Website: www.gallerydirect.co.uk
Sittingbourne-based Gallery Direct is a design-led manufacturer and distributor to the trade of furniture, home décor and accessories to customers which range from some of the UK’s biggest and most recognised retailers, through to small, independent stores.
Gallery Direct has been a client of CooperBurnett LLP for nearly 20 years, having been recommended to the firm by its accountants. Today it provides both corporate and commercial support to the business, as well as private client advice to Managing Director, Peter Delaney.
Established in 1973 as a small family run business, today Sittingbourne-based Gallery Direct is a design-led manufacturer and distributor to the trade of furniture, home décor and accessories. Committed to offering the complete home furnishings solution, it recently launched an outdoor division, offering outdoor furniture and accessories.
Gallery Direct’s customers range from some of the UK’s biggest and most recognised retailers, through to small, independent stores.
The company employs more than 200 people and boasts state-of-the-art warehouses with over 355,000 square feet of storage space, enabling it to store over one million finished items. Gallery Direct has offices in China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Managing Director, Peter Delaney, bought Gallery Direct in 2003 and spent ten years growing and expanding the business and adding new lines including occasional furniture and photo frames. Then, in 2013, he sold Gallery Direct to The National Lighting Company but stayed on in his role.
Here we ask Peter Delaney more about the support CooperBurnett LLP provides the firm:
When did you first start working with CooperBurnett?
“From the very start of my journey with Gallery Direct back in 2003, right up to the present day - almost 20 years! CooperBurnett was recommended to me by my accountant and has been by my side ever since. They advised me when I bought the business and then when I sold it and they are supporting us to this day.”
What support does CooperBurnett give your business?
“CooperBurnett helps us with numerous commercial law issues such as property leases and purchases and all sorts of corporate law questions. They have helped me personally too, such as during the purchase of my house and when writing my Will. CooperBurnett is always my first port of call for any legal matters.”
Who do you deal with on the CooperBurnett team?
“Victoria [Sampson] is my main contact and she’s been there through this whole journey, as have Jonathan [Rowe] who looks after our commercial property issues and Joe [Oates] who’s there to help with more complex issues.
What can I say about Victoria? She’s friendly, empathetic and great to deal with, as well as being super responsive. What I really like is that she ‘breaks it down’ and makes law straightforward. From what can seem like a huge number of things to consider, she’ll pull out the risk issues for us, which gives us focus.”
What would you say to another business looking to work with CooperBurnett?
“Whatever business you are running, you are only as good as the people in your team and the people at CooperBurnett are just great. One of the amazing things about working with the firm is that, two decades later, I am dealing with the same people!
This continuity makes a huge difference and in, what is a very changeable world, it’s even more important. I appreciate having that resource at hand. Occasionally we’ll be talking about something from a while ago and, within a few short moments, Victoria will have found what we need in their archives. I couldn’t recommend CooperBurnett highly enough.”
To discover more about becoming a CooperBurnett client, call us on: 01892 515022.
Have you got a question or need some advice? If you require any more information about our services, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team.
