down to the millimetre, including width, depth and height.
“This means that all those quirky, hidden spaces – corners near chimney breasts, tops of landings, under the stairs, can all become a bespoke home workstation.
“From there, the personalisation continues with colour choice, selection of wood finishes and functional accessories such as monitor stand, cupboard, drawers and notice board.
“The Morph desk is sustainable too, we use fully recyclable materials and the design features intelligent detailing to be able to incorporate accessories at a later date.”
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He said with homeworking now firmly established among millions of people, Morph products had proven popular and maintained a healthy turnover since launch.
He said: “Obviously we’re thrilled with the success of Morph, not only has it meant we’ve kept our 20 strong team employed and our factory operational, but we’ve developed a thriving sister company that continues growing.
“The Morph family now includes a matching chest and box, both ideal storage solutions, and later this year we’re launching the Morph bookcase, sideboard and table.
“We’re also hoping to introduce 360⁰ views to our online modelling system, so there’s plenty to look forward to.”