As a new flagship store opens in Gateshead, Mike Hughes talks to Barker and Stonehouse MD James Barker in a rare interview about how he runs his iconic business
When James Barker pulls up a chair for a short chat, it’s a more interesting moment than you might think.
As MD of the iconic Barker and Stonehouse his choice of furniture can make or break his business. There is a ‘look’ that has driven sales every years since 1946 when two young RAF men took off on a new mission.
Charles Barker and Alex Stonehouse both started work at Binns - the region's top department store at the time - before they set about creating a furniture store aimed at delivering a little pizzazz to a weary post-war Britain and opened their first store in Stockton.
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Seventy five years later the enduring taste and style that the brand represents appeals to aspiring Teessiders - having a Barker and Stonehouse piece in your home is the furniture equivalent here of a Jag in the drive and vinyl on the turntable.
James is a modest boss, leading the business through pandemic to prosperity, but always with the mildest of manners and a firm insistence that he is just doing a job, one part of a bigger picture.
Sitting in a dining room setting at the distinctive Teesside Park store, James tells me that the luxury level of the brand has not meant low sales. Customers keep coming back.
“We're probably trying to encourage people to buy better things. And you don't have to buy it more than once or twice in your life maybe, but when you do want that nice thing, then come to us," he says.
“I guess if every time someone moves house and they buy a sofa with us or a dining set, that's fine because there are enough people shopping around. Now, you may come and see me in five years’ time, and I might be wrong, but I don’t think so. It's nice to sell nice things.
“I suppose with the redesign of the stores that we've done, like the new Gateshead location, the store build and the fitting out of the shop all adds up to us saying to people that we're not here today, gone tomorrow - we're a long-standing quality outfit. That’s what we do as a group because I think if people are spending a bit of money, they want a bit of confidence as well.”
He references the collapse of Made.com as a stark reminder that ‘you don't want to let customers down. You've got to have that confidence in your space and always realise that this is a lot of money for some people.’
His role as part of that Barker and Stonehouse team is focussed on the buying of the right furniture from around the world, taking on the responsibility of the image and surroundings that are so much a part of the group’s success.
“I am very much still involved in our supply chain and purchasing. Buying in particular is what I've always done for the business, going into a place and saying, ‘yes, I'll have that, but I don't want that’ is my day job, really.
“I enjoy that part of it and have been very fortunate to meet a lot of nice people all over the world doing that role. It's been great. But at the same time, I guess any business gets to a certain size, when you have to rely on good people coming through, and I know I'm only as good as my team.
“You can't do anything on your own. It doesn't work like that. That really is true and I've just tried to recruit well. Most of our staff are people who were just brought through the ranks and they do a great job, otherwise I couldn't do this.”
So what is the secret to buying for Barker and Stonehouse? Where do you find the perfect product and how do you know it will work?
James tells me: “I think over the years, we've built up a supply base that we know will make a good quality product and someone who knows how to buy - it doesn't matter if it's furniture or it's any product – will get to know what's good and what's bad pretty quickly.
“Certain factories are good at making some things and certain factories are good at making other things. The Germans are particularly good at making sliding wardrobes and extending tables with very good mechanisms. The British are particularly good at making soft-cover upholstery and the Scandinavians are very good at making leather recliner chairs.
“Every country is a little bit different and we know that at factories within those particular countries we can get good, better or best. I guess with experience you build up that knowledge, but at the same time, I visit all exhibitions all over the world saying ‘oh, that's nice. I haven't dealt with you before. That's a great product you've got there and I think it will work for Barker and Stonehouse’. “
With the sort of buying power he has, there is the chance to make quite a difference to British manufacturers, and it is one he takes at every opportunity.
“Nearly half of what we sell is still British-made – things like our bedding, mattresses, upholstery, is nearly all made in the UK. And again, upholstery like chenilles, velvets, and what have you, is flavour of the month at the moment," he says.
“Ten years ago, it was leather, which is more Italy and China, whereas now it's soft-cover upholstery, so it has swung back to the British manufacturers. It’s just what’s in fashion and we’ve got to anticipate those trends.”
The store we are sitting in on the edge of Teesside Park made a bold statement when Mary Berry opened it eight years ago. But even in that short space of time ideas have changed and James says the new store in Gateshead will have a different feel.
“Retail has changed, we've got to provide an a nice atmosphere as we always did. But more now, so you've got to create more theatre, people have got to be able to relax, have a proper quality bite to eat.
“Things have moved on. When we launched, this had quite an industrial feel and now the new store is softer, a lot more natural - and a little bit bigger. I guess we've moved the store on really for today's market.
“I hope we get it right. You don't always know and you certainly can't take things for granted, but as far as growth is concerned, we're not in any tearing hurry.
“We have been wanting to build a good out of town site on Tyneside for some time, and this one came up during COVID and we were fortunate enough to get it. There was an opportunity there, and we took it but we're in no great hurry.
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“We just steadily expand and do our thing.”
The brand’s online presence – and its team of staff - has been growing as well, making sure James’ plans are rolled out as steadily and surely as their boss needs. Never stand still, just don’t feel the need to sprint.
“In the last five years, we've expanded our online presence an awful lot We've got we've got a full online team of about 15 at head office and on the whole they are local people because the skillsbase in the North East is good.
“For me, it is about the people on the team and just trying to put your best foot forward. We're very fortunate at the moment that we've got some great people and what we do, people seem to want.”
His love of, and bond with, this region shapes a lot of what he does here. He was born here and has spent most of his life here. “I'm probably biased, but I love working here and I love living here. So I don't want to be anywhere else.”
- The family-owned business, which opened its first store in Stockton in 1946, will open the doors on what will be its 12th main store on Friday (April 6) when actress Joanna Lumley will perform the opening ceremony and take part in a discussion about her life and work.
The new store, which is on Gibside Way next to the Metrocentre Retail Park, has been two years in the making and has been designed with sustainability ingrained in its blueprint and a number of unique features.
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