From creating galleys for super yachts to building bedrooms for celebrity clients, Andrew Hall has come a long way from his school woodwork days
Length of time in business: 35 years
Number of employees: 12
Ethos: To design and manufacture quality cabinetry which offers excellent value for money
Location: 14 Hopkinson way, West Portway Industrial Estate, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3ZE
Contact: 01264 334044, www.woodstockfurniture.co.uk
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Having a father who was head of his school woodwork department, it was inevitable that Andrew’s career was going to head in that direction and they spent many happy hours making things together when he was growing up – igniting the passion for working with wood from a young age.
He trained as a furniture designer at Kingston Polytechnic, graduating in 1987 and went on to work within London consultancies, which meant designing anything from American Express cash machines to office desking systems. Making the decision to work within the domestic market and feeling he had a flair for cabinetry making, Andrew joined the original Woodstock Furniture team in 1995.
The company became available to buy in 2004 and Andrew leapt at the opportunity, he explains: “With the help of family, I bought Woodstock and became managing director. The company had been based in an old workshop in Winchester but rather than a high street showroom, we wanted our clients to be able to see finished cabinetry and also see our workshop with cabinetry being made so they could see the attention to detail and quality involved every step of the way; and so I decided to buy our present workshop in Andover and create a large, adjoining showroom.”
Andrew has 12 members of staff working with him, some of whom have been with the company since 1978. All are skilled craftsmen who take immense pride in their work and constantly produce high standards for Woodstock’s clients.
When it comes to the designing, Andrew takes the lead and uses inspiration from visiting exhibitions and looking at hotel and retail interiors, as well as reading home interest magazines.
Having been in business for the past 35 years, Andrew has built up a vast number of celebrity clients and has installed everything from whole kitchens to built-in bedrooms as far as Bermuda, Antigua and Israel. Talking about the future he says: “We hope our business will continue to thrive with a stronger emphasis on our local residents.
“It’s so important to us that we can work in the local area and our location and workshop and showroom are great assets for us. We have got a lot to offer our Hampshire residents who can make a short journey to see us and discover our bespoke, high quality furniture.”
