2009 is going to be the year of the All Weather Furniture. Forget the traditional old teak type furniture, or the white plastic tables and chairs from a bygone century. The latest style to hit our gardens (and incidentally, this furniture looks fabulous indoors too) is the All Weather Furniture, also known as All Weather Cane Furniture, All Weather Wicker Furniture, or Polypeel furniture. Outdoor garden furniture has really evolved over the past number of years, and today, we are lucky to have such stylish, comfortable, and classy furiture with which to place in our gardens and homes.

One of the most popular designs within our range of All Weather Furniture at Cane Direct are the boxed shaped chairs and sofas, which are so comfortable. Previosly this sort of look for outdoor living was only ever seen in the more upmarket Mediterranean resorts or beside private pools or in in high class members clubs. Now thanks to new techknowledgy the new All Weather Furniture, can be left out in every type of British weather without the need of restaining as with teak furniture. This All Weather Furniture can be left outside in rain, snow, frost, wind, anything that the British weather throws at it. It will not go mouldy or rust, or bleach in the sun. What more can a garden lover or a sun worshipper ask for to furnish their garden. Even the cushions which a soft yet extremely hard wearing can be left outside, as the fabric has been treated with a weather proofing solution. However, it is advisable to bring in the cushions during adverse weather conditions or in the winter months, leaving the actual furniture in the garden.

As well as the more modern styles of All Weather Furniture, the more classic designs are also available. For example the high backed Cottage Garden style table and chairs which looks identical to the traditional old wicker but can be left outside in any type of weather.

Also in our range of All Weather Furniture are sun loungers, gazebos, and fantastic All Weather tables and chairs. Please call our sales advisors for any further information.

For many years now, Cane Direct has been supplying conservatory furniture  to the retail sector, and we always had a great sense of pride in the furniture we supply to our customers, yes there are many companies out there retailing cane furniture, but none of them quite come up to the mark of the quality of our products.

For many customers it is the first time they have purchased this type of furniture, and like anything in life, when you have never done it before you are not quite sure of the questions you should be asking, and that is why we at Cane Direct have spent a lot of money and time creating our web site to give our potential customers the chance to read all of the questions you would want to know when making a purchase for the first time.

Once armed with information we have supplied the customer can then start to shop around and ask the all important questions, confident that not only do they have the questions to ask, but they also more importantly have the answers. We have gone in to great detail not only about the different types of cane quality but also the different grades and qualities of foams that are on the market, not only have we gone in to all these aspects in great detail, we have also given the customers what we call a quick buying guide, should they wish not to read page after page of in depth text about our conservatory furniture  In tomorrows post we will discuss each article and how we can support our claims.

Here we are again, at the start of a new year for cane furniture. And what can our customers expect from the team at Cane Direct for the new year? We as always have been working very hard on our new furniture range for 2009, we start the process of buying back in July, this is where we have to many trips to our factories over seas to pick and design all the new products for the following year.

One thing our customers can be sure of is the quality of our furniture will remain the same as always, no matter what new styles we pick our customers can be guaranteed a first rate product, with all that has happened through last year and the credit crunch it could be very tempting for our company to go the route of using low budget suites within our range, and we have given this much consideration, and felt it was better to stay with the quality that we have supplied for more than fifteen years, in the long run it is more cost effective to buy right in the first place. Our factory is well aware of the current problems we are having here in the UK, and have agreed to put no price increases in place for the coming year, which is good news for us all, because we will not have to pass the increases on to our customers, which in turn means we can be even more aggressive with our prices compared to our competitors, on balance they are only slightly less than our products, but more expensive if you way up what you get for your cane furniture from Cane Direct.

Most of the worlds cane furniture, comes from Asia, and different parts offer different types of quality and different grades.After spending many years searching different parts of Asia for furniture it is with out question the very best cane comes from Indonesia. This where we at Cane Direct buy all of our furniture, we have found not only that you can get the quality of cane but also the best finish, from very experienced workers.

There are large amounts of cane and rattan comming out of China, but the quality is now where near that of the rattan and cane that comes from Indonessia, the reason for this is because the cane from China dose not grow in the same way, it cannot grow any where near as thick as the canes from Indonessia, and in turn this means that they can not produce grade A cane, which is so importent to our business.

Sure if you are selling a product that is not marketed with guarantees like at Cane Direct, then there is no problem with buying your raw material from China, for the simple reason that you are not going to sell the end product as up market furniture.

The other problem with this type of furniture from China is that the weavers are not as skilled as those from Indonesia, because they have not been weaving any where near as long, don’t get me wrong they have not just started to do this type of work, they have been making cane furniture for many years, but no where near as long as the people of Indonesia.

Christmas is upon us once again, and here at Cane Direct we are preparing to wind down for the Christmas period.  Historically, at Cane Direct we tend to close for a two week Christmas holiday, but over the past number of years, we have received so many calls from customers asking about our opening hours over the Christmas holiday.  Whatever the time of year, our Cane Furniture is still definitely in demand.

