UK Made: Edmund Bell

Established in 1855, Edmund Bell first started out producing apparel fabrics. They then expanded throughout the 20th century becoming a major supplier of blackout fabrics during World War II; inadvertently entering the domestic furnishings market and quickly establishing a reputation for quality and service.

Fast forward 166 years, and today, Edmund Bell is a leading global supplier of fabrics and accessories to the commercial, institutional and domestic interiors markets. They offer design-led technical expertise, support and service to designers, specifiers and contractors in the hospitality, leisure, healthcare and education sectors.

Offering a comprehensive range of decorative blackout, dimout, sheer, woven, upholstery, prints and curtain lining solutions – they have in recent years made a significant investment in their bespoke printing solution; PRINT LAB, which allows their customers to work with their skilled UK based design team on bespoke design projects. All of these options mean Edmund Bell can guarantee a coordinated project approach across curtains, blinds, upholstery, cushions and bedding.

As part of their UK manufacturing process, over 90% of all blackout, upholstery and linings products are finished right here in the UK at Edmund Bell’s very own fabric finishing mill based just 3 miles away in Newhey, Lancashire. Established in 1902, their expertise in textile finishing, coating and lamination is unique in the industry and they are the only producer of blackout coated fabrics in Europe.

Having their own finishing capabilities allows Edmund Bell to locally coat a large quantity of their products – last year they locally coated 650,000 metres of fabric avoiding transportation of over 350 tonnes of coating weight on their carbon footprint.

With sustainability at the forefront of their minds, Edmund Bell are proud that over 80% of their product range is recyclable – and they are working towards ensuring the remaining 20% is as well! They are on track to divert this fabric waste from landfill, and instead, recycle this locally to be remade into other products used within the flooring industry.

Now part of a group of four companies all based in the UK, and with a team of 56 staff members, Edmund Bell supply more than 10,000 customers across 50+ countries around the world – they have come a long way since being founded back in 1855.

Contact Edmund Bell through the BCFA Product Finder.

The BCFA Product Finder is a unique search engine created especially for interior designers to source contract furnishing companies. Utilising this platform will support your findings for upcoming projects, with over 200 members profiles showcasing the latest product launches, new materials available, industry news and design trends.

Share

About Jess Mockler

Jess is a Marketing & Event professional who joined the BCFA as a Marketing Executive in 2019. Working closely with designers and BCFA members, Jess has published an array of content for the Commercial sector.
View all posts by Jess Mockler →