Finline looks to the future with furniture that lasts a lifetime

There’s a very good chance you’ve sat on a Finline Furniture chair or sofa without even realising it. If you’ve ever walked into Brown Thomas or Arnotts, and tried out an Irish-made chair, the odds are that it was developed at the firm’s factory in Emo in Co Laois.

Finline has grown to 75 staff in its more than 40 years in operation. Originally set up by Kieran and Bridget Finane, the company is now run by their sons Ciarán and Killian.

“In 1979, my father was working for Vita Cortex, a well-known foam supplier. He was travelling to the likes of Cavan and Monaghan, and it was through that that he developed the idea for a high-end furniture business,” Ciarán Finane told the Business Post.

“He’s originally from Rathdowney, he’s a Laois man through and through, and set up on a site outside Emo. Initially it was just a wholesale business, and that format lasted through the first 30 years of the business.”

The firm was entirely wholesale driven until the financial crisis of 2008. That was when the business shifted to being retail focused, getting to know its customers directly in Emo, as well as in showrooms in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

“I joined in 2009 and it was two years after that when we switched to the retail and wholesale model as opposed to pure wholesale. We had almost no choice. When it hit the fan, a lot of retailers started bringing in lower-cost product and we lost floor space,” Finane said.

“We were going to close if we didn’t make a change. There was almost no risk in making the switch given the alternative. It was different, but the public appreciates coming to a manufacturer to buy a product because we can answer any question they have.”

Returning to the family business was a radical career shift for Finane, who previously worked in Goodbody Stockbrokers before joining Kukri Sports and bringing that brand to Ireland. Since coming back to work with his family, Finane has engaged with Enterprise Ireland to help with the company’s development.

“Enterprise Ireland has been very good for us. In 2013, we exhibited at the Shanghai international furniture exhibition, we were the first Irish company to do that, and we started selling our products to China after that,” he said.

“Enterprise Ireland has introduced us to clients in Scandinavia and we have a partner in Britain we met through them which has led to us supplying British embassies all over the world.”

The next stage for growth is to build on Finline’s reputation for quality by driving sustainability through the business.

“We’re looking at the sustainability side substantially now. We’re going to give a lifetime warranty in the not too distant future. The idea is that our sofas will never go to landfill. You can re-cover your sofa 20 times if you want to and we’re willing to stand over that,” Finane said.

“We’re sourcing fabrics from a supplier in Poland who is providing us with material from recycled bottles. We’re putting solar panels on our roof and we’re using recycled cardboard in our packaging.”

This Making It Work article was produced in partnership with Enterprise Ireland