Swansea University Fit this week! Beautiful!

The boys have done a fab job in Swansea Universtiy this week, Job Well done :-)

The Hotel Inspector and ChairsGB

Chairs GB have recently starred on the Hotel Inspector check us out of Facebook click here and check the episode out on Channel 5's Website click here

Here are some of the photo's, doesn't it look great!

Making your Business "The Third Place"

By Hayley Feeley DIPMAN

www.ChairsGB.com

"The Third Place" is something I talk about alot to people who own businesses in the leisure industry. If you want to create a successfull business and a space that people want to go back to again and again read on..........

The Wickipedia Description of  "The Third Place" is.......

The third place (also known as Third Space) is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace.

The first place is the Home, the second place is the Workplace and the third place can be anything from a Hairdressers to a Pub to a Restaurant or Bar! The third place must be easily accessable and is somewhere where people can build friendships and bonds with people. It helps build communities and form lifelong bonds between people.

In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg (1989, 1991) argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

Traditionally Pubs have been very popular third places, it has been very sad over the last few years to see so many Pubs in the UK close and stop being that third place, it takes alot of hard work to create that third place and we need to work hard to keep third places open if we want to keep them. Research shows that communities become very concerned when pubs close becuase they feel a connection to this place local to them, much more than local shops or post offices, it is a place where friends are made.

The Third Place is something that Starbucks talk about in their book The Starbucks Experience. Starbucks have had their ups and downs as a business but the one thing that they have right is how they get that comfortable space that people want to go back to. The space you want to create in your business is somewhere that people will feel at home but that is a home away from home.

Have a look at this picture, the people look really at home, the man on the right is on his phone, the man on the left is sleeping comfortably! These people aren't giving the staff hassle to clear their food because they are comfortable in this environment, they are happy and they are in their third place. This is the feeling that you need to create and work to achieve.

So many times have I been in a leisure environement where it just doesn't feel right or the staff are unhelpful, they make you feel that you are in their space and you are not welcome. The Pubs or restaurants on the corner of the street to the customer that are closing, are doing so because people are not using it as their third space. Make sure this is not you and read on...........

Your mission if you have one of these local businesses and want to make it a success is to make your business the third space, you can do this by working on your "Moments of Truth".

Moments of Truth

How many times have you walked into a pub or restaurant and just known that this business has new owners, you can't quite put your finger on it but you just know that something is different. This is a subconcious reaction to the little things that have changed in that business. These subconcious thoughts are called "Moments of Truth"

To create your moments of truth you need to work on the following four things:

Atmosphere - Smell, Touch, Feel

The atmosphere is created by a number of factors including cleanliness and scent. Warming bread before serving it creates a yummy feel and doesn't take a moment. Make sure you have a clean environment that smells great and people will feel comfortable.

Quality Food and Drink

If you are in the hospitality industry you will know that quality food and drink is essential for a successfull business, always ask for feedback about what you are serving because this will make sure you know exactly when the problems come up and you can fix these issues quickly.

Good Service

This all comes down to training your staff to care. You need to create a good atmosphere within your staff group before any customers step through your door. Look after your staff, you need to make sure that this atomsphere starts with your staff not with your customers, the customers will pick up on this vibe the moment they step thrugh your door and feel more at home.

Well Maintaned Decor and Furniture

Keep it clean and keep it maintained, split seats and chairs with three legs are not a good look. A lick of paint costs very little in materials and just using care and attention will keep you on track. Beware, when you are in a premesis every day it is very easy to step over the cracks when it comes to maintenance, ask you friends and customers to keep you informed if you need maintanance to make sure you don't miss anything if you work in your business everyday. Reupholstery and replacing furniture will hurt your cashflow less if you do little and often.

You have to choose the decor and furniture very carefully to fit within the people you are inviting into your business, the furniture is something that I have alot of experience being MD at ChairsGB. I have spent years studying the success and failure of businesses that choose furniture from our ranges and in my opinion the choice you make in this area can make or break a business. If you choose posh expensive furniture and put it into a pub on an estate where most people are on the breadline it will not work. If you choose old fashioned or cheap furnture and try and serve posh food, again, people will get mixed messages. You have to work on sending one message to the customer throughout their experience.

