Herbert Parkinson

What Herbert Parkinson does

Herbert Parkinson is the contract soft-furnishings manufacturing arm of the John Lewis Partnership, operating from Harvest Mill in Darwen, Lancashire, UK. Founded in 1935 and employing 251–500 people, the business positions itself as one of the largest and most versatile soft furnishings and natural filled product factories in the UK. Under the trading name John Lewis Contract Soft Furnishings, it supplies made-to-order curtains, blinds, soft furnishings, and natural filled products (cushions, bedding, pillows) backed by in-house UK manufacturing with sustained investment in machinery and a trained Partner workforce.

The company's core offering is an end-to-end Turnkey Soft Furnishings Service that takes commercial clients from initial survey through to final sign-off and installation, managed by an experienced project team. It targets four primary contract verticals: Build-to-Rent (BTR) schemes, care groups, hotel chains, and student accommodation providers, with a flagship reference project at Quintain Living's Canada Gardens development. The firm holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Down Pass, Commercial Interiors UK, Constructionline and ARL certifications, supporting qualification for regulated commercial and public-sector procurement.

Revenue is generated through project-based custom contracts with multi-year cadences; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is direct enterprise field sales supported by LinkedIn presence and industry exhibitions (CIUK, HRC). Operations span the UK and EU. The business is wholly owned by the John Lewis Partnership under an employee-ownership model, with no external shareholders, public listing, or external funding rounds disclosed.

Name

Herbert Parkinson

Legal name

Herbert Parkinson

Website

https://www.herbertparkinsoncontract.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Herbert Parkinson is the UK-based contract soft furnishings manufacturing arm of the John Lewis Partnership, operating from Harvest Mill in Darwen. It produces made-to-order soft furnishings and natural filled products, delivering an end-to-end turnkey service to Build-to-Rent developers, care groups, hotel chains, and student accommodation operators across the UK and EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Soft Furnishings Manufacturing

NAICS

Mattress Manufacturing (337910)

SIC

Household Furniture (2510)

akta.pro primary industry

Mattress & Pillow Components Manufacturing (Ticking/Pillow Shells/Protectors) (IMAOAKAE)

Keywords

• Contract soft furnishings
• Natural filled products
• Build-to-rent furnishings
• Commercial interior textiles
• Turnkey furnishing installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Darwen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Contract Soft Furnishings: Project-based contract manufacturing and installation of soft furnishings for commercial clients including Build-to-Rent schemes, care homes, hotels, and student accommodation. Full end-to-end service from survey to installation.
2. Turnkey Soft Furnishings Service: Comprehensive project management service covering the entire process from initial client contact through to final sign-off, handled by experienced project teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Herbert Parkinson manufactures soft furnishings and natural filled products at its UK factory in Darwen and supplies them on a contract basis to commercial clients. Its Turnkey Soft Furnishings Service takes clients from initial contact through to final sign-off, covering survey, manufacture, and installation for projects ranging from large multi-site Build-to-Rent schemes to care groups, hotel chains, and student accommodation providers across the UK and EU.

Product overview

Herbert Parkinson operates as John Lewis Contract Soft Furnishings, offering a unified portfolio of soft furnishings and natural filled products backed by UK-based manufacturing. The core offerings include soft furnishings, natural filled products, a Turnkey Soft Furnishings Service (handling the full project lifecycle from survey to installation), and dedicated manufacturing services. The company serves diverse contract market segments including Build-to-Rent schemes, care groups, hotel chains, and student accommodation providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soft Furnishings One of the largest and most versatile soft furnishings offerings in the UK, covering cushions, curtains, blinds, and related products for commercial contract customers including Build-to-Rent developers, care groups, hotel chains, and student accommodation providers.
• Natural Filled Products Natural filled products including Down Pass certified feather and down items, manufactured in-house at the Darwen factory with the craftsmanship associated with Partners in the John Lewis Partnership.
• Turnkey Soft Furnishings Service A full end-to-end service that takes clients from first contact through to sign-off, managed by an experienced project team and covering survey, manufacture, and installation for projects of all sizes.
• Manufacturing Services State-of-the-art UK manufacturing with the flexibility and scale to handle multiple projects efficiently throughout the UK and EU, delivering to tight schedules under a single manufacturing partner.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mitre: UK-based contract manufacturer and supplier of bed, bath, and table linens to hotels, healthcare, and other institutional markets. Directly comparable to Herbert Parkinson in product category (soft furnishings/linen) and contract B2B GTM into hospitality and care.
• Agua Fabrics: UK contract supplier of performance and decorative textiles for hospitality, healthcare, and marine interiors. Overlaps with Herbert Parkinson in curtains/drapery and soft furnishings for hotels and care groups.
• Christy Group: Long-established UK towel and home textiles manufacturer. Comparable in home-textile manufacturing scope, natural-filled product range, and UK heritage — competing for similar contract and trade customers.
• Warwick Fabrics: International furnishing fabrics supplier with UK distribution, active in hospitality and contract soft furnishings. Comparable product scope (curtains, drapery, upholstery textiles) and contract end markets.
• Panaz: UK contract fabrics manufacturer supplying flame-retardant and technical textiles to hospitality, healthcare, and commercial interiors. Adjacent in product (curtains/drapery textiles) and contract channel into the same end markets as Herbert Parkinson.
• Sekers: UK furnishing-fabrics and wallcoverings supplier serving hospitality and contract interiors. Comparable in contract-channel soft furnishings supply and UK-based contract B2B motion.
• Richard Haworth: UK contract textile manufacturer specializing in bed linen, towels, and soft furnishings for hotels, healthcare, and public-sector clients. Comparable to Herbert Parkinson in product mix, contract orientation, and UK/EU customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Silentnight Group: Large UK bedding and mattress group with hospitality and contract lines. Overlaps with Herbert Parkinson in natural-filled bedding inputs and contract supply to hotels/care, while operating at significantly broader scale in the consumer channel.
• Hypnos: UK bed and mattress manufacturer serving contract and retail channels including hotels. Adjacent — overlaps in natural-filled bedding products and hospitality/end-user-segment exposure, though primary focus is mattresses rather than full soft furnishings packages.

Emerging players

• Christopher Farr Cloth: Designer and supplier of furnishing textiles including prints and weaves for interior designers and high-end residential/commercial projects. Compares to Herbert Parkinson's curtain/drapery and contract soft furnishings capabilities, though at a more design-led boutique scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/john-lewis-contract-soft-furnishings

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herbert Parkinson