Demand has done anything but gone to sleep for a bedding company started by a Gloucestershire husband and wife team, with sales growing by several hundred percent.
A husband and wife team who started a Gloucestershire business selling quality bedding has seen demand grow by 500 per cent annually, since launching two years ago.
Established as a direct-to-consumer business in 2018, by couple Jo and Nick James, Bedfolk’s aim was to offers a simplistic, jargon-free approach to buying bedding.
In May 2021, the Cheltenham-based company will celebrate its third birthday after a year of record sales – which has also seen staff numbers grow by 10 full time employees.
‘We were seeing strong growth before lockdown with sales increasing by 500 per cent in 2019 and this accelerated further during 2020,’ said Mr James.
‘Interiors is an area that has reported increased sales during lockdown as consumers focus on their home surroundings and invest in high quality items to keep them comfortable.’
Further growth is expected in 2021 with Bedfolk predicting its team will need to reach 30-plus to keep up with demand.
He added: ‘The growth we’ve seen in the past 12 months has allowed us to bring forward recruitment and investment plans to support our continued growth in 2021.’
Bedfolk used the services of The Growth Hub in Gloucestershire to help launch the business.
It was a planning process which took 12 months and a passion which even saw the pair designing ‘the perfect sheets’ and touring textile mills on their honeymoon.
In September 2019 the then Tetbury-based bedding brand secured £150,000 from Worth Capital – an angel investment network based in London – after being crowned winners of the national Start-Up Series competition.
According to Bedfolk, its appeal is in no small part to its use of 100 per cent natural cotton and linen, fair pricing, responsible manufacturing and ethical sourcing which – in the online world in which it thrives – has seen customers rate it 4.9/5 in more than 1,500 independent reviews.
By Andrew Merrell
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