Trade Secret Half Price Furniture

BBC Oxford News

Saturday 17th January 2009

Business booms in economic slump

An Oxfordshire business which sells off furniture from high street and catalogue shops says the economic downturn has caused a boom in stock.

Trade secret, at Adderbury near Banbury, said more people have reconsidered purchases and cancelled orders with stores.

Shops, unable to offload some items, sell them onto the furniture company.

Director Charles Wheeler said: "People are turning over thier pennies many times before spending these days."
"The volume of stock available is really quite significant.
"A lot of orders have been cancelled in recent months and certainly with stores generally turning over less we have a lot of stock becoming available."

Trade Secret now have so much stock from an influx of cancelled orders and businesses gone bust, that they are having an auction to make room.

Mr Wheeler said: "With the excess of furniture at the moment we really need to move volume and have decided to have an auction to see if we can shift some stuff."

Telegraph Weekend

3rd January 2009

The Secret Auctions

Well known for selling cancelled or returned orders from high street stores at exactly half the recommended retail price, Trade Secret will be holding two auctions this month.

Due to the financial climate, Trade Secret has been inundated with stock. As a result, it has been given sanction to hold a public auction of hundreds of high street branded items.

Whereas you would usually pay about half the original retail price for items, this auction will allow people to bid what they want, meaning you could buy furniture for much less than half price.

Possibly the best January sale ever, the auction is on January 10 at Trade Secret Lower Sydenham and on January 17th at the Adderbury branch. Viewing is available from January 6th and January 14th respectively.

The Sunday Telegraph

28th December 2008

Sydenham's 'secret' auction

Possibly the best January sale ever, the Trade Secret auction takes place on Jan 10 at Trade Secret, Lower Sydenham, with free parking for hundreds of cars on site. Buy current season brand-name furniture at up to 70 per cent off the recommended retail price.
Viewing is available at Lower Sydenham from Thursday.

Retail Week

22nd December 2008

Furniture clearance player cashes in on sector gloom!

Furniture clearance retailer Trade Secret has reported strong sales as shoppers seek to rein in spend and seek out bargains.
Trade Secret, which sells cancelled and returned stock from retailers such as Laura Ashley, delivered a record month in November, with like-for-like sales soaring 15 per cent.
Trade Secret managing director Charles Wheeler said: " There are still people in the market for furniture and this market is leaning towards value for money, which is a huge benefit to us."
The retailer sells from 75,000sq ft of warehouse space in London, 25,000sq ft in Oxfordshire and 8,000sq ft in Hampshire.
Wheeler said: "Customers are prepared to come to our unheated, no frills premises, which are like aircraft hangars. We're telling customers: 'Don't move, improve, but improve on a budget'".
Trade Secret also sells stock from retailers such as House of Fraser and Bhs home. It operates in the top end of the market and does not offer credit.
Wheeler conceded that 2009 will be a difficult year, but he argued that Trade Secret will sustain its growth. "We offer the feel-good factor; people feel more comfortable paying less. The supply is there so we can certainly expand," he said.
The furniture sector has been hit hard by the downturn, with casualties this year including MFI, ScS, Rosebys, Ilva, Beds Direct and the Pier.

The Daily Telegraph

15th November 2008

Want to spruce up guest rooms before the relatives descend on you for Christmas?
Look no further than the new catalogue from Trade Secret, well-known for selling top-quality high street brands like Laura Ashley for half the high street price.
The catalogue's "Price Promise" section guarantees that everything selling on that page cannot be found cheaper elsewhere.
Visit www.trade-secret.co.uk/catalogue to register for the catalogue.

Sunday Mirror

2nd November 2008

Ever wondered what happened to that sofa you ordered - then changed your mind about?

Well High Street stores don't throw them away. They send many of their cancelled, returned and end-of-line goods to these secret outlets to be sold for a song.

Trade Secret owner Charles Wheeler has another source:

"Traditionally, High Street stores have produced furniture from factories in Eastern Europe."

"But there is a growing trend to move production to China. The resulting crossover has caused problems for the major High Street retailers, in that they do not want the same furniture originating from two different countries as there is a risk that the ranges won't match."

"That's where we come in. We have a huge range of brand new furniture Europe that is surplus to requirements."

