Background

Barker and Stonehouse is one of the UK’s largest privately owned furniture retailers with a reputation as an interiors trendsetter offering beautifully crafted furniture in its inspirationally designed stores.

The company has eight vast showrooms across north east England, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire as well as operating a thriving webstore. It represents some of the world’s leading furniture brands including B&B Italia, Kartell, Ligne Roset, Hulsta and Flexform as well as producing an impressive range of own label furniture using ethically sourced materials.

Barker & Stonehouse demands high profile regional and national campaigns in order to maintain and grow its market share against the multi-nationals and works with Cool Blue to ensure its continued high profile editorial position.

Strategy

Cool Blue develops and delivers a fully integrated communications campaign for the store.

An ongoing product placement campaign with the UK’s leading interiors titles and weekend magazine newspaper supplements ensures that Barker & Stonehouse regularly appears in the best read titles.

Weekly editorial columns are also provided to leading regional newspapers such as The Yorkshire Post and The Journal Newcastle upon Tyne along with features and product placement activity with leading regional lifestyle publications.

Social media campaigning also plays its part in the communications mix with an active and engaging Facebook group managed by Cool Blue with several thousand members ‘liking’ this great lifestyle store.

Cool Blue’s work to deliver relevant customer events and its ongoing development of Barker & Stonehouse’s direct mail campaigns are also key ingredients to the store’s ongoing high profile with journalists and consumers alike.

Result

Barker & Stonehouse receives a massive monthly return on its agency investment with Cool Blue consistently generating monthly coverage worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Its products are seen by all key audiences with many leading UK journalists using the Cool Blue office as the go-to place for Barker & Stonehouse product shots, trend information, feature pieces, product loans and makeover advice.

Regular coverage in titles such as Elle Decoration, House Beautiful, Living Etc, Homes and Gardens, Ideal Home, Kitchens Bedrooms and Bathrooms and all of the weekend newspaper magazine supplements ensures Barker & Stonehouse is seen as a UK style leader.