Hartlepool wallpaper retailer expands as lockdown spurs decorating projects

I Love Wallpaper has announced an 85% rise in turnover and has boosted its staff by 40%.

The Hartlepool-based wallpaper retailer, which designs and manufactures contemporary wallpaper, now employs 52 warehouse and head office staff.

Sales show that customers have been tackling larger-scale projects since March 2020 – ordering on average 20% more rolls than before – “as an immediate surge in online sales at the beginning of the first lockdown set the scene for the year ahead”.

Alice Henderson, I Love Wallpaper’s head of product design, has said the company’s ecommerce site has seen “record sales”, allowing the firm to hire more staff.

She said : “It has been business as usual for us during the pandemic.

“An immediate surge in online sales at the beginning of the first lockdown set the scene for the year ahead, as more and more people decided to take-on decorating projects at home.

“Whilst non-essential retail was closed, our ecommerce site has seen record sales. We’ve been able to invest in more staff at our warehouse and head office, supporting the local community.

“We’ve also invested in new manufacturing technology at our Hartlepool warehouse.

"We can now digitally print our wallpaper designs and have them shipped out to customers in a matter of hours.

"This new technology enhances our sustainability values, ensuring we can produce high quality wallpaper designs with little to no wastage”.

Based in Greatham Street, I Love Wallpaper is a family-run business launched in 1993.

Thirty per cent of lockdown orders to date have been shipped to London, with decorators in the capital opting for bright botanical and tropical printed wallpapers, while those in Newcastle and Liverpool have opted for neutral and metallic colour palettes.

Alongside its ecommerce site and Hartlepool headquarters, the brand also has stores in Sunderland and Blaydon.

I Love Wallpaper has caught the attention of customers and celebrities alike during lockdown, most recently featuring on the walls of actress Catherine Tyldesley and BBC’s Interior Design Masters finalist Siobhan Murphy.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.