You’re ‘safe’ with Chrisbeon is the message from the Telford and Shrewsbury office furniture supplier.

For the company which is celebrating its 42nd year in business is receiving a record number of orders and enquiries – for safes.

“Enquiries are pouring in from all over the country for a variety of safes from fire to security,” said Chrisbeon partner Richard Hughes.

“All of a sudden, there has been a surge of interest in safes that we can supply through a long-standing relationship with the Phoenix Safe Company which is one of the oldest UK manufacturers of safes and security products.

“Their history can be traced back to Liverpool in 1799 and their clients range from the National History Museum to the London 2012 Olympics. They have even supplied safes to Eastenders, Spookes, Tom Cruise, the Gadget Show and GQ Magazine.”

He added: “In this day and age there is clearly a need for the safe protection of paper documents and data. One of the safes offers a 90 minute fire protection for paper documents and another 90 minutes for computer tapes and digital media.”

An exclusive one-off Union Jack designed safe from manufacturer Phoenix.

Over 500 Pre-Loved office furniture items are going on sale in Telford.

The Pre-Loved sale of desks, chairs, filing cabinets and bookcases as well as café/canteen furniture, is taking place in the Chrisbeon showroom at Stafford Park from November 8-12.

Chrisbeon say the items are suitable for businesses, students and home office workers with all prices for the five day sale being discounted by 25%.

The office furniture and stationery specialists say they have seen a big jump in sales of their Pre-Loved furniture post-Brexit.

Sales have risen by 25% since the decision to leave the European Union.

For the first 50 purchases of Pre-Loved furniture in this month’s sale there will be a free ‘goody’ bag with stationery samples and all customers who visit the Telford showroom, whether they spend or not, can enter a free prize draw to win a mesh back swivel chair worth more than £100.

Chrisbeon say all their Pre-Loved furniture is covered by a 90 day warranty and customers have the choice of taking items away themselves or being quoted for delivery.

The Stafford Park showroom will be open as normal Tuesday to Friday 8.30 am to 5.30 pm as well as special Saturday opening between 9.30 am and 4.00 pm.

Nursery school director Shelly Hurdley thought it was a ‘wind-up’ when she was notified she was the winner of a brand new leather executive chair worth £200.

She won the chair in a Facebook competition run by office furniture supplier Chrisbeon who have just completed a two week clearance event at their new premises in Lancaster Road, Harlescott, Shrewsbury.

Shelly, 34, said it was a ‘really lovely surprise.’ She added: “I have never won anything before in my life. A smart leather chair is something I have always wanted and so I have taken it home and it is now behind my work desk.”

She is director of a nursery Explorers at Sundorne which has been operating for three years. Similarly, Little Explorers Pre-School which is 10 years old and Explorers at Trefonen (one year old).

Said Chrisbeon partner Richard Hughes: “We are delighted the chair has gone to a good home. The competition to win the chair was very keen and the clearance sale itself was highly successful.”

Shelly is presented with her brand new leather executive chair by Chrisbeon partner Richard Hughes.

Are you sitting comfortably?

From the photo, the answer has to be ‘yes.’

Chrisbeon has hosted the most comfortable-ever Patron Forum in Shrewsbury.

The Patron members of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce were able to sit on luxurious sofas.

Presentations by Chrisbeon and Alan Ward, which were part of the Patron Forum on September 14, took place in 5,000 sq.ft. of flexible space.

For the Patron Forum also marked the start of a two week clearance event in the flexible space which highlighted Chrisbeon’s move into adjacent premises at Lancaster Road, Harlescott, Shrewsbury.

A leather chair worth £150 which Chrisbeon offered in a draw was won by Matthew Bowering of Hatchers Solicitors, Shrewsbury.

It promises to be the biggest clearance event of its kind for a very long time.

The four day clearance event planned by leading Shropshire office furniture and stationery suppliers Chrisbeon from Thursday September 15 will include hundreds of items.

The event, which is being held in a 5,000 sq ft warehouse, marks Chrisbeon’s arrival in new retail premises in Shrewsbury.

The long time Alan Ward concessionaires are now occupying Crown House, Lancaster Road, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, and will be holding their clearance event within an Alan Ward clearance area.

