New jobs boost as Jarrow firm almost doubles staff numbers in just two months

A Jarrow furniture manufacturer and online retailer has almost doubled its staff numbers in the last two months alone.
Exterior of the Jarrow firm's HQExterior of the Jarrow firm's HQ
Exterior of the Jarrow firm's HQ

Funky Chunky Furniture Ltd says it is now seeking to recruit seven more employees, after adding 15 new members to its team over the last eight weeks.

The Jarrow company, which mainly produces wooden furniture and is based at Rolling Mill Road, has expanded its overall staff numbers from 22 to 37 since August.

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Funky Chunky bosses said this week that the firm has initiated an extraordinary recruitment drive to keep up with a recent surge in demand.

The Jarrow company says it is still looking to recruit seven further members of staffThe Jarrow company says it is still looking to recruit seven further members of staff
The Jarrow company says it is still looking to recruit seven further members of staff

Rapid sales growth has pushed the business to recruit heavily across both its workshop and office teams, as it enters the retail industry’s busiest part of the year.

Significant growth in the home improvement and DIY retail markets, alongside a greater shift towards online purchases during the pandemic, has meant the Jarrow-based firm has seen its business “boom beyond recognition”.

The managing director of Funky Chunky Furniture, Kevin Johnston, said: “It’s been an incredible year. Initially May 2020 was our biggest month of sales to date, then as each subsequent month went by that broke the previous record.

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"Even the most optimistic of our forecasting has been outstripped by consumer demand for our products.

The Jarrow firm now has 37 staff members on its booksThe Jarrow firm now has 37 staff members on its books
The Jarrow firm now has 37 staff members on its books

“It’s a fantastic situation to be in, but it’s not without its challenges. We’re working hard to make sure we grow our team in a sustainable way, ensuring we recruit the right team members to enable us to meet customer demand for our handmade products.”

Mr Johnston’s firm has also been able to provide permanent employment to three agency workers, who join as a warehouse operative, assembly operative and production operative.

There are positions currently available for six more members of staff across warehousing, production and assembly, as well as a new IT role.

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Rebecca Gordon, HR coordinator, said: “Recruiting this number of team members in such a short space of time has been a real challenge.

Funky Chunky furniture has almost doubled its staff numbers in the last two monthsFunky Chunky furniture has almost doubled its staff numbers in the last two months
Funky Chunky furniture has almost doubled its staff numbers in the last two months

“We’re confident we’ve found a group of really great new team members, and they’re already bringing their skills to the business, and having a real impact in their roles.”

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