As you know, here at Chrisbeon we love getting involved with local community projects that strike a chord with us, this last year has already included helping students at Shrewsbury College recently and a host of other projects. We’ve got another great one for you!
Brookside Big Local is a National Lottery funded community group that works to complete projects that mean the most to residents in the area. They recently popped in to view our pre-loved furniture and chatted to us about what they do in the local community and we just knew we wanted to help out……..
Four years ago …
In 2015 Brookside was one of 150 areas chosen to receive £1 million of funding for residents to spend on projects that mean the most to them and Brookside Big Local has been running ever since – listening to and acting upon what local people want or need.
We were very impressed with some of the things this group has managed to achieve, from buying a house to allow them to have an active presence within Brookside and be near to residents they were there to work with, to helping save Brookside Central, the area’s community centre, from closure.
A working space …
But in order to do all of the work they do they need suitable, workable office space and furniture – and that’s where we come in.
When the team came into our Telford showroom to take a look at the pre-loved section we began to chat and we realised that this was a team we really wanted to support.
We donated:
- Two tall bookcases
- One tall locking storage cupboard
A helping hand…
It was a real pleasure to help out the team at Brookside Big Local – it’s so important to have support in any area and to have this team working for young people, the environment and looking at reducing social isolation and promoting community fun is fantastic!
Get in touch and get involved …
To find out more about Brookside Big Local and what they achieve visit http://brooksidebiglocal.com/ or pop in and see them at their regular resident meetings.
The resident meetings are held every third Thursday of the month at Brookside Central with drinks and refreshments from 5:30pm and the meeting at 6pm. There is no meeting in August or December.
How can we help?
As a company that has been running for nearly 45 years we have taken hundreds of thousands of calls from customers and there are some questions that our staff regularly answer.
Each week it is likely that we will be asked a small amount of questions multiple times – so we thought it would be a good idea to share our top 5 FAQs (and the answers) in a blog!
Do you have to make an appointment to view furniture?
No, you don’t need an appointment to come and see us. We have showrooms in both Shrewsbury and Telford which you are welcome to come and view at any time during our opening hours.
Our Telford showroom is based at Units B2 and B3, Stafford Park 4, Telford, TF3 3BA and is open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.
Our Shrewsbury showroom is based at Crown House, Lancaster Road, Shrewsbury, SY1 3LG and is open 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on a Sunday.
Can you take away furniture you see today?
Yes – we have a furniture warehouse on site in Telford that stocks a wide range of the furniture we have on display in the Stafford Park showroom that can be built and taken away or delivered to your office.
Do you only have business customers?
No, our showrooms are open to both businesses and the general public and we work with many people on their home offices.
We also have a wide variety of desks suitable for children and students – and even a gaming chair and desk, which is on display in Telford.
Do you only do furniture?
No, we also supply stationery, workwear, promotional products and more. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop-shop for business needs – we have clients who come to us for their new offices when they start up and we are still supplying everything they need now.
When it comes to office furniture can we try before we buy?
Definitely, we actively encourage employees to come and try chairs within our showrooms so they can see what works for them – the same with desks, you don’t want to buy furniture and then find out it is not right for you, or an employee, after delivery.
If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us or pop into our showrooms….
Students from Shrewsbury Colleges Group this week delivered Chrisbeon stationery supplies to classrooms in Ghana.
The four students, who all study A-Levels, attended a talk by the National Citizenship Service and decided they wanted to head out to Africa after hearing about a range of volunteering roles.
Volunteers
They decided to join a volunteer group of eight people to go on their own charity mission to Ghana to help build schools – and they wanted to take the stationery for those schools with them.
Which is where Chrisbeon came in!
Miles the Van
We supplied boxes of all kinds of stationery materials for the students to take to supplement their trip – pens, pencils, pads, notebooks, paper, as well as post-it notes and some Chrisbeon squishy ‘Miles the Vans’ – and the students managed to get British Airways to gift them luggage allowance to allow them to take the donation to Ghana.
The students flew out on October 25 and are expected back in the UK this coming week after spending their time building cement bricks by hand, building classrooms and teaching children English and Maths.