The Sunday Times: Style

26th October 2008

Shh... we'll tell you a secret

The furniture world has been abuzz for the past year or so with talk of excruciatingly expensive pieces by its design stars - how else would you describe Zaha Hadid's £250,000 marble table for Established and Son's?

The trouble is, none of these high-end pieces is of any relevence to most of us, especially now. Financial constraint is no reason to slum it, style-wise, though. Pulling off a flash-pad - as opposed to a crash-pad - look involves a bit of legwork and knowing where to look.

Here's how to achieve a shoestring style from the outlets and sale shops, where you can pick up designer names at high-street prices.

Non-stop sale shops

A lot of stores want to protect their brand image, so they don't have own-name factory shops; however, they still have clearance stock to get rid of, and do so through other outlets.
Trade Secret sells furniture Laura Ashley, John Lewis and House of Fraser at about half the retail price. These items will be cancelled orders or discontinued lines. They have branches in Adderbury, Middle Aston, Selborne and Sydenham, but you can view on the internet, for a £10 annual-membership fee; trade-secret.co.uk

The Daily Telegraph

20th September 2008

Expanding beyond its core interests, furniture retailer Trade Secret still aims to sell at rock-bottom prices.

Well known for selling furniture from top high street brands at half its current retail price, Trade Secret is about to share its latest secret with Telegraph readers.

The company - which has expanded to operate out of four warehouses in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and London - is now diversifying into homeware and accessories.

According to Trade Secret's managing director Charles Wheeler, these additions are due to the current financial climate. Mr Wheeler says: "The credit crunch has resulted in Trade Secret being inundated with offers of huge quantities of diverse products at significantly discounted prices." As a result, the company has launched a free credit crunch online catalogue, which features branded furniture at exactly half price.

Price Guarantee

While many will be celebrating the fact that they can now rely on Trade Secret for everything from furniture to lamps and kitchenware, the best part of this new venture has to be the company's guarantee that it will not be beaten on price. Anything that appears in the "Price Promise" section of the catalogue is guaranteed to be selling at the cheapest price you'll find. Now that's a promise to cherish when you are Christmas shopping.

The Sunday Times

14th September 2008

Want this season's furniture for half the price you'd pay on the high street? Well, you can have it.

At a time when many businesses are feeling the chill wind of recession, a growing number of outlets across the country are quietly selling stock from such high-profile brands as House of Fraser, John Lewis, Laura Ashley and BHS for considerably less than the recommended retail price.

Knowing where to get the best bargains is something of an industry secret, as in most cases the outlets are barred by suppliers from advertising. Often in rural locations, and sometimes little more than agricultural buildings, these warehouses may be harder to get to than their high-street counterparts, and mean you have to drive. Make the effort, however, and you'll be rewarded with current season stock - usually in perfect condition and ready to take away - at knockdown prices.

The downside? The premises are not particularly glamourous, the items may be slightly marked and you could travel some distance and be disappointed.

So where should you go? Here is my selection of the best:

Originally based in an Oxfordshire barn, Trade Secret has expanded to four premises. Its latest venture is a 75,000 sq ft site in southeast London, stuffed with items from John Lewis and other high street brands. Sofas and dining tables and chairs make up the majority of the stock, but there is a good selection of bedroom furniture, with most items half price. Simply identify the piece you want on the shop floor, pay for it and either take it away or have it sent the next day.
article by Alison Cork.

Sunday Times

22 Jun 2008

The summer sales in The Pier, Laura Ashley and House Of Fraser are already in full swing while John Lewis is starting its clearance on Saturday.

An Abbey two-seater leather sofa for example, retailing at £1,699, would go for about & pound;1,190.

You can go to the retailers website, but to unearth larger discounts, offeroftheday.co.uk is a good site. This lists one-off or short-term deals which may not be on the official website.

You can get even bigger savings if you shop at trade-secret.co.uk. This lists discounts of 50% on cancelled and returned orders from the likes of Laura Ashley. The discounts are avaliable all year round.

You have to pay a one-off membership fee of £10 to browse items online, although there is a preview section offering non-members some idea of what is avaliable. You can either pick up the item from the warehouse or buy online and pay a delivery charge, usually around & pound;50.

Click here to view the article