With our links with the European Union about to be severed, there's never been a better time to 'Buy British' – particularly when it comes to buying furniture.

The British Furniture Manufacturers (BFM) association, which represents a large number of the UK's top furnishing brands, says there are many reasons why consumers should consider buying goods for the home which are manufactured in Britain.

• Years, decades and centuries of tradition, go into the manufacture of furniture in Britain - craft skills that have been conceived, developed and perfected over many years and which are still prevalent in factories up and down the country.
• Design is a major priority for British furniture manufacturers who excel in everything from the traditional to classical reproduction, cutting-edge contemporary or anything in between.
• British manufacturers are noted for producing quality furniture collections that are more 'in depth' than those made anywhere else in the world.
• Stringent standards of environmental management and health and safety control are in place in all BFM member companies factories. This provides significant peace of mind for the “ethically and morally aware consumer”.
• British furniture manufacturers, in general, offer shorter delivery times meaning faster deliveries.
• After sales service is more reliable and efficient when dealing with a product manufactured in Britain. British companies pride themselves on not only providing the best furniture but also the best service.

Says BFM md Jackie Bazeley: “We have such an amazingly diverse industry. It is furniture to suit any financial budget - for any age or generation. Great British furniture can be what you want it to be.”

To be sure you are buying British, look out for the BFM's distinctive 'BrITISh' logo in furniture stores everywhere (pictured).

And here's a few fascinating British furniture facts:

• The Windsor chair, originally hand crafted and produced as a high end product, went into automated production in 1943.
• The average lifespan of a sofa is 2,958 days (roughly eight years) during which time television owners will watch some 1271 soap episodes and 782 films!
• Charles Darwin essentially invented the office chair when he added wheels to an armchair in order to get around his studio faster.
• The first mattresses were made from pea pods. As the idea of creating their own mattresses spread, people became more and more adventurous with the wealthy favouring velvet and silk.
• The legendary Kind Arthur's round table was crafted from the trunk of a mighty oak tree that stood in the grounds of Camelot. Its circular shape was perfect for creating a meeting space where he and all his knights could be equally heard. This fabled table is now believed to be hanging on the wall in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle

- ends -

Press Contact: for further information please call Davina Consoli or Jan Turner at AKA PR, tel: 01756 795374 or email: davina@akapr.co.uk/jan@akapr.co.uk

BFM Ltd, Clare Centre, Wycombe Road, Saunderton, Buckinghamshire, HP14

www.bfm.org.uk