The Wycombe Furniture Forum (WFF) has announced the launch of its first website with a number of features for furniture makers in High Wycombe and the surrounding area.
The new website, www.thewff.uk, gives the association a permanent place where local manufacturers can be promoted, where information can be shared and where collaboration continues around the clock.
Peter Hearn, Chairman of Wycombe Furniture Forum, commented: “We needed a central platform that continues working on behalf of the sector even when our volunteers are in their day jobs and workshops.
“Wycombe Furniture Forum was created to unite the industry, and the website anchors that mission. Everything has been shaped around what members asked for: better support with business development and marketing, access to skilled workers and stronger networking within the supply chain.”
Key features of the new website include a directory of around 40 local furniture manufacturers to make it easier for customers, interior designers, architects, and developers to find and contact them. Furthermore, the website has been built with strong SEO in mind to maximise visibility, as well as a platform to promote jobs and provide professional networking opportunities.
“The website delivers practical benefits for furniture manufacturers in the area, especially the smaller firms that do not have the resources of larger, more established players,” Peter continued.
“Importantly, the website is not the end goal. It is the foundation for a wider plan to encourage apprenticeships and mid-career transitions, and to show young people that the sector offers a wide range of roles.
“From hands-on craft and artisanal work to technology-led manufacturing and senior leadership careers, this industry has real potential to appeal to a new generation at a time when AI is reshaping many other career paths.”
Peter added that the ambition is to create a genuine exchange point for the furniture sector. “We want a place where businesses, craftspeople, trainees, educators, suppliers, and customers can connect both online and through in-person events. The more collaboration there is across the industry, the stronger the prospects for businesses, employees, future trainees, and the local economy.
“To sustain that work, we need reliable sources of revenue. This is why the website includes membership options. Members receive direct benefits, so it is right that they contribute. It is also important to be transparent that Wycombe Furniture Forum is run entirely by volunteers. No one is earning from this. Our motivation is simply to protect, support and grow an industry that has been central to this area for generations.
“We want to put furniture back on the map realistically and practically that reflects today’s global marketplace. If we can help secure more business for local firms, encourage young people into skilled careers, protect specialist knowledge, and inspire other furniture clusters across the UK to come together similarly, then the website will have done exactly what it is intended to do.”
