Furniture business owner launches free workspace to aspiring entrepreneurs in Liversedge

Loomworks opened at the end of July at Flair Furniture Group’s warehouse on Headlands Road, and offers local founders building businesses in AI and e-commerce free office space, a registered office address, meeting room access, and hands-on mentoring.

The workspace is the brainchild of Ashley Hainsworth, who founded Flair Furniture Group in 2011 from his student flat at the University of Huddersfield with just £400 in his pocket.

Fifteen years later, Flair Furniture Group, which trades primarily as Bed Kingdom and operates eight brands, now employs 92 staff across three West Yorkshire warehouses and holds retail partnerships with businesses such as Dunelm and The Range.

Ashley said: “When I started out, there was nothing like this. No investors, no office, no safety net for those with ideas – just a laptop and a lot of stubbornness. Loomworks is the thing I wish had existed back then.

“Kirklees is full of talent, but too much of it leaves for bigger hubs like Leeds, Manchester or London to build something. We’ve proven you can build a multi-million pound business with 92 staff right here in West Yorkshire. Now we want to help the next generation do the same, without leaving home to do it.

“The cost for those entrepreneurs is nothing, it’s all completely free. If you’re building something in AI or e-commerce, or you know someone who is, we want to hear from you.”

Loomworks is open to any local founder with a credible idea in AI or e-commerce, at no cost whatsoever, while founders based at the space will work alongside Flair Furniture Group’s operations, giving them direct access to the day-to-day reality of a scaled e-commerce business.

They can also get knowledge and experience across many aspects of a business from warehousing and logistics to digital marketing, marketplaces and AI adoption.

The group has been undergoing its own AI-first transformation and hosts student placements and university project cohorts at its sites.

Applications are open now at loomworks.uk

For more information on Bed Kingdom, visit: bedkingdom.co.uk