When ServiceMaster’s furniture repair and restoration brand, Furniture Medic were contacted by Ramler an Australian furniture manufacturer to assist with a UK client whose new bespoke furniture required servicing under warranty, little did they know that it was to lead to a lucrative, long term contract with a new client, worth several thousand pounds over three years.

Ramler had provided all the mall furniture for the jewel in Derby’s shopping crown – Westfield, however seven months after opening it had become clear that there were some issues with the furniture in the food court – Eat Central. Furniture Medic was called upon to diagnose the problem and to offer a cost effective solution.

The wooden furniture used in one seating area within the food court was being damaged by the table edge every time it was pushed in by a customer, in addition when the cleaning staff came in to clean the floors they were turning the chairs up on to the table and further damage was being caused.

Furniture Medic decided that the most cost effective solution was to pad and cover the chair backs with a hard wearing vinyl matching the colour and texture of the leather seat, thus cushioning the chair backs against the damaging effect of the table top. Furniture Medic was able to demonstrate to the Westfield team, that vinyl quality had come on in leaps and bounds and was now a hardwearing and cost effective alternative to the luxury leather they currently use on their seat bases which was becoming worn.

The success of the initial problem solving exercise resulted in Westfield calling in Furniture Medic to consult on the rest of the furniture in the food court and public mall space, the decision was made to bring Furniture Medic back in. Since then, they have provided solutions for wobbly table tops by implementing a self locking washer system to prevent the components coming loose, attached tray slides to bins and are currently working on replacing the glides on the box stools because the original rubber ones could not sustain the high level of usage. Furniture Medic has happily reported that they have not been called back to repair anything for which they have implemented a repair solution: A sign of good workmanship and problem solving for their client.

On their part Furniture Medic has recognised the importance of the Westfield contract and is investing in finding a bespoke solution for polishing their resin table tops.

However, the unexpectedly high initial footfall meant that wear and tear to the furniture had been dramatically high over the course of the first few months after opening.

The wide variety of seating meant that Furniture Medic had to develop a bespoke solution for every unit that required maintenance and repair. It was key that each piece was re-upholstered in a fabric of the same colour throughout in order to maintain the design led feel of each area.

Again, Furniture Medic was able to find time and cost effective solutions which suited their client’s needs. The mall sofas were delaminating rapidly due to the high levels of usage, especially on the arms however when it came to carrying out the work, Furniture Medic realised that to repair one area of the sofa they would have to skin the whole unit. Their solution was to re-cover the whole sofa in sections, using a hardwearing vinyl matching the original colour. Doing this allowed them to re-upholster just the damaged area and not the whole unit, making long term maintenance easily achievable. Some of their solutions were very simple, like creating double sided cushion pads, which could be turned over if one side was damaged or worn, giving it twice its normal lifespan.

Upper Mall - floor
The upper mall features “pods” – oval areas with parquet wood flooring often used for third party sales and marketing activities, events and exhibitions. One such event involved skateboarding demonstrations leaving large dents in the wood. The wood in these areas and on the stairs had been finished only with oil, so had attracted the dirt and quickly turned grey as a result.

The care and attention to detail resulted in an outstanding finish with the flooring returned to an as good as new appearance. However, as a protective lacquer coat is incompatible with the oil finish, Furniture Medic will be required to continue to treat the wood in this way on a regular basis.

Above left:Westfield staircase with damage; Above right: Repaired by Furniture Medic.

Cinema – floor
The high-end Showcase Cinema is one of Westfield’s key highlights and therefore vital that the right impression is created upon arrival. However, with 12 screens the cinema attracts a large number of visitors every day and the foyer flooring takes the burden. As with the furniture, within a few months of opening, the wooden floor at the entrance had become particularly damaged where visitors had walked between one escalator and the next. The challenge was to re-vamp the whole area so that it was a homogenous colour and tone, with no variation between walkway and the rest of the area. Using specialist wood flooring machinery Furniture Medic stripped, bleached and sanded the area, bringing the right colour back to it and finally applying a lacquer to protect it from future damage. Some areas had seen heavy damage where weighty signs had been dragged leaving deep marks in the wood. These were treated with precision wood fillers by hand. Much of the flooring work had to be finished by hand in areas where the machines were too cumbersome, this included the stairs. It is this attention to detail and level of customer service which Furniture Medic prides itself on being able to offer its clients. Meeting Westfield’s aesthetic and commercial standards is paramount to Furniture Medic’s work brief; with many of the jobs they carry out they work through the night to ensure business runs smoothly and the floor is dry before the first workers arrive.

Malcolm Chapman, Building Services Manager, Westfield Derby says:

“After opening the Westfield Shopping Centre at Derby we required the service of a reputable furniture service company for all of the mall and food court furniture and carpets. The service that Furniture Medic provides has conformed to our standards of acceptance with sensible costs being charged. The service staff and management have always been obliging, working to the time restrictions that a Shopping Centre Facilities Team has to accommodate.”

The problem solving partnership has flourished as Head of Commercial Support for Furniture Medic, Malcolm Holmes can testify:

“We have been delighted with the ongoing work that Westfield has offered Furniture Medic. They have listened to our suggestions and taken on board our recommendations to improve the longevity and cost effectiveness of the furniture in the mall and food court. Furniture Medic looks forward to continuing to provide solutions to improve the aesthetic appeal of Westfield in a cost effective and timely manner.”

Furniture Medic provides furniture repair and restoration services for all types of commercial enterprises from offices through to conferencing and the hospitality industries. Working on-site, and to an appointed schedule, Furniture Medic’s highly trained uniformed technicians use superior products and techniques to restore wood furnishings and upholstery. Their advanced technology produces dramatic results with minimal disruption of day-to-day business.

For more information about Furniture Medic log on to www.furnituremedic.co.uk or telephone 0800 021 3071.