Visitors to the clearance event will be able to access the many hundreds of bargain office furniture items via Chrisbeon’s main entrance on Lancaster Road, or via the Alan Ward main entrance on Ennerdale Road.

Said Chrisbeon partner Richard Hughes: “We came up with this original idea to mark our move into new premises on Lancaster Road and to thank our early customers for their support.

“At the same time it is also an opportunity for us to meet new customers and give them the chance to buy quality office furniture at cut down prices. It is an all-round celebration.”

The clearance event runs from 9.30 am to 8.00 pm on Thursday September 15, 9.30-6.00 on Friday September 16 and Saturday September 17, and 11.00-5.00 on Sunday September 18.

Said Richard: “We shall be introducing stock, which is ex-display, end of line and special offers, from our head office in Telford which we believe will be an added attraction to the event.

“We have around 180 chairs , some of which are swivel office chairs and some café/bistro/outdoor stacking type chairs. There will be over 65 office desks including smaller home office desks, over 40 tables and more than 30 storage units, bookcases and filing cabinets.

“There will also be a selection of office waste bins, dry wipe boards , letter trays and monitor arms all at discounted prices. Customers can take away on the day or we can deliver at a later date.”

Customers can visit Chrisbeon’s Facebook page where they can enter a competition to win a £200 office chair of their choice. Full details are on Facebook.

Richard Hughes unveils the Chrisbeon clearance event.

Representatives of Chrisbeon, leading office furniture and stationery suppliers who recently moved into new premises in Shrewsbury, have been on a mission.

They have been walking the business parks in the town introducing the company and giving away hundreds of bags of ‘goodies.’

More than 500 bags of stationery samples, special offer furniture and stationery leaflets and discount vouchers have been handed out, mainly on the business parks, but also to other premises in parts of the town.

The business parks include Lancaster Road – where Chrisbeon are based – Ennerdale Road, Battlefield, Oxon and finally today Shrewsbury (Emstry), Upton Magna and Atcham.

Partner Richard Hughes said the opening of their new furniture and stationery premises had been well received by local businesses and members of the public.

Although now occupying their own premises on Lancaster Road, Chrisbeon is still linked to the Alan Ward store from where customers can also access them.

“In particular, weekends are working well,” he added.

Firm on a mission – Chrisbeon partners Richard and Craig Hughes.

It was a contract which screamed out for some fast acceleration from leading office furniture suppliers Chrisbeon.

Fast delivery of two van loads of new furniture to Silverstone, home of British Motorsport!

The prestigious order was placed by Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence for newly acquired offices within sight of the racing circuit.

For Hexagon, which is a global technology group focused on precision measuring technologies, has close connections with Formula 1 racing.

“Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is a long-standing Telford customer of Chrisbeon and their latest order has taken us further afield to the home of British motor racing,” said Craig Hughes, partner of Chrisbeon.

“Prior to the order being placed we produced 3D designs to assist the customer with the planning, styling and ordering of their wide range of office furniture.

“I think the 3D designs worked well for them.”

Among the items delivered to Silverstone were desks, chairs, tables – including a boardroom table – book cases, filing cabinets and sofas.

Chrisbeon has been in business in Telford for over 40 years and has dealt with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence – and predecessor companies – for the majority of that time.

Based at Stafford Park, Chrisbeon occupy 10,000 sq ft of showroom and warehouse space on the industrial estate close to Hexagon’s metrology factory on Halesfield.

John Drover, UK Sales Manager for Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, said: “Having used the services of the Chrisbeon team for many years, they were a natural choice to help us furnish our soon-to-be-launched metrology sub-contract centre at Silverstone Park.

“Our new purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility covers 3000sg ft and has been designed to enable SME and start up businesses across the UK to access our specialist metrology equipment and support.

“We are delighted that, with the help of the Chrisbeon team, the facility is now shaping up in readiness for our official launch in July.”

A major expansion of their Shrewsbury operation is announced today by Chrisbeon, a long-standing leading supplier of office furniture and stationery.

The company, which was established in Telford over 40 years ago, has made a big investment in its Shrewsbury operation which was opened four years’ ago.

New jobs are expected to follow the move of Chrisbeon into Crown House, Lancaster Road, Shrewsbury, a large showroom and office complex with ample car parking.