Support
Partner Craig said: “We are fellow patrons of the Chamber of Commerce along with the College and were happy to help this project when we were approached.
“We do like to give back, especially when we can help with local causes and we were only too glad to help support their trip to make a difference.”
Students
Student Michael Jones, 17, from Shrewsbury, said: “The College helped us to make contact with some stationery suppliers and we asked them if they could help. We have been overwhelmed with their response and how generous they have been with their donations.”
Education in Ghana
Since 2008, school enrollment in Ghana has continually increased at all levels of education – from pre-primary and primary to secondary and tertiary education.
With 84% of its children in primary school, Ghana has a school enrollment “far ahead” of its sub-saharian neighbours.
When you are planning your office space you have to think about your needs, the needs of employees, the space you have, the furniture you want – and it may be that not everything on your list fits together.
3D Plans
That’s why we produce 3D plans which give a realistic look and feel for customers on exactly how their office or offices will look before they make a decision on what to buy.
Seeing it all in situ is of great benefit in determining whether what you are buying is right for the space.
Climbing Out
When Kelda Wood came to us to help plan and design the new office space for her charity Climbing Out it was our 3D computer-aided design system that we turned to.
We are able to 3D plan small home offices just as easily as full office blocks and we were able to show Kelda these plans before she made the order.
3D view of proposed office layout
Kelda launched the Climbing Out charity nearly 10 years ago, providing trips and experiences for young people that help to build confidence and self-esteem following life-changing injury, illness or trauma.
As a company we have been great supporters for a long time, culminating last year as headline sponsors of her solo transatlantic voyage, the first solo adaptive rower to cross the vast Atlantic in a 3,000-mile challenge. So when Kelda said she was having a new Climbing Out office, we were delighted to be able to help out by planning the space for her and donating new office furniture.
Taking a look at the showroom
Kelda came to our Shrewsbury showroom first to view all the different desk and colour options before committing to what she wanted. We then measured the space and produced another 3D plan before she committed herself.
And the feedback has been great – Kelda said she loves her new office space!
The final office with furniture in place
“I can’t properly explain the difference this is going to make,” she said.
“To have space and a place for everything, as well as turning my house back into a home, is going to enable us to do such a better job moving forwards!
“The systems used by Chrisbeon meant they came up with exactly what I wanted and in my case were able to manufacture the desk to the exact size to fit the room.
“Their delivery and installation team assembled it all and put it in place as per the plan and they were able to part exchange my old desk to sell in their preloved showroom in Telford. They also donated files, waste bin, drywipe boards for the walls, drywipe markers, year planners and other stationery which is just fantastic.
New office space to meet increasing demand
Overhead 3D view of proposed office
“Climbing Out has gone from strength to strength and I am delighted at what we have been able to achieve. It was necessary to move into a new office to meet our increasing demands and I am extremely grateful to Richard, Craig and the team at Chrisbeon for helping us to furnish it.
“Chrisbeon has been a good friend to Climbing Out and their help with the new office is another way they have been able to support us as their chosen company charity.”
Visitors from all over the world joined us at the third Shropshire Oktoberfest – and we were delighted to welcome so many people into the Chrisbeon-sponsored VIP area!
Thousands of visitors
For the third year running thousands of people enjoyed a Friday and Saturday filled with networking, drinking, dancing, eating and more.
Being one of the companies that sponsor the event and by putting our name to the VIP area we can provide some comfortable furniture for those on a VIP ticket.
Silent disco
This year saw the introduction of a silent disco, which was full of people throughout the two days, and there were comedy shows as well as live music – from Oompah and Skiffle to rock bands.
We had some great feedback from those that we met and spoke to – for the 200 beers and amazing food and entertainment available as well as the nice seats….
Feedback
Visitor Steve Woodman took to the Oktoberfest social media to praise the event and had some lovely things to say about the VIP area!
“The VIP facilities were excellent, very posh indeed, and I am glad we had chosen to use this enclosure.
“Very tastefully decorated with lighting and heating and a wonderful array of seating options
and tables.”
