PERSONAL TRAINER HELPS DOORMEN PREPARE FOR 4.8 TONS OF JANUARY SALE DOOR SWINGING

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

January 3, 2012.

PERSONAL TRAINER HELPS DOORMEN PREPARE FOR 4.8 TONS OF JANUARY SALE DOOR SWINGING.

A north Manchester furnishings and gifts store has brought in a personal trainer to help its top-hatted doormen get to grips with the demands of winter shopping customer stampedes.

Frank Hodgson and Peter Brooks will hold doors open for Housing Units customers as often as 5,463 times a day each during peak Christmas and January sales shopping days - 364 times an hour, once every six seconds, assuming an average party size of two people entering and leaving the store – but will be even busier during the winter sale.

Now Housing Units’ personnel team has brought in personal trainer Kate Wright from Oldham gym Heavenly Bodies to coach the doormen in the best way to avoid injury or muscle damage from their exertions, which, assuming average push or pull of a door being the equivalent to lifting 20lbs, means around 4.8 tons of door being moved each working day at peak time.

“Customers enjoy the door-opening experience, so will often hang back a little to get their own exclusive service, with some even taking photos. This is an enjoyable experience all round, but, of course, during peak hours can mean there’s a massive amount of door swinging – and that means flexing muscles that don’t normally get flexed so frequently,” said Nick Fox of Housing Units.

“With the perfect storm of peak customer traffic, both doormen deployed, movement both in and out of the store involving people with shopping and buggies, plus requests for directions, it could quickly descend into chaos if the doormen start flagging.

“Footfall is on average 25,500 a week during the run up to Christmas, but while that equates to an average of 1,821 door openings a day, twice a minute for each doorman, at peak times door opening rate can be three times as high. working day.

“But customer traffic during the sales can be even higher, so we need to ensure the doormen are in peak condition”.

Housing Units - known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947.

It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

HOUSING UNITS ADDS ANOTHER TROPHY TO ITS RANGE OF CABINETS

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

October 20, 2011.

HOUSING UNITS ADDS ANOTHER TROPHY TO ITS RANGE OF CABINETS.

Photo available.

When the going gets tough, the tough win awards - and north Manchester-based home furnishings store Housing Units has added another trophy to its wide range of cabinets.

Housing Units has won the "Best department store" title in the Progressive Housewares magazine "Excellence in housewares" category after beating off competition almost entirely from affluent south-east England department stores.

"It costs nothing to go that extra inch in driving customer service standards, listening hard to what our customers want, moving heaven and earth to deliver the right sorts of promotions and events, and simply looking and feeling like a place where shoppers feel at home. But it costs a lot if you don't," said Nick Fox, director of Housing Units.

"The competition was tough - and the other nominees were very, very good - but we give our all day-in, day-out, and it pays off not just for us, but for our customers too.

"But it's a spiral: put in the effort, get the custom; get the custom, win the award, feel good, make the customer feel good - get the custom. And this is all massively down to the Housing Units staff -  we're certainly a family business, and when things get tough, we all feel the pain but we all then pull together; and the result is that we all win together".

The criteria for the award was: "Should be an individual department store or a specific branch of a department store chain. With excellence in areas across the retail spectrum including product range, staff training, customer care, marketing and promotion, window and product display and also have improvement achievement in improving sales, profitability and/or footfall over the last year."

"And with somebody else influential and expert saying something about us - it's a great accolade to hear," said Nick Fox.

Housing Units - known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947.

It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

TV HOME DESIGN AND LIFESTYLE SHOWS? MORE PLEASE – THEY’RE BOOSTING OUR ECONOMY, SAY HOUSING UNITS

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

October 11, 2011.

TV HOME DESIGN AND LIFESTYLE SHOWS? MORE PLEASE – THEY’RE BOOSTING OUR ECONOMY, SAY HOUSING UNITS.

They may seem to be wall-to-wall on TV, but the overwhelming current crop of home design and lifestyle shows are doing massive favours for the UK furnishings and interiors industry.

Nick Fox, director of north Manchester-based furnishings store Housing Units, says that regardless of how tacky, tear-jerking or turgid the home design programmes are, they are inspiring homeowners into spending on changes or improvements.

“Customers will come in to the store sometimes completely undecided about what they want, but will simply refer to a TV home design or lifestyle show and say they want something the same or just like what they saw,” said Nick.

“This is where we have an advantage in that we have in-house designers who overdose on these programmes so know exactly what most customers are talking about.

“The trend is to buy complete makeovers for entire rooms – and customers are specifying not just UK-style design, but design and furnishings they have seen on travel programmes, or home-search shows abroad.

“It is genuinely creating a new niche of demand, and there is a very definite drive towards Italian-inspired interior design.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

HOLLYWOOD STARS DRIVE HOLLINWOOD BABY ECONOMIC BOOM.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

October 5, 2011.

