Hypnos and the Manufacturing Guild Mark
Hypnos is unique in the furniture industry, with over 120 years of British bedmaking legacy under single ownership, we are passionate about protecting the skills, quality and craftsmanship expected from our coveted luxury products and brand.
At Hypnos, we focus on developing products that harness the essence of personal sleep and wellbeing, using local and natural materials across our collections. Our strategy centres on creating ethical products that use materials with provenance, traceability and certification, including introducing certifications like Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) to British sheep farming.
Our 5-year relationship with the Eden Project has influenced multiple areas of our business including sourcing, linking to local conservation and community initiatives and a dedicated collection of mattresses.
We are committed, as a luxury home brand, to enabling our customers to do the right thing for the future of spaceship Earth, as our friends at the Eden Project have shown us. This includes creating a supply chain for new plant-based fibres; being carbon neutral for over 13 years; and actively monitoring our carbon footprint through Planet Mark.
Why did Hypnos become a Manufacturing Guild Mark holder?
Aside from the recognition of our teams’ skills and experience, it is a fantastic opportunity to work collaboratively with other holders with shared goals to develop and prepare our industry for the future. As a respected livery company of the City of London, there is a reputation to uphold standards, retain and develop precious skills and heritage, and provide leadership, support and influence within the industry to achieve more.
Coupled with our Royal Warrant, the Guild Mark enhances the level of trust and quality of our products, it is an independent audit of our production and a testament to the care our team take in handcrafting our products at our Buckinghamshire factory. For those within our industry and our partners, it is a mark of trust and expertise, just as our association with and support from the Furniture Makers Company is one way the team at Hypnos know we support their wellbeing and development.
Aside from the confidence of the mark and independent audit, it is another standard that holds the company honest to our values as an employer and manufacturer of luxury furniture as it’s backed by the Furniture Makers who represent the best in British furniture. This is supported by the access through the Furniture Makers to other manufacturers to see best practices, discuss approaches to teams and welfare, as well as manufacturing and design trends.
The importance of being a British manufacturer and championing British craftsmanship
The most important brand identity and value we have is our British heritage, hand manufacturing and Royal Warrants, underpinning globally our reputation for quality, craftmanship, and responsible and ethical practices.
Britain has a great reputation abroad for producing high-quality products and innovating, which creates opportunities in both developing and established markets globally. It is important that the British furniture industry takes full advantage of these opportunities now and protects these opportunities in the years ahead by preserving and developing high standards. The world wants British products!
2024 marks Hypnos’s 120th anniversary…
We are celebrating our 120th year by building a legacy for the future with a programme of events and fundraising, new products and projects including our newly launched Legacy and Eden Project Collections.
As a family business, based in the heart of Buckinghamshire since 1904, we are also creating environmental and community initiatives that will also provide a legacy of support for our local area and beyond. Our
charity partnerships, also with the Eden Project, give us the perfect excuse to have some fun fundraising, and putting in place staff volunteering initiatives.
We will also be recognising Peter Keen's 80th birthday, as the fourth generation of his family to run Hypnos, before handing over to James, Peter has had significant influence within the bed industry, founding the Bed Show and driving focus on empowering the British bed and furniture industry through fun and laughter.
What is Hypnos doing to be more sustainable and minimise its carbon footprint?
We are renowned for our pioneering approach to sustainable product design and sourcing, introducing new fillings that are plant-based, capturing carbon as they grow. This progressive outlook runs deep and throughout the business - we work hard to source materials within the UK as far as is practical and invest in best practice in production, green energy sourcing and recycling and minimising waste.
Most recently we have appointed a new logistics partner and we are proud to be working with DFDS and Volvo on trialling new electric tractor units on some routes. Always looking for simple smart solutions to contribute to a better world for future generations.
How is Hypnos Supporting New Talent In The Furniture Industry?
The Furniture Makers' Company's 2024 Young Professional Industry Experience programme provides aspiring young people working in the industry a unique opportunity to visit sector-leading companies and understand all areas of the wider trade, including materials, designing, manufacturing, pricing, marketing, sales and customer service. The programme is aimed at young professionals, with three years or less experience in the industry, who have shown promise as leaders and would benefit from the opportunity of gaining a 360-degree perspective of the entire trade.
Eight young people will be selected to take part in the tour of over 20 companies, which will include masterclasses with businesses including Axminster Tools, Ercol Furniture Ltd, Hypnos Beds, MillerKnoll, Ocee & Four Design, Panaz, SATRA and the Sylva Foundation. The programme will run in alternate weeks from Monday 3 June – Friday 5 July, with a presentation lunch to employers and industry stakeholders taking place on Thursday 25 July.