The internet side of our business is very busy at the moment, and just when we think we can relax a little, we seem to get another rush of customers.  At the moment, we cannot keep up with the demand for our Havana cane dining tables.   The majority of our customers are requesting delivery before Christmas, quite naturally, and this does not pose a problem for us.

The Havana range of cane furniture is a big favorite amongst our customers.  It is a classic design, and has a very comfortable three piece suite with a high back and beautiful side panels.  There is a large range of accessories to match with this range, and our customers are always absolutely delighted with it.  It is becoming an increasing trend for customers to put a cane dining table in a conservatory, and the Havana Dining table fits this bill.  The cane table is available in four, six and eight seats, comes with a toughened glass and beautiful cane chairs.  Even though the eight sweater is a large table, because of the intricate cane and wicker detail and the glass top, it does not over power a small space in the way that a heavier oak type dining table would..

So in the run up to Christmas at Cane Direct we are certainly still taking orders up to the last minute for our cane and conservatory furniture. We will be closed Christmas day and Boxing Day, but will be open for business after that.  Please look at our extensive website, and should you have any questions regarding any of our cane, wicker, or rattan furniture, simply call our free phone number and speak to one of our sales advisors.

Over the past number of years, retail has undergone a huge revolution in cane furniture.  Only now are many people realizing this, and as for retailer themselves, if they fail to be involved with this monumental change, their business will most certainly fail.  This is a sad but very true fact within the retail industry. 

A few years ago the majority of our customers ( including myself) would nor have dreamt of buying furniture on line.  Maybe a CD, or a DVD or even the odd item of clothing we would risk buying because they were fairly safe items and we knew exactly what we were purchasing.  Buying an item such as cane furniture would just be inconceivable.  How times have changed.  The internet offers such an enormous choice which was not at all possible in the past.  The better websites offer so much information, and detail and photographs that it is just like talking to a well informed customer service advisor, all at your own convenience whether it be six o clock in the morning, or ten o clock at night.  Our website at Cane Direct, is so informative, and easy to read, and for any customers who do wish to actually speak to a sales advisor, they are only a phone call away, even on a free phone number!  We offer close up photos including comparisons with less well made cane furniture, and close up photos of our cushion manufacturing process.  Everything you need to know about Cane Furniture and outdoor cane furniture you will find within the Cane Direct website.

Companies are now realizing that there is not the need for large flashy showrooms, as everything can now be easily displayed or explained on their websites.  Our all weather cane furniture, last year, was delivered all over the world!  Proving that our website was reaching far further than we ever imagined when our business began 15 years ago.  Deliveries were made as far as Southern Spain, to customers who had never even been to North West England, never mind visited our showroom to try the cane furniture.  At Cane Direct our terms are clearly explained on our website, that if you are entirely happy with any of our cane furniture, or all weather cane furniture, we will come and collect it from you.  Incidentally, this has never happened in all our years of trading.

So for those customers who are fairly new to internet shopping, this is definitely the way forward,   and the way of shopping for the future.  At Cane Direct we offer excellent quality and assurance that is as equal as if you were visiting our Cane Furniture showroom.  We look forward to you visiting our website, and remember we are only a phone call away should you require advice or information regarding your purchase of cane or conservatory furniture.

Anyone would think that Christmas time would be a really quiet time for Cane furniture and conservatory specialists…. Think again.  December traditionally see a bit of a rush form those customers who have placed their orders earlier on in the year, and suddenly realize that they require the furniture before Christmas.  This is not a problem for us as once a customer has order from us, their furniture is placed in a holding area, and the cushions are made up in readiness all ready to go.  We then just wait for the customer to give us delivery date at their convenience, and then we organize the delivery with our driver.

Occasionally customers come to the showroom, and choose their furniture for their conservatory requiring it immediately.  Considering that most high street retailers or department stores offer a 10 week delivery and very often more than that, at Cane Direct we can still offer immediate delivery at your chosen day and time.  All our cane furniture frames are in stock, leaving just the cushions needing to be made up to your own specification, which can be done within a couple of days at a push.

Many of our customers who already have cane furniture, use Christmas as a time to replace old furniture.  Maybe they  are having friends or family staying with them, and they would like to update their cane and conservatory furniture.  Others maybe having Christmas parties, and feel they would like to re new their cane furniture to give a conservatory a completely different style.  Again, at Cane Direct, we can accommodate this from our large range of stock offering ideas, and our unique try before you buy scheme. As we have said most of our frames are in stock, and if our customers are deciding to buy a completely different type of cane three piece suite, say with a higher back, or wider arms, it does not always follow that the another different style of cane furniture will fit into the same area.  At Cane Direct, when we deliver  our furniture we always bring a selection of items from that particular range for our customer to try out and find out for themselves in the comfort of their conservatory.  Everyone knows how difficult it is to visualize furniture, so our customers are always grateful for this service, so as they can see which combination looks the best.  Try asking your local department store to do that… That is if you can be bothered to wait for the ten week delivery, when you really wanted your cane furniture in time for your New Years Eve party!