We had great fun and cannot wait to do it all again next year!
Congratulations to Beth Heath and the team at Shropshire Festivals for pulling off another wonderful event…..
Is your business growing?
Taking on more staff means changes to the financial aspect of your company but also means changes to the office.
Whether it is just rearranging the layout, building an extension or moving to new offices, if you need to think about how to accommodate new staff we are always available for advice.
Network Telecom
And it was a pleasure to work with the team at Network Telecom as they completed a £500,000 office extension, adding 220 square metres to their Hadley Park headquarters.
As with many companies Network Telecom grew steadily, increasing its number of employees and as a result increased their service offering – and in turn grew further.
We were one of a number of Network Telecom customers who became part of the project – and of course supplied the office furniture.
Planning and layout
We visited the site for planning and layout but they were also able to come to our showroom and look at materials, colours and furniture in situ.
With such a large extension there was a lot of furniture to go in – we provided the desks and chairs but also meeting room tables, drawer units, divider screens and wooden multi-coloured staff lockers.
We can advise on what companies need within their offices – like lockers if there is no cloakroom area, tables for printers – or catalogues if you are a firm like ours with product sales – breakout zones if needed.
Local project
It was a great local project to work on and we look forward to working with Network Telecom again in the future!
Becky Homersley, of Network Telecom, said: “Chrisbeon provided our office furniture for our recent office extension and working with them was an absolute pleasure.
“They were very easy to deal with and provided everything that we required.”
Step by step guide
If you are considering an office move or an extension take a look at our step by step planning guide which is available to download from our website.
We had a great time at the 2019 Shropshire Bizfest in Shrewsbury!
The second event attracted more than 500 attendees from across Shropshire to The Reech Community Hub at Shrewsbury Town Football Club and the sun even shined for us!
Chair-racing
We attended seminars, hands-on workshops, 1-2-1 meetings with business experts, took a peek at the trade stands, listened to live music and helped to provide the entertainment with the Chrisbeon chair race!
So many people took part in the remote-control chair racing and it was a really enjoyable part of our day – and the big winner (and proud owner of a brand new Swivel office chair) was Tom Manford from Whittingham Riddell.
The top ten
And here is our top ten final scoreboard of the fastest drivers around the track:
Tom Manford – Whittingham Riddell
Matthew Small – Aico Ltd
Nick West – BCR
James Benson – Crown Wealth Management
Andy Richardson – Whittingham Riddell
George Richards – (Junior)
Lewis Benson – Crown Wealth Management
Rob
Steve Oliver – Nick Jones Wealth Management
Sally Fisher – Whittingham Riddell
Chair winner – Tom Manford
Fastest lady – Sally Fisher
Fastest junior – George Richards
Congratulations to everyone!
The business community has always been a large part of Chrisbeon and how we work and it is a real pleasure to be part of a fantastic event like Bizfest – Beth and her team at Shropshire Festivals work so hard to produce events of extremely high quality and Shropshire is very lucky to have them!
We are already looking forward to next year’s event…
When we first met Kelda we knew that we wanted to support her – and we knew other businesses in Shropshire would want to help too!
When the founder of Climbing Out, a Shropshire charity that runs activity programmes aimed at rebuilding confidence and self-esteem in young people who have been through a life-changing injury, illness or trauma, announced that she was to take on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and be the first adaptive female to row solo across the Atlantic we were right behind her.
Shropshire business community
And we knew the great Shropshire business community would feel the same…
Chrisbeon was a main sponsor of of Row to Raise and we played host to the star rower and her boat, Storm Petrel, shortly before she set sail last December.
Chamber of Commerce
But one of the great experiences we had in the run-up to the challenge was working with the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, of which we are a proud patron, to drum up support for Kelda – and working alongside a number of county businesses who also signed up to help!
7video arranged a video to help publicise the challenge and Nick Jones Wealth Management, Henshalls, Shropshire Festivals and many others became boat sponsors.
Kelda raised more than £50,000 for the charity when she completed her row, and there were lots of business owners and employees in Shropshire cheering her on as she arrived in Antigua after being at sea for 76 days, 15 hours and 37 minutes.
