Furniture Retailer Mulls Opening Large Store on High Road
Loaf draws up plans for unit recently abandoned by e-bike retailer
A visualisation of the planned new store from the planning application
January 28, 2024
A large vacant unit on Chiswick High Road could be getting a new tenant with a furniture retailer considering opening a branch there.
The former Sofa Workshop premises at 147 Chiswick High Road, next to the Packhorse and Talbot, is the subject of two related planning applications by Loaf.
Loaf is a small chain of furniture stores with branches in Leeds, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Battersea which it describes as ‘Loaf Shacks’. It manufactures its furniture in a factory in Derbyshire.
It was founded in 2008 by Charlie Marshall, originally as The Sleep Room with a focus on beds but eventually switched to primarily selling sofas and armchairs. In 2014 founder of Monsoon & Accessorize took a substantial stake in the company.
It is seeking permission to make alternations to the existing shopfront with new signs and install new double doors as well as put up illuminated signs. The applications include computer visualisations of what the new store would look like.
When we asked the company for comment, it indicated that the launch of the new store had yet to be finally decided. A spokesperson said, “This is one of many sites we've recently been looking at for a new location, but we haven't confirmed anything just yet. “
The 350.23 square metre unit was the long-time home of the Sofa Workshop. The company got into financial trouble in 2020 and closed briefly before being rebranded Sofa Workshop by Timothy Oulton after a takeover by the Halo group. However, by March 2022 all but one of the outlets in this group were closed including the Chiswick showroom.
147 Chiswick High Road as it is currently
The premises remained vacant for some time before being taken over by e-bike retailer Fully Charged in May 2023. A few months later it was opening weekends only and then announced closure saying it had always been the intention to operate the Chiswick branch as a ‘pop-up’.
At the time, the unit, which has a 61-foot frontage onto the High Road was being advertised for £150,000 per annum.
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