Pullman Furniture to be liquidated

Corby-based kitchen supplier Pullman Furniture has announced it will close at the end of August in a Members Voluntary Liquidation (MVL).

Managing director Phil Player (pictured, front of group) blamed the decision on the breakdown of the company’s main CNC machine, but admitted price increases and a number of other factors had also played a part.

Pullman turns over around £900,000 a year and its supplier list includes Blum, Burbidge, PWS and Häfele.

All customers have been notified of the closure and last orders will be delivered by the end of June.

Speaking exclusively to kbbreview, Pullman said: “After many days and weeks of mental turmoil during and after the breakdown of our main CNC machine, I have taken the decision to close Pullman Furniture at the end of August.

“It has become so difficult to keep all the balls in the air at the same time and to keep an eye on price increases, productivity and deliveries, and now data protection. It is just not possible to give the service and quality that you all deserve these days.

“It’s not been easy because many of our customers have been trading with us for years and have become part of the family. My staff have also been very loyal and have worked extremely hard in delivering a good product on time every time.”

Player added that suppliers would be paid at the end of July and machinery sold off “hopefully in July and August”.

“It’s sacrilege to be closing a profitable and efficient company knowing how difficult it is to start one, but needs must,” he said. “I am 68 now and my wife Kathryn, who manages our accounts, is 70. It’s time we had a good holiday. The responsibility of running a small business and the hurdles that small businesses have to jump over these days is huge and time-crippling.

“Thank you to all who know me, both suppliers and customers, and I wish you all the best for the future, wherever it may lead you.”

Pullman Furniture was formed in December 1996, three years after the collapse of Player’s first business, Homefit Furniture, which he launched in 1974.

“Pullman’s factory in Corby was an empty shell back then,” he said. “No offices, no machinery, just a massive open space with a dining room table, two chairs and a fax near the entrance. What a way to start a business. A second mortgage on our house enabled me to buy the basic machinery for kitchen production and so it all began.

“One thing I had forgotten amid the euphoria of a new venture was the total and utter commitment that is needed for a successful business to function. That was strange considering I had had one for 16 years before. All-consuming every minute of the day. Something that is not really considered when starting a business these days.”

 

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