It’s never been busier at Reynolds Furniture, the prestigious High Street company in Bognor Regis that is celebrating an astonishing 150 years* serving the furnishing needs of the people of West Sussex and beyond.
But it’s about to get busier! For the family-run concern is gearing up for increased footfall and trade in the run-up to Christmas as customers peruse, then choose, from the hundreds of quality items of furniture in store.
And then there is the slight matter of the winter sale! But it’s all in a day’s work for manager Freya Reynolds, a sixth-generation member of the family behind the company, who oversees many of the day-to-day aspects of the business, as well as planning and much more besides.
She explained: “It’s entirely fitting that here we are more a century and a half after we were formed and we are so, so busy. But. yes, we expect to get busier. Christmas can he hectic, in a good way, and then we have the winter sale coming up which is always so hugely popular.
“But, as ever, we have prepared well and we’re all looking forward to helping our valued customers take advantage of the many fabulous products we have for sale.”
Those items include everything from exquisite Alexander & James sofas, to beautiful bedroom mirrors — and from wonderful Ercol dining tables to relaxing Parker Knoll swivel chairs. There is a multitude of super accessories available, from wide racks to magazine racks, as well as a huge selection of Axminster carpets. Then you can choose from an extensive selection of beds, along with Hypnos mattresses, too.
Indeed, such is the wide choice of stunning goods available, one happy customer was prompted to post on line the following summation of her experiences at Reynolds: “I love coming to Reynolds. The service is courteous and helpful and the range of quality goods second to none I know in the Chichester and surrounding area. I shall come again and again whenever I need something.”
Another happy customer wrote: “Reynolds staff were well informed, well mannered and patient. The salesman gave us time time to consider the purchase and try similar models in the showroom. The sofa is exactly as expected — looks very attractive, is most comfortable and, hitherto, the recline function works very well — the guarantee gives us confidence. Would certainly recommend Reynolds.”
ADVERTISING FEATURE
And once the dust has settled on the busy festive period in the furniture store, Reynolds will open its doors for the keenly anticipated sale. Freya adds: “Our customers tell us that they really look forward to the sale, and we can expect a great response when we open the day after Boxing Day.
“We also have a discount vouchers promotion which we are going to publicise soon. It’s just another reason to pop along and see us, or you can take your time looking at what we have available on line here.”
The 150th celebrations have been taking place all year, of course, and last month the store hosted musical-led get-together for customers old and new, and did so thanks to a jazz band and a sax-led rat-pack combo.
Reflecting on the bash at the time, company managing director Dominic Reynolds said the occasion was a memorable one, adding: “It’s been lovely. I’ve seen a lot of old customers from long time ago, lots of reps, some guys who I’ve dealt with for 30 odd years, coming to give their support. We’ve seen a lot of customers, and lots of people who have chosen to make purchases, too.”
While Dominic manages the furniture store, James and Stephen Reynolds manage the company’s funeral service and Matthew Reynolds takes care of the accounting and finance side. As mentioned, it’s very much a family business…
*Visitors can now visit the store’s mini-museum which commemorates the 150th anniversary with a collection of photographs, advertisements and brochures to browse.
