The Children’s Furniture Company

Partner:The Foresight Group

Location:Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes: 17 December 2018: Foresight Group LLP has announced a substantial investment into Caphan Trading Limited, trading as The Children’s Furniture Company, on behalf of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

Based in Milton Keynes, The Children’s Furniture Company designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of children’s furniture.

After developing its own e-commerce store, the firm now supplies several national retailers - offering durable furniture at an affordable price point compared to its competitors.

Founders, Paul and Clare Hanson, started the company after spotting a gap in the market when sourcing furniture for their own children. Since the firm’s birth in 2012, it has steadily grown year-on-year, principally through selling directly to consumers. This investment is to allow the firm to widen its product range and marketing channels - supporting the entrance into new international markets.

Paul Hanson, Founder and CEO, The Children’s Furniture Company, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Foresight team during this exciting period of growth for The Children’s Furniture Company. The investment will help us to develop our offering to customers and enhance our position in the marketplace.”

Foresight has appointed Gareth Williams, the ex-CEO of Sofa.com, as Chairman of The Children’s Furniture. Gareth has extensive experience in scaling furniture businesses and will support the management team in executing a new growth strategy. It is expected that 12 new jobs will be created over the next two years following this finance injection, all based in the South East Midlands region.

Ben Dawson, Senior Investment Manager, Foresight, added: “Paul and Clare have done an excellent job in building The Children’s Furniture Company on limited resources. We are pleased to be able to support the continued growth and success of the company through this investment by the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.”

Grant Peggie, Director at the British Business Bank, commented: “A huge part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund is providing finance to help firms reach new stages of growth. The Children’s Furniture Company has great potential and this cash injection, alongside the support of Foresight, will allow the firm to capitalise on the opportunities available in overseas markets."

Malcolm Johnston, SEMLEP’s Growth Hub Manager, said: “This is a great example of investment supporting British business to develop its international markets. By bringing in expertise, Clare and Paul can further enhance their marketing strategy, productivity and take advantage of further growth opportunities.” 

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.