SOFA COMPANY GOES TO EXTREME LENGTHS TO DELIVER TO CUSTOMERS AMID UK LORRY DRIVER SHORTAGE

A sofa company has initiated an emergency delivery programme amid the ongoing supply crisis in the UK, to serve its customers.

Snug, the sofa in a box company, is going the extra mile to get orders to customers on time in the lead up to Christmas, after mobilising a fleet of alternative transports to traditional HGVs. UK customers can now receive their new sofa by Helicopter, Boat, Bike, and the London Tube network – as part of the scheme.

The lorry driver shortage and ongoing supply crisis, has put Christmas deliveries in doubt for millions of Brits, heaping pressure on businesses to serve customers. Traditional sofa retailers have already faced severe disruption, with consumers forced to wait up to 15 weeks for their order to arrive instead, of the typical 8-week period.

Putting sofas in the skies, Snug is combating the over-reliance on lorry drivers, and swerving gridlocked roads, to ensure its delivery operation runs smoothly over the festive season. The company is also proud to be utilising London’s underground tube network to better serve customers based in the capital.

There are almost 5,000 miles of navigable canals and rivers in the UK, and Snug sees this network of waterways as another important route to shorten delivery times. Customers living close to water could see their order arrive by boat as part of the ambitious plan. Modified bikes are also being rolled out to transport sofas faster in congested areas in busy cities and reduce the need for vans.

Lois, 52, who lives in Hertfordshire and received her new sofa via Helicopter said:

“We live in the countryside so getting things delivered on the tight roads is always a nightmare. We only ordered a sofa from Snug last week, and they let us know because we’re out in the sticks it would be coming via helicopter to get it here quicker. I’ve read lots of stories around delays for furniture recently which is why we decided to go for a sofa in a box as it was faster.

I was nearly blown away by wind when it landed, and it was a bit noisy, and there’s horses in the field next door but they didn’t seem too fussed. It was so exciting when it landed, and a few neighbours spotted the commotion and popped round to have look too.

It’s a great idea, and once they got the sofa off the helicopter and into the house it only took a few minutes to put together. We’re looking forward to hosting this Christmas as we couldn’t last year.”

Rob Bridgman, Founder and CEO of Snug, said:

“The UK faces the prospect of a testing period in terms of receiving orders on time in the lead up to Christmas, and the furniture sector isn’t immune to the driver shortage. We couldn’t afford to be couch potatoes and watch the crisis unfold, and we see utilising alternative modes of transport as the solution to ensure we continue to deliver on time during this hectic trading period.”

It’s not the first time Snug has innovated to improve service for its customers. In January the company created the first sofa to be sold with a prenup, to save arguments over who gets to keep the sofa in the event of a break-up. In August, Snug tested their new sofa range designed for the smallest and most awkward spaces in The Smallest House in Great Britain.