Chair, desk or promotional gifts!
Working with other businesses is what we do every day – supplying them with what they need, whether it be stationery, desks, chairs, a bookshelf or even the personalised promotional gifts for their marketing campaigns!
But we also network beside them, promote Shropshire and its offerings beside them, judge county business awards beside them, raise money for charity beside them and more.
Great businesses, great people
From Kelda’s challenge to the Shrewsbury Wacky Races, Oktoberfest, the Pure Telecom Charity Cricket Day and supporting the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Fund for the Future campaign by being a business builder – doing something great alongside great businesses and great people is a real pleasure.
We are looking forward to seeing our fellow businesses at events throughout the rest of 2019 and beyond!
We get a front row seat to the changing face of the office environment – and over the last few years it has made quite the shift!
Secretarial Pool
We know that in the past huge companies with row after row of desks and typewriters were not uncommon – although the secretarial, or typing pool, is now almost extinct it is a memory many people hold.
The 70s and 80s saw the move to the individual employee spaces – cubicles like the one Chandler in Friends was often seen in, with people aiming to work their way up to the corner office!
The corner office
The 90s saw the beginning of change with some of the cubicles disappearing – the corner office was still out of reach for many and there was a need to book a meeting room should you need to speak to anyone privately…
But now…..now office work is different – many offices are completely open-plan, and the boss is usually behind one of those desks.
Breakout pods
Meetings take place in huts or pods and the huge table in the middle of the room is where everyone stands (not sits) for the daily briefing.
That’s not the case in every workplace of 2019 but slowly we are seeing more and more companies thinking more about their layout and furniture, how they want their employees to work with each other – and how they want their clients to see them…
3D Computer Aided Design
3D Computer Aided Design has come into its own as customers and clients want to try out numerous ideas and plans before making their decision on the style they want to go with.
Luckily 3D CAD design makes it easy to adjust and adapt – and often we can find a plan that customers have not even thought about, that may meet their needs more effectively.
It’s an exciting time in office design and furniture – and it is not very often we have been able to say that over the past 50 years!!
A lot of things have changed over the past 30 years – and Chrisbeon is most definitely one of them.
1989 was the year that Madonna’s Like a Prayer hit the charts, Licence to Kill hit the cinemas and the Berlin Wall came down….
Family business
It was also the year that company Partner Richard Hughes joined the family business, then based at the Priorslee Trading Estate.
He says: “Chrisbeon was launched in Cressage in 1974 by my dad Brian and his cousin Chris and not long after my mum joined the business too – so me joining the team 15 years later was a natural move.”
Richard started his career at Chrisbeon working in the warehouse before helping out on office furniture deliveries and installations and having a spell with his own van route, delivering next day stationery orders to customers around the Midlands.
Apprenticeship
After serving his apprenticeship in the warehouse and working on deliveries for around eight years he then moved into the sales side of the business, having achieved a great knowledge of the products and customers.
“Working within a family business leads to extensive experience and expertise because you are living and breathing that industry as an entire family.
“It means that I know my trade extremely well – and I am very proud to mark 30 years working within it,” he adds.
Expansion
Whilst at Priorslee Trading Estate the business expanded to three business units before moving to the current Stafford Park premises in 1990 – a showroom in Shrewsbury was established in 2013 and is now based at Crown House in Lancaster Road.
Richard’s brother Craig joined the business 13 years ago and they now work side by side running the business on a daily basis.
And another member of the Hughes family, Richard’s son Tom, is the latest addition to the team in 2019.
New addition for 2019
“Tom joined the business full time this year after spending the last couple of years helping out in the family firm whilst in further education,” said Richard. “So it will be interesting to see if he stays for the next 30 years!
“It has been quite a journey and we have worked with such a wide variety of businesses along the way.
“One of the first large furniture installations I was involved in the year I started was the opening of Venture Pressings in Hortonwood Telford, many years later the site was taken over by Ogihara and again Chrisbeon kitted out the building with a large quantity of furniture.
In 2013 Stadco took over the empty site and I was heavily involved in the planning and supply of the new furniture for the offices yet again!
