Promotional feature: Everyone loves a bargain, which is why Charles Wheeler, owner of Trade Secret, built his business on that basis.
Trade Secret’s business model is simple - they buy cancelled or returned orders and over-runs from respected British high street stores and sell directly to the customer at hugely discounted prices.
When Charles moved from South Africa with his family in 2000, he noticed a gap in the market for quality furniture that was immediately available at an affordable price. This led to the humble beginnings of Trade Secret.
Charles transformed a redundant barn in rural Oxfordshire into a business that offered sofas and furniture to the public at a fraction of the High Street prices. As demand for discounted furniture grew, the company changed its base to a 26,000sq ft warehouse at Twyford Mill, Adderbury, near Banbury in Oxfordshire. They have recently expanded the business concept to a four-storey building in Burton on Trent and, to further move the vast amount of stock they are offered, the company has extended its reach to the rest of the UK by selling online.
Aside from the low price, those shopping at Trade Secret can also take their new purchase away the same day — no waiting 6-8 weeks for a delivery - what you see on the floor is what’s in stock for immediate collection or delivery.
The floor is stocked full of beds, sofas (fabric & leather), chairs, dining tables, mattresses, bookcases, mirrors, lamps, rugs, sofa beds, coffee tables, lamps, TV units and more. The nature of the business means that the stock changes constantly – you never know what you will find.
Moving home?
The company has seen one consistent, significant catalyst for changing or buying new furniture and that is moving home. One of the major attractions for considering Trade Secret is the availability factor and the company understands that trying to juggle contracts, occupation dates and dates for the delivery of furniture and accessories can be a nightmare. Their mantra ‘See it, Like it, Buy it, Take it Away’ means that if you have seen and purchased your furniture, you can have it on the day you choose - or they can store it for a while if things are delayed.
Owner Charles Wheeler said: “This concept just works; it’s simple and as we say, “good for you and good for us”. We have more and more stock being offered to us from many sources and we are not greedy - we buy at a great price we sell at a great price. We are in the business of shifting volume and we have become pretty good at it. I feel we have a winning formula at Trade Secret and we keep it simple so everyone wins - the manufacturer, who can clear their excess stock quickly and discretely; us, because we can buy at keen prices and then more importantly, our customers who benefit with savings up to 60% off RRP on some of the high street’s most famous brand name furniture.”
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The Twyford Mill estate where the Trade Secret warehouse is located also houses Fired Earth’s flagship showroom and is only a stones throw from the attractive village of Bicester Village.
For more information, visit: www.trade-secret.co.uk