Said partner Richard Hughes: “We are really excited by this development of our business in Shrewsbury and the fact that we can now service businesses with office furniture and stationery seven days a week.

“When we first established our concessionaire in the Alan Ward Store we could only really cater for retail customers seeking to purchase home office furniture.

“Now, we can not only continue this important, growing part of our portfolio, but offer as well a much greater office furniture and stationery opportunity to local businesses whom we shall be targeting in the coming weeks.

“We regard the ability to be able to service businesses from Shrewsbury’s business parks in the town is a great step forward in our further development.

“The move into Crown House has enabled us to have a much greater amount of space to display our growing range of new desks, chairs and storage units to suit businesses as well as homes – the latter continuing to be an important part of our porfolio.

“Chrisbeon is planning to hold a Shropshire Chamber of Commerce patrons forum at Crown House on September 14,” Richard added.

There’s no mistaking where this logistics vehicle from Shropshire was when the photograph was taken.

It was one of the vans which was fulfilling Chrisbeon’s first-ever export order to the French capital.

The order for desks, chairs and storage units worth several thousand pounds was placed with the Telford-based office furniture specialist by CP Foods UK Ltd., a customer for 20 years.

CP Foods UK Ltd., of Hartlebury, a global business working with leading restaurant chains, food retails and manufacturers of quality foods and ingredients, has been asked by their parent company CPF Bangkok to take over the management and direction of the French business and invited Chrisbeon to carry out the furniture installation.

And one of the logistics vehicles used for delivering the order was making its maiden journey having been added to the fleet by Chrisbeon, of Stafford Park, only days before the installation.

It’s a donation to the community – Shrewsbury Town in the Community, in fact.

Stacks of office chairs, tables, sofas and cabinets worth more than £2,000 have been donated by leading office furniture specialists Chrisbeon to the registered charity based at Shrewsbury Town FC.

Amongst those who will benefit from the office furniture will be 25 Btec Level 3 students – a course run in partnership with Shrewsbury College – and 10 others on a foundation degree course for a job in sport.

The new and preloved furniture, which has been set out in the Community Hub which looks out onto the football stadium, will also be used for fundraising events and by disabled participants.

Jamie Edwards, who manages Shrewsbury Town in the Community, was delighted with the gift of the furniture which he said couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We are expanding and increasing the number of full time staff from 16 to 20 and for the education classes we hold, the furniture is fantastic,” he added.

Richard Hughes, partner of Chrisbeon who have office furniture showrooms in Telford and Shrewsbury and were founded in 1974, said they had been approached by one of the charity’s trustees, Nick Jones, whom they knew as a patron of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce.

“We were asked if we could supply some useful items of office furniture and hope the chairs, tables, sofas and cabinets will help this community charity,” he added.

Craig Hughes (Left), Jamie Edwards (Centre), and Richard Hughes (Right).

An office and reception which has thousands of visitors a year and is manned 24/7 has been given a major makeover through a 3D design.

The facilities at Concord College, Shropshire’s international school at Acton Burnell, near Shrewsbury, have been transformed following an office bespoke service undertaken by Chrisbeon of Telford.

Craig Hughes, partner of Chrisbeon, of Stafford Park, designed the layout and new desk-counter for the office and reception which is a hub for students and staff as well as the many visitors to the college every year.

He came up with a concept he felt would work well for Concord which hadn’t undergone any major work to the facilities for many years and recognised that an improvement would specially enhance the appearance and the working conditions for staff.

“Over a period of weeks we produced several 3D ideas for the college to consider and they decided on what would most suit their particular needs for now and the foreseeable future.

“We are delighted to have been their chosen designers for the new reception which I am so pleased meets their many requirements for this important area of the college.”

Wendy Hartshorne, PA to Principal Neil Hawkins, said the previous facilities were dated and the desks used by regular staff Amanda Wynn and Emmeline Cureton were not ‘ergonomically correct.’

She said: “We needed to create a much better working environment which is fit for purpose and improve the experience for the visitor reflecting the quality of the rest of the college.

“The new arrangement is much more streamlined with greater practical all-round benefits for staff who now have far more space for equipment and the tools they need to carry out their job efficiently.

“A huge amount of work goes on in this area of the college and we recognise that conditions have to be right.”