HOLLYWOOD STARS DRIVE HOLLINWOOD BABY ECONOMIC BOOM.

The power of Hollywood celebrity endorsement is pushing a baby economic boom in Hollinwood, near Oldham, as parents flock to buy the latest A-list accessory for their new arrivals - prams that cost as much as a car.

Housing Units’ Coo Chi Coo nursery store has seen a quadrupling of sales in the past six months of top-of-the-range Dutch-made Bugaboo prams and buggies – the average price is £800, but versions costing up to £2,000 each are also in steep demand.

“Every time Gwyneth Paltrow, Mariah Carey or another A-lister add to their family, they go out and buy a Bugaboo, get snapped pushing new baby in it, end up all over the media, and we get a surge in demand for our premium prams because they become must-have cool,” said Nick Fox, director of Housing Units.

“Parents simply must have the best for their new arrival – especially if it’s their first baby – and there’s no better advertisement or attention-grabber than a Hollywood celebrity pushing their offspring.

“It’s known as the ‘Kate Effect’ when it comes to women’s clothing – but the Queens of Hollywood draw the same attention. Whenever one of them steps out, with or without baby, then every fashion and gossip journalist on the planet wants to know what they and their kids are wearing or using.

“It’s not lost on us that some of the top-end prams cost the same as a reasonable second-hand car – but the premium brands are a genuine investment, and will often be in a family for a good few new arrivals – and possibly on to later generations too.”

The average price of prams and buggies sold at Coo Chi Coo is around £500, while the store itself – on Housing Units’ retail park – is seeing something of a baby boom itself, with sales steadily increasing across the board, with everything from basic baby clothes and equipment to top-end flagship brands performing strongly.

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

HOUSING UNITS’ EMPLOYEE OF A LIFETIME

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

July 27, 2011.

HOUSING UNITS’ EMPLOYEE OF A LIFETIME.

Marcus Huntington may have been awarded Employee of the Month for sales support at home furnishings store Housing Units, but for one man he was the employee of a lifetime – literally.

For Marcus is a qualified First Aider at Housing Units, but it was those skills – gained under training with the north Manchester-based store – that helped save the life of a man who collapsed in a shopping centre near his home in Middleton.

“I was out shopping, saw and heard a commotion, saw a little old lady trying to carry out CPR, so just stepped in and, assisted by a security guard, did what I’ve been trained to do,” said Marcus, who is a member of St John’s Ambulance.

“The shopping centre had a defibrillator – which I’m trained to use – and I managed to keep the man going until the paramedics arrived. It was a surreal experience, but it just demonstrates that not only have you only a few minutes to save somebody’s life, but the benefit of First Aid training can make a massive difference.”

Nick Fox, director of Housing Units, said: “While his support for colleagues and customers alike meant he received a lot of nominations from colleagues for the Employee of the Month award, it’s his quiet calm and life-saving skills that make Marcus truly exceptional as a person, not just an employee.”

Marcus has been with Housing Units for seven years. His St John Ambulance duties include everything from tending to injuries amongst the crowd at Premier League football matches, through to being on watch at local events such as fetes and parades.

Marcus was awarded store vouchers as part of his Employee of the Month recognition, but he has passed them on to his wife, Carol, who he considers much better able to make the best of them.

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

How to lay a place setting for lunch or dinner.

One of the questions most asked of staff in the kitchen and dining department of upmarket interiors store Housing Units www.housingunits.co.uk in Manchester is how to correctly lay a place setting for lunch or dinner. Housing Units has now produced a short video on where cutlery, plates and glasses go. More household “how to” videos from Housing Units will follow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzTWn3uxr9w

HOUSING UNITS GETS GREATS NEWS: “IT’S THE BEST”.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

May 24, 2010.

HOUSING UNITS GETS GREATS NEWS: “IT’S THE BEST”.

Housing Units has been named one of the top department stores in the country in the retail industry equivalent of the Oscars.

The Failsworth, north Manchester, store won the award for best department store retailer of gifts in The Greats Gift Retailer of the Year Awards 2010 which took place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on May 20.

The other finalists included last year’s winner, John Lewis of Oxford Street.

The award is open to independent department stores, or individual outlets of bigger chains, and notes product range, product knowledge, staff training, customer care, promotion and display.

“This is a jaw-dropping achievement, and incredible reward for the staff and management who live, eat and breathe Housing Units, and who are passionate about making a difference,” said Stuart Fox, Retail Operations Director of Housing Units, who collected the award.

“That we are competing against some of the greatest stores in the land is tribute to all concerned at Housing Units.

“We know our customers well, we know what they like, and many of them are like loyal friends as well as supporters.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

Housing Units and other photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pressrelations

WEEKS OF TALK ABOUT CHANGE – BUT NOT AT HOUSING UNITS

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

May 13, 2010.

