CHARLES TAYLOR TRADING LTD

What CHARLES TAYLOR TRADING LTD does

Charles Taylor Trading Ltd is a UK-based, vertically integrated manufacturer and direct-to-consumer retailer of handcrafted wooden garden furniture, headquartered in Cheddleton, Staffordshire on the edge of the Peak District. Founded in 2013, the company produces its full product range in-house from FSC-certified sustainable timber (FSC-C186695) and applies a proprietary Taylor Brown oil-based wood preservative, with a 10-year rot-free guarantee on all furniture. The catalog spans outdoor seating (single to nine-seater benches and chairs, including the Grand Range), dining sets (two to ten-seater configurations and picnic tables), swings and arbours (Blackbrook Lifestyle Range), tables, arches, planters and herb racks (Grow It Range), BBQ shelters, log stores, bird tables, and accessories such as cushions, covers, replacement parts, and engraved memorial plaques. Pricing ranges from £6.95 for small accessories to £1,299 for premium dining sets, with combo bundles available across categories.

The business model is D2C e-commerce via a Shopify storefront, supported by an in-house white-glove delivery service that delivers, assembles, and removes packaging across the UK, Ireland, and the Isle of Wight. A secondary Trade/Wholesale program and a bespoke product request workflow open B2B and customization channels, while an interest-free financing partnership with DivideBuy (Zopa Bank Limited) provides a transaction-based payment option for higher-value purchases. Gift cards (£20–£500), accessories, aftercare products (Taylor Brown and Taylor Clear treatments, fitted covers), and replacement parts generate recurring-adjacent revenue on top of one-time furniture sales. The customer base consists of UK homeowners seeking durable, traditional, and sustainably sourced outdoor furniture; the company markets through Facebook, Instagram, email, and website content, with a 51–100 employee headcount supporting manufacturing, fulfillment, and delivery operations.

Name

CHARLES TAYLOR TRADING LTD

Legal name

Charles Taylor Trading Ltd

Website

https://charlestaylortrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Charles Taylor Trading Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer and direct-to-consumer retailer of handcrafted wooden garden furniture, serving UK, Ireland, and Isle of Wight homeowners through a Shopify storefront with in-house white-glove delivery, assembly, and FSC-certified, sustainably sourced products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leek

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: One-time purchase model for handcrafted wooden garden furniture including benches, swings, arbours, dining sets, planters, and accessories. Products are sold at various price points from budget to premium.
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations from £20 to £500, providing flexible gifting options for customers.
3. Accessories and Aftercare: Sales of complementary products including wood preservatives, covers, cushions, replacement parts, and bench plaques.
4. Financing Services: Interest-free credit provided through DivideBuy (Zopa Bank), allowing customers to spread payments over time on furniture purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Charles Taylor Trading Ltd manufactures and retails handcrafted wooden garden furniture — including swings, arbours, dining sets, benches, tables, planters, BBQ shelters and related accessories — under its own Charles Taylor brand, sold primarily direct to UK consumers through a Shopify e-commerce site. The company sources FSC-certified sustainable timber, applies its proprietary Taylor Brown wood preservative treatment to back a 10-year rot-free guarantee, and fulfils orders through its own in-house white-glove two-person delivery and on-site assembly service across the UK, Ireland and the Isle of Wight.

Product overview

Charles Taylor Trading Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of premium hand-crafted wooden garden furniture, operating as a single unified e-commerce platform. The product portfolio centers on the Blackbrook Lifestyle Range featuring swings and arbours, complemented by dining sets, outdoor seating (benches/chairs), tables, and the Grow it Range of planters and herb racks. Add-on modules include accessories (cushions, parasols), aftercare products (wood preservatives, protective covers), combo deal bundles, replacement parts, and personalized memorial plaques. All furniture is FSC-certified, manufactured on the edge of the Peak District, and delivered fully treated with a 10-year rot-free guarantee through the company's white glove delivery service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Taylor Brown Wood Preservative: Company's own branded oil-based wood treatment product line including wood preservatives and treatments for garden furniture maintenance.
• Taylor Clear Wood Treatment
• Grow It Range
• Blackbrook Lifestyle Range

Products and services

• Swings & Arbours

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wayfair: Large online home goods retailer with extensive UK outdoor furniture assortment; competes on selection and price rather than handcrafted quality and white-glove service.
• IKEA: Global home furniture and furnishings incumbent offering outdoor/garden furniture at scale; competes broadly with Charles Taylor but at the value end of the market with self-assembly delivery model.
• John Lewis & Partners: UK department store with a significant garden furniture offering under multiple brands; broad incumbent competing for the same UK homeowner segment, though across many categories beyond garden.

Direct peers

• Bramblecrest: UK-based manufacturer and retailer of premium outdoor/garden furniture with a comparable product portfolio (dining sets, loungers, parasols) and similar premium positioning to Charles Taylor.
• Cox & Cox: UK online home and garden retailer with premium DTC positioning, broad home and garden catalog, and similar target customer (UK homeowners seeking quality, design-led products).
• Not On The High Street: UK online marketplace for unique home, garden and gift products; comparable DTC e-commerce model and UK homeowner customer base, with overlapping categories in garden accessories and personalized items.
• Kettler: Established UK outdoor furniture brand offering garden seating, dining sets and accessories; competes in the same mid-to-premium outdoor wood/metal furniture segment as Charles Taylor.
• Alexander Rose: UK distributor of premium outdoor furniture across wood, metal and rattan — overlaps with Charles Taylor on wooden benches, dining sets and outdoor seating for residential consumers.
• Norfolk Leisure: UK-based outdoor furniture wholesaler/retailer serving both trade and consumer channels with comparable product categories (benches, dining, loungers), similar to Charles Taylor's dual-channel approach.

Regional players

• Dobbies: UK garden centre chain selling outdoor furniture, planters and garden accessories; comparable customer segment (UK homeowners with gardens) but primarily a UK high-street garden centre operator competing through physical retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Charles-Taylor-Trading-Limited-102929631550275
• Instagraminstagram.com/charlestaylortradinglimited
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-taylor-trading-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CHARLES TAYLOR TRADING LTD