When Monty George and I left school in Salisbury at 17, we told people we were starting a furniture company. We came across people who thought we were too young, that it wouldn’t last, or that it was just a phase. We didn’t have experience or contacts, but what we did have was the support of our families, a strong belief in what we were building, and the determination to prove that putting people first is the foundation for everything else.
Ten years on, that belief has carried us from a two-man start-up to Furniturebox as it is today – a £30 million ecommerce business with 80 team members and a new headquarters in Chippenham. What I’m proudest of isn’t the growth. It’s hearing our team say they love coming to work and knowing that our customers feel cared for at every step.
We’ve always tried to keep things simple. Make it easy for people to welcome our furniture into their homes. Deliver when we say we will. Design products that feel thoughtful and well-made. Small touches matter, like adding video guides to make assembly straightforward or choosing wood from responsible sources. We are here to earn trust, and we are prepared to work for it every single day.
I’ve always felt responsible for doing things the right way. That sense of responsibility extends into the community. Earlier this year we began working with Wiltshire Council so that when families are in urgent need, we can step in and make sure they have the essentials to start again. It’s a reminder that what we create is more than furniture. It’s the beginning of a home.
That connection to family and home has always been part of my life. My dad came to the UK from Barbados, and both my parents have worked throughout their lives helping people who needed support. That shaped me deeply. More recently, when my mum introduced me to a family from Afghanistan who had only hours to leave everything behind, helping them furnish their new place felt like something we simply had to do together. We did it as a family, and it reminded me how lucky we are that what we sell isn’t just a product. It gives people the chance to create a home and to build memories, just like it did for this family.
Inside our business, we hold onto the same values. What matters most is making sure everyone feels valued. I would rather sacrifice some margin than lose that sense of belonging. A happy team will always deliver more than any balance sheet can measure.
It hasn’t always been easy. A sluggish economy and rising costs have tested us. But when a business is built on care and trust, you find resilience. You stick together, you support each other and you keep moving forward.
As we celebrate our tenth birthday, our ambitions for the next decade are clear. We want Furniturebox to become a household name in the UK. We want to grow further in the US. And we want to keep improving our website to give customers the best possible experience. None of that will be possible if we lose sight of what got us here. People come first, always.