Over the years, here at Cane Direct, we have made thousands of deliveries of cane furniture throughout the country to very satisfied customers.  Not all of these deliveries have been made to conventional conservatories.

One such deliveries that spring to mind is a delivery that was done to a house with a huge conservatory spanning the whole of the back of the house which made been built to house the family snooker table.  As the area described was so large, this idea worked so well.  With the full sized snooker table at one end of the conservatory, and three cane sofas complete with side tables and a large centre table at the other.  The cane furniture was sprayed in a dark green colour, to compliment the snooker table. The conservatory also contained huge amounts of real foliage to finish it off.  The overall look was stunning.

Another delivery that comes mind, was to to large house in the South of England.  When our driver pulled up at the electric gates, there was a massive swimming pool.  These customers had ordered furniture from our outdoor cane furniture range.  The four loungers were placed by the side of the swimming pool, and the eight seater outdoor cane furniture dinning table was placed on the patio.  The customers were thrilled with the furniture. So much so, that we received other orders from our range from some of their friends who were quite taken with the quality of our outdoor cane furniture range.

Many of our customers who decide to have a conservatory built use the space as a play room.  Again, cane furniture is a winner in this situation.  A ten year guarantee is given on the frames of our furniture at Cane Direct.  Our cane furniture regularly outlasts the traditional sofas that can be bought from large companies.  Our range of fabrics makes it easy to find a suitable child friendly fabric, as many of our fabrics our washable.  Making them ideal for a playroom.

Needless to say, the majority of our deliveries do go to conventional type conservatories, which all look different, and all look stunning.  That is why so many of our customers return to us after years, for new cane furniture or a re-cover as they are unable to wear out the frame!

Have you ever taken the time to scroll through the pages and pages on the internet of companies under the heading of Cane Furniture?  Many of the companies which appear have absolutely nothing to do with Cane Furniture, so we tend to eliminate them straight away… quite rightly so.  Many of the other companies which appear will be department stores, selling maybe one or two items of cane or conservatory furniture.  Probably not really what you are looking for!

Keep looking and you will find many fantastic companies totally specializing in Cane and Conservatory furniture.  Included in this heading will be many companies selling only to trade.  So, you may well find the perfect three piece cane suite for your brand new conservatory, with the exact fabric you had in mind.  Only to be told that they cannot sell it to you, as you are not a trade customer.  This problem occurs time and time again. And is so disappointing for the purchaser.

Many of the companies selling cane furniture, have fairly decent websites, but, don’t give proper descriptions or photos of the furniture.  This leaves the customer with a dilemma, as when you spend a lot of money you need to be 100% sure that this is the right product for you.  Choosing cane or conservatory furniture from one tiny picture and very little product information is quite risky.

Take a look at the Cane Direct website.  This website is dedicated to selling Cane and Conservatory furniture to the general public.  The site is clean and crisp and is so easy to navigate.  The photos have been specially taken so as to display different images and not just lifted from trade magazines.  Great detail is taken to show even the bases of the furniture, and every question you can think of is answered as if you were in a shop face to face with a sales advisor.  Close up photos of the cane furniture show the different weaves, styles and colors in great detail leaving the customer in no doubt that they are dealing with a very professional company.

The Cane Direct website also has a shopping basket included, so the customer can buy on line.  The system is so easy to use, so for those customers who do not wish to speak to a sales advisor, this is an ideal option.  All the information required is easily accessed, but the sales advisors are only a phone call away for your new cane furniture.

Part four.

The credit crunch bites!! But not at Cane Direct we purchased our cane furniture. As we explained in our last post we purchased our furniture over twelve months ago, and believe me we purchased a heck of a lot!. What this means is that we can still offer our quality products at last years prices,  so there will be no increase, unlike our competitors, we were not in the position to do this.

What has happened this year, is that all the prices in the furniture industry have had to go up, it first started at the start of the year with the oil prices increasing at a rapid rate, so the factories had no choice but to put their prices up because of the massive increase in energy, most of the factories are run by oil you see.

Then came the increase in shipping costs also because of the oil prices, on top of that the cost of the raw materials for cane furniture also went up, at the time it was not so bad because the dollar rate against the pound so good, we were getting over two dollars to the pound, so we did not have to worry to much these increases, not the case now the dollar rate has dropped badly against the pound and is looking to drop even more over the next few months with out making any recovery in the near future.

Oil prices have gone down, but its funny once a factory has a price increase they never bring the prices down again, but at Cane Direct you do not have to worry our cane furniture will stay the same price for the next twelve months.