It has been really interesting to see the life of three businesses in one building.”
Highlights
Amongst the highlights of the last 30 years for Richard was delivering and installing furniture for a long standing customer in their new Paris office and taking a trip to a manufacturer in Italy to view the factory and receive product training on the furniture ranges and 3D planning software – systems that are still used by Chrisbeon today.
The giant leap in technology over the past few decades have had a huge impact on businesses across the world – and Chrisbeon is no different.
“The internet and email has changed our business significantly,” says Richard. “We used to take the majority of our orders via the telephone or within our showroom whereas nowadays many regular customer order their stationery supplies via the website or email for quotes or to place orders.
Showroom
“In our industry it is still more beneficial for people to come into the showroom, test the chairs, see the furniture in situ, so we still get to see a lot of people face to face.
“As a company, we also do a lot of networking with fellow Shropshire businesses, many of which are customers as it is a great way to keep in touch with the local business community.”
As a company we have been working with businesses across the UK and beyond for many years – but as well as office furniture there are other products and services that our clients require.
Our goal is to provide clients with as many of these products and services as we can – in order for them to run their businesses efficiently and cost-effectively.
We offer everything from pens to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), plus a variety of services including secure shredding and battery recycling services.
Branding
With a new office often comes new branding and we supply promotional products to assist with marketing campaigns – from USBs to cups, clocks and calculators. A branded tie is even in our repertoire!
Personal Protective Equipment
When we are supplying furniture for a site office or factory they often require PPE and we have recently added an additional 6,000 personal protective products to our range, including high visibility clothing, hard hats, earplugs, water resistant gloves and footwear.
Our PPE is fully compliant and carries the CE mark and we are able to advise clients on an effective monitoring, maintenance and replacement system
Kitchen and catering
And of course there are the kitchen and break-out areas which, as well as the furniture, need tea, coffee, business hygiene roll and other supplies – all of which can come through Chrisbeon.
As we work with businesses our supplies come in larger quantities which is more cost-effective, a 1kg tin of Coffee Mate, 1100 Tetley teabags, a 2kg bag of sugar and of course the milk jiggers for visitors or meetings or conferences.
Stationery
Our stationery offering is well known and ranges from pens, pads and paper to post-its, files, storage boxes and more.
Again, because we work with businesses of all sizes, our offerings are designed to meet their needs – including a metal bench tape dispenser for a post room or warehouse, hardboard clipboards, correction rollers, printer rolls and a 450g bag of rubber bands!
Office furniture and planning
When we work with clients to create the perfect office layout we gain knowledge about the business and what other products or services they may require – our vast knowledge of a wide range of existing customers means we know what is needed in certain industries and we are able to help in more areas than one!
If you are looking to move into offices for the first time – or planning to change your brand or revisit your current office layout – feel free to give us a call and have a chat on 01952 292606.
The eco-friendly chair
This chair may look like many of the other chairs in our range but it has a secret – and it’s one that will make your office very eco-friendly if you choose to have it as part of your layout!
Recycled bottles
The Moka Felt is a unique sustainable tub chair which gives “waste” a second life.
The secret behind it is that the self-supporting seat shell is made from recycled PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles – yes, bottles!
Making the choice to use this innovative material is not only good for the environment, but it also looks and feels great. And an additional positive feature is its sound absorbing quality.
Features
This tub chair is available in light and dark grey felt and all come fitted with a seat pad. Also available with a cantilever or skid frame as well as a metal or solid beech four leg option.
The outer shell of the light grey Felt can now be specified in four new colours, allowing a greater variety of specifications to suit any requirement.
Chrisbeon eco-products
This chair is one of the many eco-products we provide – our main stationery catalogue has icons which show recycled content, suitability for recycling and the ‘Globe & Tick’ which shows Environmentally preferred products.
As well as paper, notebooks, post-it notes and hygiene roll we have other products that meet the ‘greener’ choice that you may not suspect would – calculators, staplers, date stamps to name a few.
To see more of our furniture and office offerings feel free to pop into our Telford showroom at Stafford Park 4, open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm.