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British Thornton launches Trudy fixed furniture range

Yorkshire-based educational furniture manufacturer British Thornton has launched a new range of fixed furniture to an audience of head teachers and school business managers at the Academies Show in London.

The Trudy fixed furniture range builds on the success of British Thornton’s existing Trudy range of loose furniture, which was first launched in 2008 and boasts annual sales figures of around £3m.

Designed to fully complement the existing range of loose furniture, the new Trudy fixed furniture means the collection is now the first product on the market to offer a fully co-ordinated range encompassing both fixed and loose items, allowing classrooms to benefit from consistent design.

The Trudy range has already made a name for itself over the past eight years, selling around 66,000 units per annum, with its innovative pupil-centric design winning admirers across the UK.

Jonathan Clark, Product Design Director at British Thornton, said: “Trudy has been a labour of love for this company over the last eight years, and it’s been wonderful to see the fantastic reception it’s had from teachers and pupils alike. We passionately believe in the Trudy range and think it adds real visual flair to primary schools, while also being rooted in the practical demands of a 21st century classroom.

“We’re really proud of this product and can’t wait to see the reactions of pupils when they see their new classrooms. We’re also currently working on a number of other really exciting Trudy product designs and projects for launch later in the year, so watch this space.”

The first product to market with a contemporary colour range, Trudy furniture is designed to utilise all available space and surfaces for use as storage. In addition, units feature soft curved lines and no sharp edges, reducing the likelihood of accidents in primary classrooms. Trudy furniture is also highly customisable, with a wide range of unit styles and sizes offering a plethora of options.

Gerard Toplass, CEO of British Thornton, said: “Trudy’s loose furniture range has proved to be a brilliant product – and for good reason. We’ve always believed it to be truly unique and it’s been fantastic to see schools across the UK embrace it.

“The design team has worked incredibly hard on bringing this new Trudy fixed furniture range to market and they really have excelled themselves. We’re all looking forward to seeing the first classrooms fully fitted with Trudy furniture.”

All storage furniture is manufactured at British Thornton’s Keighley factory, with elements of the soft seating manufactured at the business’ Scottish site in Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire.

In an effort to help schools with classroom design, British Thornton offers a full CAD planning and design service, including production of 2D & 3D layouts, allowing teachers to get a full understanding of how their new classrooms will look.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Jackson .