About us
Est. 1960
Plumbs is a family business who have been manufacturing in the UK for over 60 years, and specialise in producing quality made to measure curtains, blinds, furniture covers, and reupholstery.
1953
Tom & Bernice Plumb open their market stall business that travels Lancashire selling furniture pick me ups, such as antimacassars and arm rest covers. In 1954 a cushion cover would have cost 3s 11d.
1960
The business officially begins as Geoff Plumb, Tom and Bernice’s son, starts using stretch fabric from America to create sofa covers that would revive furniture. At this time there were very few furniture styles available in the UK.
1967
Geoff places the companies first newspaper advert in the Scottish Daily Record, shortly followed by the Daily Mirror in 1968. These ads were a phenomenal success and orders for Plumbs stretch covers rolled in via the post!
1971
Postal strikes across the UK caused havoc for Plumbs, so several shops started to appear on the high street. This was a novel idea at the time as chair stores such as BHS & Marks and Spencer didn’t carry home furnishing departments.
1980
With 90 shops spread across the UK, Plumbs introduced their local home consultancy service. This offered a made to measure option for curtains and covers to suit the wider range of range of furniture styles that were entering UK homes.
1982
As recession impacted UK industry, the network of shops was closed and Plumbs moved to focusing more on their made to measure services and in-home service. This allowed customers to buy a more bespoke product from the comfort of their home.
2003
Plumbs introduced their national reupholstery service. This would revolutionise the business again and offer customers more ways to revitalise the furniture they love, and reinvigorate their home décor.
2009
Despite its development, family still remained at Plumbs’ heart. In 2009, Geoff’s daughter, Sarah, became Managing Director. Having worked in the company since the age of 18, she brought a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm with her.
2010
Here at Plumbs, we consider it our responsibility to invest in the future of craft. Launched in 2010, our award-winning apprenticeship scheme aims to do exactly that, helping to develop the skills of the next generation.
2018
The introduction of our visualiser app allowed customers to envision how their new furniture covers, reupholstery or curtains would look before placing an order. With over 800 fabrics this helps to inspire our customers.
2020
Plumbs have been part of the fabric of Preston and the UK furnishing industry for 60 years! Now a fourth generation company, community, supporting traditional skills and championing high quality have remained at the heart of what we do.
2021
Plumbs continues to expand with the introduction of various ecommerce sister brands. Cover My Furniture, Fable & Plumb and Plumbs Marketplace allow the business to further expand and explore new ventures.
2024
Plumbs is still owned and run by the same family that started the company on a Lancashire market stall over 60 years ago.
The commitment of the Plumb family is very much reflected in the friendly service and high levels of personal commitment exhibited by all our staff. Still based in Lancashire, the company takes a great deal of pride in its British manufacturing roots, and uphold the high quality expected of such products.
Today there are three generations of the Plumbs family working within the business across all areas of Marketing, Sales and Production.