Analysis
Second-hand furniture is the fastest-growing shop on the high street
Vacant units are filling with sofas and sideboards. The margins are thin, the rents are low and the customers keep coming back.
Economics editor
6 min read
Most stock arrives from house clearances within ten kilometres.
Three years ago the unit was a phone shop. Now it holds forty chairs, a dining table for twelve and a queue on Saturday mornings.
Across the country, second-hand furniture has opened more shops than any other kind of retailer this year.
Why it works now
New furniture prices rose faster than wages, and landlords with empty units accept rents that would have been unthinkable before. Delivery is the hardest part, so most shops serve their own town.
Our customers are not looking for vintage. They are looking for a table that will last.
Margins are thin and stock is unpredictable. The shops that survive tend to restore and repair, which lets them charge more and buy what others turn down.
What the high street gets
Footfall data from two towns shows the furniture shops draw visitors who stay longer and visit neighbouring cafés.
Tomasz Wren
Economics editor
Tomasz writes about money, work and why the numbers rarely tell the whole story.
