Sofa Workshop
Exited
In 1991 Piper invested development capital into Sofa Workshop, a specialist retailer of sofas, for a substantial minority stake. The funding was used to roll out retail stores.
Sofa Workshop were one of the earliest specialist upholstered furniture store chains, providing the widest range of sofas as well as a bespoke service for top end furniture.
In addition to its stores, the business was an early pioneer of selling direct to consumer, setting up its own direct selling operation in 1998.
The journey
| 1986 | Andrew Cousins opens the first Sofa Workshop store in Maidstone |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Piper invest when the business has 5 stores |
| 1997 | Own manufacturing established in Wales |
| 1998 | Sofa Workshop enter the direct to consumer market with a small mail order offering under Sofa Workshop Direct |
| 2000 | Sofa Workshop shop-in-shops are established in MFI stores |
| 2002 | MFI acquires Sofa Workshop with 35 stores |
Current investments
