Websites, EPoS systems, ERPs, CRM platforms and product databases hold the operational DNA of a business. They promise efficiency, insight and competitive advantage. Yet they also create a vulnerability: dependence on third-party service partners who, by design or otherwise, can become gatekeepers to your own data.

When I wrote about the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (“DMCCA”) last April, the legislation was fresh on the statute books and both the business world and the regulator was still getting to grips with what it might mean in practice. The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) made clear its intentions for the first twelve months: guidance and support, not enforcement.

The January Furniture Show returns to Birmingham's NEC in 2026 as the UK's largest furniture and interiors trade showcase. Thousands of visitors, hundreds of exhibitors, endless opportunities - and yes, there’s no getting away from a legal landscape. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself and your business.

As the festive season approaches, British traders are gearing up for their biggest sales push of the year – the Christmas sales.  Classic promotional banners, such as “last chance”, “was/now” pricing and countdown timers have long been part of the seasonal marketing playbook, helping brands signal time-limited value and exclusivity.

The UK furniture industry faces an unprecedented convergence of challenges. A recent manufacturing research by Dun & Bradstreet (“DnB”) conducted among 2000 professionals in 5 key markets of US, UK and Europe reveals that 33% of manufacturing procurement leaders cite regulatory changes, particularly tariffs and sanctions, as their biggest supply chain obstacle.

We wake up scrolling, go to bed scrolling, and somewhere in between we’re served a buffet of content: retirement hacks, stellar discoveries, and fifty ways to tie a silk scarf. It’s a universe of information, ideas, aesthetics and opinions - and it often feels like anything goes. But does it?

Sustainability has moved from the margins to the mainstream. What began as a set of global ambitions under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Strategy has evolved into binding legislation across many parts of the world.

The urgency of climate disruption and resource depletion has shifted eco-consciousness from aspiration to imperative – one now embedded in law, boardrooms and consumer expectations.

The last ten years have handed us an abundance of crises — a global pandemic, geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, political musical chairs, and cyber-attacks, to name but a few — all contributing to supply chain chokepoints and stressed businesses.

High interest rates, inflation, the cost of energy and logistics, international tariffs, sluggish consumer appetite, long production cycles and buyer payment delays make it difficult to manage each business’s story – be that starting up, staying afloat or scaling up.

In an industry grappling with rising input costs, supply chain disruptions, and uncertain consumer demand, labour challenges have taken centre stage. Employment costs are increasing, legal obligations are shifting, and workforce models that once seemed stable are under strain.

British furniture manufacturers are facing intense financial pressure, driven by rising input costs, shifting trade conditions, and fragile consumer confidence.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 was introduced in response to the UK’s rapidly evolving digital landscape — shaped by the pandemic, hybrid working, the shift from high street to online retail, and growing consumer reliance on online reviews, now influencing around £23 billion in annual sales.