Consumer blog

Support Local Businesses

June 18, 2020

As more shops are now open, please support your local high street and improve the local economy. Local businesses are the backbone of the national economy and are at the heart of their local communities. They will play a pivotal role in our economic recovery. You are assured of great customer service from people who […]

First Impressions Count

June 10, 2020

First impressions count. Stair runners are great for injecting personality to your home as well as reducing the clatter of footsteps up and down the stairs. Eyecatching and welcoming, they are also a way of adding a stylish splash of colour. They do, however, experience heavy footfall, on a daily basis, so you need a […]

Lockdown Trends

June 8, 2020

We started lockdown with a look at 10 reasons to be cheerful, now, 10 weeks in, how many have these buying trends have you succumbed to? Week One: Loo roll. In spite of no evidence that Covid 19 symptoms required more paper, supermarket trollies bulged with mountains of loo paper! Week Two: Flour. Baking became […]

Children cooking during lockdown

April 16, 2020

Like many, we have got our children cooking one meal a week each during lockdown. Bearing in mind they are 23 and 20 and both at university, one may be forgiven for thinking (or hoping) that they had learnt some cooking skills. Clearly not! All I can say is that it is like being a […]

What does our home say about us?

April 7, 2020

Let’s be honest - we aren’t faced with a lot of decisions in our daily lives at the moment (apart from ‘what shall I do today? and ‘what time is wine o’clock?’). Furthermore, many of us are working from home, at kitchen tables, in box rooms, garden sheds etc. Meetings, however, are still going ahead […]

Reasons to be cheerful

April 1, 2020

In unsettling times, we must look on the bright side, be optimistic and thankful. Here, for a start, are my ’10 reasons to be cheerful’: It has stopped raining – and we are in British summer time Brexit seems a thing of the past On that note, no one is asking Nigel Farage for his […]

New research shows you can breathe easy with wool and carpets

March 6, 2020

Carpet is the UK’s favourite floorcovering, but one stigma, and total misconception remains, namely that carpet is not good for indoor air quality and is a breeding ground for dust mites and can aggravate asthma. It is nonsense – we have the research to prove it (please look under Carpet Concerns on our site). Now, […]

A logo you can trust

February 5, 2020

Everyone will have their own recollection or anecdotes of that age-old phenomenon - the cowboy. As consumers, we are often drawn to professional bodies and logos in the all too often misguided view that a certain logo or membership of a trade association is a badge of merit. However, a membership of thousands may sound […]

Support your High Street

January 30, 2020

Last year was the worst on record for retailers. The latest big name to ‘go’ was Beales, one of the UK’s oldest family owned department stores. One could be forgiven for thinking that the high street is on its way to the morgue. Damn the downbeat statistics! There is plenty still to celebrate on the […]

Blue is the colour

January 23, 2020

Got the January blues? You are right on trend! Classic Blue is Pantone’s colour of the year for 2020. Shades of blue are a richer alternative to greys, yet easy to live with. According to Pantone, this year’s shade ‘brings a sense of peace and tranqulity to the human spirit, offering refuge’. We agree. Look […]