Amanda and Emmeline, as well as other administrative staff, man the office and reception during the day and other members of the college team provide additional support at night.

Left to right Emmeline, Wendy and Amanda behind the new office and reception counter at Concord College.

From a large international company to a Shropshire husband and wife working from home, the health benefits of standing desks are now being widely recognised in this country.

Specialist office furniture supplier Chrisbeon of Telford and Shrewsbury is experiencing an increasing order book from many different British customers for their Varidesk standing work station which allows users to stand as well as sit whilst working.

New medical guidance recommends that office workers should abandon their chairs for half their working day. And according to Professor John Buckley, lead author of the new guidance: “What may be most shocking is that irrespective of your level of physical activity, prolonged sedentary working leads to a significant increase in the risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, depression and muscle and joint problems.”

Kathryn Humphrey, 51, a Digital Marketing Developer at Shrewsbury-based Dechra Veterinary Products Ltd which has already bought a total of 11 Varidesks from Chrisbeon, has only had her manually adjustable sit-stand desk for a few weeks, but she has already noticed a significant health difference.

She explained that she had various long term problems with her back and suffered a lot of lower back pain. “Sitting all day at a desk for work meant I previously got very stiff and would find difficulty straightening up when I first stood.

“Having a stand-up desk has enabled me to gradually increase the amount of time I stand during the day and adopt a better body position while working which benefits my back.

“I now have far less back pain and am building up better supporting muscles which is brilliant for my long term health. It really is easy to swap from standing up to sitting down if I feel tired, but I am able to stand for much longer periods than I ever thought possible.”

She added: “I also feel more energised which is carrying through into my home life as well. I definitely feel I have more energy at the end of the day. And I am nowhere near as stiff as I was.”

Kathryn Humphrey

Lorane Scott, a Supply Planner for Dechra Pharmaceuticals Plc, also of Shrewsbury, has spent a week a month for the last six years at their central distribution hub in Denmark where 100% of office workers – compared to one percent of British workers – have stand up desks. “They take office ergonomics very seriously over there.

“Stand up desks are wonderful because they are easy to use – you only have to press a button to adjust the desk to the height required. It feels so natural to use and stand for four to five hours a day which is good for the posture. I am far less listless at the end of the working day.

“I have been saying for years that there is certainly a health benefit to getting up and moving around and it was a good call by this business to start investing in stand up desks.”

Lorane Scott

Shifnal husband and wife Chris and Sue Blake, who have quite different jobs and pastimes that require using a computer on a regular basis, visited the Chrisbeon showroom at Stafford Park where they were given a demonstration by partners Richard and Craig Hughes.

The couple, who have been Chrisbeon customers for 20 years, purchasing stationery and sometimes office furniture, said they had previously heard of the Varidesk, but hadn’t seen one.

“We took a liking to them and purchased two,” said Chris, a driving instructor. ”As a result, the Varidesk has totally revolutionised our work from home.

“We spend many hours at our desks each week and where previously we would frequently stand up to get the circulation back and stop feeling physically irritable, we can now work happily for long periods of time, confident in the benefits of standing at our desks.”

Said Sue, a piano teacher who also edits a local parish magazine on computer at home: “When faced with a big project to complete, we no longer dread the thought of all those hours sitting down, but now face it with renewed vigour.

“The Varidesk has the added advantage of being at the right height if, for example, you just want to check emails. If we prefer to sit we can lower the desks and work with ease – still confident that we are working healthily with a good posture.”

Added Chris, who also prints out orders of service for weddings: “An anti-fatigue mat is also essential to cushion and support. We would certainly recommend these aids to healthy working to others.”

Said Richard Hughes: “We believe the demand for height adjustable standing desks will continue to increase as more and more office workers experience their value in terms of the drive to promote physical movement in the workplace.

“They are most definitely catching on, as evidenced by the Dechra order, and very shortly there will be even more choice of entry level and executive electric sit-stand desks to further improve health benefits.”

Prices for an electric height adjustable sit-stand desk start at £417 plus VAT or £245 plus VAT for the manual sit-stand workstation that converts any existing desk. Further information can be obtained through www.chrisbeon.co.uk or telephoning 01952 292606.

Chris and Sue Blake