If you wanted a quick meal, what does the restaurant look like that you are looking for. Chairs with hard seats and easy to clean table tops right?. You wouldn't go into a posh restaurant with nice leather chairs and table cloths and expect a quick meal,  the the decor communicates the type of restaurant from the outside.

Your lighting needs to match your decor, funky lights and traditional wallpaper is a big no no! Choose your brand, go with that brand and try not to buy things because you like them but becuase they fit with it. Getting this brand right throughout your business will help to create more Moments of Truth and draw people into your business.

Brand

Brand is all about sending one message to the customer throughout their experience in your business.

Nando's do this very well. I have often had conversations with people about how expensive Nando's food is considering you get limited table service. BUT I still go back twice a month because I love the food, I know what to expect with the service and it suits me because I can have a quick meal and then go to the cinema.

The Brand at Nando's is fantastic, their menu's, staff uniform, blackboards. signage and furniture all match the brand and style. The furniture is not that comfortable overall, but it tells the customer that the food is served quickly and doesn't encourage them to sit all night. Although their staff are not taking your order they are all very well trained and they have a system where they leave a little chicken on a stick on your table that is taken away when you have been asked if you have enjoyed your meal, I like this little trick, so simple but very effective.

Pizza Express go with the same theory of hard seats, as long as the food is served reletavely fast your customer will be happy with not so comfortable furniture and they will leave quickly enabling you to increase the number of your customers.

Independantly run Pubs have a brand all of their own and each pub can be completely different, they often have little quirky things that have something to do with the personality of the owner, or the people who go into the pub. My Grandfather was in the Guinness Book of Records, he had the longest moustache in the world, his old pub landlord still has a picture up of him up in the bar and many of the locals still remember him, I still make a point of going in that pub when I'm passing.

Fire Retardant Furniture for My Business

What Upholstery Fire Retardant Standard do I need for my Business?

Blogged by Hayley Feeley DIPMAN

www.ChairsGB.com

In the UK there are various tests for flammability of fabrics and foam and these tests vary in their applicability to the domestic/home market and to contract markets e.g. hotels, hospitals, prisons and so on.

It is particularly used in contract environments like hotels where the impact of a fire can be serious.

If you are unsure of the Fire Retardant requirements of your premises or you are advising a customer you need to make sure you check with the Insurance Company that insures the property as to what you need.

Cigarette and Match

Bs5852- this is the cigarette and match test, this is the minimum standard fire Retardant for the UK and is law. Smouldering cigarette and a lit match is put along the crevice of the test rig and allowed to burn over its entire length. If no flaming or progressive smouldering is observed on both cover and interior material, the test is recorded as no ignition and the material passes the test.

All of ChairsGB's products meet this minimum requirement.  

Crib 5

Bs5852 Crib 5- this is the contract standard and is not law but the law requires companies to take Due Diligence and this may mean you need this standard.  If in doubt check with your insurance company. A crib is composed of wooden planks, glued together. Lint is attached to the bottom. After adding propane the crib is placed on the test rig and ignited with a match. If no flaming or progressive smouldering is observed on both cover and interior material, the test is recorded as no ignition and the material passes the test. If you want to see a Crib 5 Test click here. Most of ChairsGB's Products meet this standard.

Crib 7

Crib 7 is a more stringent test, so fabric that passes this test is suitable for more hazardous environments like prisons or offshore installations. During the fabric testing a frame is made with the fabric spread over it. The bigger the frame the more it is exposed to the flame. The Crib 7 crib is bigger than the crib 5 crib So the Crib 7 crib is exposed to a more severe flame.

This standard can be achieved in the ChairsGB.com factory, if you need this standard please contact them and they can arrange for some fabric samples to be sent to you.

The following standards are the UK specifications available for Upholstery

Bs7176- Low Hazard Test, this is equal to Bs5852 Cigarette and Match Test.

Bs7176- Medium Hazard Test, this is equal to Bs5852 Crib 5 Test and the Cigarette and Match Test

Bs7176- High Hazard Test, this is equal to Bs5852 Crib 7 and the Cigarette and Match Test.

Furniture for Childrens Play Areas

ChairsGB have just delivered Jungle Adventure in Colchester! Gheko tables and green chairs to match their logo!

This picture is of the items in our spray shop...

And this is what it looked like once installed.......