About Us
The company was born in 2018. We moved into the same warehouse which we still occupy now. When we first started we was solely an online business, we used the warehouse as storage only, we did not have a showroom, we sold on the same platforms we still sell on today, Facebook, Instagram, EBay and Wowcher.
For the first 2 years business was steady. We always seemed to get some real good lines that kept us going, for example, we bought a parcel of office chairs from Argos, this line was fantastic, we bought 2,000 and sold them all within 6 weeks of purchasing, we used parcel force as our nationwide courier they literally would send long wheel base trucks and we would feel them up and send them on their way.
We also tapped into the landlord furniture sector. We knew how big this market was and by researching what competitors were selling their products for, we knew we had a real big opportunity. We started offering furniture packages, from 1 bedroom apartments to 5 Bed HMO’s. Our clients were shocked with the prices we were offering and to top it off the service was second to none.
Then in 2020 Covid 19 sent the whole of the world into lock down. We was really unsure about what lied ahead, however rather then shutting everything down, we carried on trading on our online platforms and remarkably it was the period that really kicked off this business. Everyone was restricted to sitting at home, so what did most people do, they went online shopping for furniture. Pretty much the whole of the UK was getting paid to sit at home, so the majority decided to treat themselves to new furniture, I mean the government grants did help with this spending spree also!
When the world opened back up again and Covid restrictions were lifted, we noticed most customers we spoke to wanted to go back to the traditional way of buying furniture, this being going to a showroom and trying the products out before you buy. And too right, the Covid period meant people had to shop online, and unfortunately what that created was a load of cowboy companies and scammers. I think everyone now either has their own story or has heard about someone being scammed online from buying furniture. I am a big advocator against anyone buying furniture, especially items like sofas and beds from online companies who do not have a showroom. There are thousands of online stores now, especially on instagram and facebook which can look very genuine and trust worthy, the reality is its easy to make an instagram page and put products on, the amount of pages I’ve seen which have stolen our images is ridiculous, some have even used our name, which is even more scary. Bottom line is if they have not got a showroom you can physically see the product, it does not matter how good their website looks or instagram page, I would advise not to buy. It’s likely you will receive a product which is very low in quality or in some cases not receive anything at all.
Moving on from that rant, we listened to our customers and decided to open the Hackney warehouse as a complete showroom, upstairs and downstairs. We acquired another warehouse in Chingford which we now use as storage. Having another warehouse for storage is crucial in keeping up with our renowned quick delivery. 80% of the products we advertise are kept in this warehouse, this is how we are able to honour our 7 day nationwide delivery on most of the items.
We also offer a free delivery and installation service for a large variety of products, this service is what really separates us from the rest, the main reason being our delivery team. Honestly you couldn’t ask for more respectful and well mannered group of guys to deliver your furniture. Anything from taking their shoes off if requested, to going that little bit extra, helping you move your own furniture to a different location to make room for your new items, and always with a smile on their face.
In terms of our products, we only sell products which have been trialed and tested. 95% of our sofas come from Poland, we buy straight from the manufacturers that supply the biggest retail companies in the UK. The reason for our low price and quick delivery is simple, we do not feel it’s necessary to charge extortionate amounts, we work on small profit margins and spin our products over quick in doing so. We buy containers in bulk and keep our most popular items stocked, to assure fast delivery.
Our beds and mattresses are all manufactured here in the UK. The only exception is our Laurel mattress range which are manufactured in Turkey. However both manufacturers the UK and Turkish are owned by the same company, the quality of their products is top tier, we have been doing business from the very start and we do not deal with anyone else, the owners actually have a long term friendship with the owner of LFO for over 15 years. The beds are all made on order, giving you the opportunity of a really bespoke experience, from the colour, style and size. The turn around is even more impressive, from order date to delivery date if you are in London is within 5 days. The mattresses are kept in stock and again we offer delivery within 5 days.
Our wardrobes come from Poland and again we aim to keep most of the items in stock and offering a free delivery and installation service within 10 days for all London postcodes.
In terms of what you get from LFO is a real personal experience, this is a family run business, everyone within this small growing company are local, they are from east London, and that’s what makes this company a real community based business. We started off selling to the local community and still have the same returning customers from when we started. And gratefully through our growth and logistic connections we can now relay that same service to the whole of the UK.
We have worked extensively with hundreds of landlords and property agents across the country. And are even fortunate enough to work with London councils from tower hamlets to Islington with our products and services.
We are real humans here, no computers answering your questions or picking up the phone, when you call or message us, we HUMANS respond. We do our best to keep everyone happy and take pride in making sure no one is left with a bitter taste in their mouth about this company.