WEEKS OF TALK ABOUT CHANGE – BUT NOT AT HOUSING UNITS.

Photo available.

The talk has been all about “change” for the past few weeks - but not at Housing Units (www.housingunits.co.uk), as the store decided to continue its support of The Christie cancer hospital.

And the latest donation to The Christie from Housing Units was for £8,932.

“Our staff don’t sit around – despite the numbers of chairs and sofas we have in store – they get up and devise, organise and run all sorts of charity activities,” said Nick Fox of Housing Units.

“In the past 12 months the Housing Units team has held in-store collections, organised a golf day, been involved in charity runs, raffles arranged Santa visits and a real shopping list of other ideas and activities – and that means our running total for The Christie, including the latest donation, is £19,282.

“The staff have been brilliant – and, what’s more, they’ve had great fun doing it.

“It’s no secret that The Christie is currently facing some challenges, so we are particularly delighted to be able to help in such a timely fashion.  The ongoing challenge for The Christie, however, is the simple matter that few people who have not been touched by cancer – whether personally or through a friend or relative – truly appreciate the importance of fund raising and support, and the impact that even a small amount can have upon the recovery or wellbeing of a cancer sufferer and their family.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

OUTDOOR FURNITURE: HOUSING UNITS STARTS SUMMER EARLY

http://www.cabinet-maker.co.uk/news/view/id/1353

“SIX-SEASON YEAR” DRIVES EARLY AND DOUBLED-SIZED OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS LAUNCH.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

March 23, 2010.

“SIX-SEASON YEAR” DRIVES EARLY AND DOUBLED-SIZED OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS LAUNCH.

Home furnishings retailer Housing Units has brought forward the launch of its 2010 outdoor range, and doubled the floor space of the department as it plans for what it expects to be yet another “six season” year.

Failsworth, Manchester, -based Housing Units sold out of outdoor and gardening furnishings ahead of forecast in 2009 – with sales in the department up 15% on 2008. The UK outdoor furniture retail sector is expected to grow by 2% in 2010.

“The past few years we seem to have seen six seasons in 12 months – Winter, Spring, Summer 1, Autumn-in-August, Summer 2 and then Autumn. Customers want their outdoor furniture earlier because of this seemingly now consistent weather trend, and they want to spread the cost when they buy extended sets,” said Nick Fox, director of Housing Units.

“Trading can still sometimes be challenging – although we’re actually in pretty good shape - so we’ll listen to anything and everything our customers say, and they’ve been saying they want outdoor furnishings sooner rather than later.

“It’s been a little like our Christmas approach: we opened the Christmas department in September 2009, and overall sales figures were higher over a longer period because people spread their spending.

“That’s what we expect to happen in our outdoor department, which has been doubled in size to 3,500 square feet. People are fed up with the weather, are cautious about planning a holiday or house move, and so are investing in the new generation of outdoor furniture which is both extremely hardy, and stylish enough to be used indoors as well – although not always with the parasol, of course.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

KITCHEN DESIGN AND THE REGION OF TWO HALVES.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

March 02, 2010.

KITCHEN DESIGN AND THE REGION OF TWO HALVES.

There’s a north-south divide opening up in the north-west of England, with traditional playing contemporary in a game of two kitchen halves.

“In the south of the region the trend is towards open space and contemporary ‘footballer-chic’ kitchen design, while in the north of the region we’re seeing traditional kitchens scoring with homeowners,” said Mark Gilligan of The Kitchen Design Centre at Housing Units, Failsworth, Manchester.

“More than 70% of the kitchens we’re designing and installing in Manchester and Cheshire now involve knocking down an interior wall, and creating one big kitchen and living space that becomes very much the centre of household life.

“We’re seeing this as a great family benefit in an era when families seem to spend more time apart, even within the home, than ever before.

“The contemporary open-space kitchens usually feature a breakfast bar at the heart, and areas that draw different family members in – but in to what has become the same room: mum can be cooking or reading a magazine, dad can be maybe having a glass of wine and catching up on some emails, the kids are watching the TV or playing games.

“But traditional kitchens have a similar effect – around 70% of kitchens in the north of the region are ‘traditional’ - those sorts of households like the kitchen dining table to be at the centre of things, and the family gathers for meals.

“In each case, we’re seeing circumstances in which families are spending more time together. But we don’t just design the kitchen for aesthetics, we also find something out about the lifestyle of the family, and that can often determine some very specific design elements aimed at making the kitchen fit the family rather than the family fit the kitchen.”

The Kitchen Design Centre, www.kitchendesigncentre.com, is a concession at Housing Units’ Failsworth, Manchester, retail park.  KDC specialises in premium kitchen design and construction. It also has branches in Blackburn and Colne.

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk