GROWING demand from online shoppers and the changing landscape of retail during the pandemic has seen significant growth for Batley-based bed retailer, Happy Beds.

With a 102 per cent increase in revenue in the year leading up to April 2021, Happy Beds, which is entering its 11th year of trading, has managed to assert themselves in a competitive market.

The firm is now the UK’s second biggest bed retailer, having experienced record growth over the past year.

Much of this growth has been achieved by making major investments in a customised order and inventory management system, which has provided the insights needed to invest in increasing warehousing capacity by 500 per cent. The growth can also be attributed to the development of a smart delivery matrix.

Happy Beds has also seen an 80 per cent growth in site traffic, pointing towards the change in attitude of shoppers, with many choosing to shop online during the pandemic, as well as increased demand following home improvements.

This period of growth has also enabled the business to hire 17 new staff across marketing, operations and customer service roles, providing an injection of new opportunities into the local job market and helping Happy Beds maintain the intensity that this period of success has been built upon.

Achieving all of this in an unpredictable period such as the pandemic has been challenging, with fluctuations in sales activities, unpredictable trends and intense highs and lows in demand, making forward planning difficult. However, strengthening of the digital and marketing teams has allowed for a successful strategic approach.

On top of all this, Happy Beds has also worked alongside numerous charities, giving £50 from the sale of every Mento Treehouse Bed in October 2020 to Born Free, as well as a partnership with the Fire Fighters Charity and creating an initiative to reduce cardboard waste and build cardboard beds for the homeless.

Rex Isap, CEO at Happy Beds, said: “As we came into our 10th year of trading in 2020, we certainly didn’t expect to be dealing with the effects of a pandemic on our business, but we’re so proud of how well our team have reacted.

“Being able to grow our team has been massively important, allowing us to increase the skills we have in-house and provide opportunities to some incredibly talented people.

“Our 11th year has been an extremely rewarding time for Happy Beds.

“We’ve continued to invest heavily in our digital strategy, product offering and delivery options.

“We can now look forward to an exciting 2022 and continuing to target an even more competitive share of the market.”