About DFS
DFS is a Retail company based in Doncaster (United Kingdom) founded in 1969, and was acquired by Advent International in April 2010. It operates as a furniture is manufactured and retailed by DFS across the UK. It operates in the Retail and Consumer sectors. The company has 7 employees. DFS has completed 2 acquisitions, including Sofa Workshop and Sofology. Its website dfs.co.uk draws about 4 million monthly visits. Its focus areas include Consumer Goods, Retail Chains, Home Furnishing and Home Furnishing Products. Its legal entity is DFS LIMITED. Its competitors include MADE.COM, Swoon, eve sleep, Knoll and Salter and 3 more; 4 of its 8 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
DFS was founded in 1969 and operates as a furniture manufacturer and retailer in the United Kingdom. Production occurs in three UK-based factories, with over 85 stores distributed nationwide. The range includes sofa beds, leather sofas, corner sofas, and other household items. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and forms part of the FTSE 250 Index, with headquarters in Doncaster.
- Headquarters Doncaster, United Kingdom
- Employees 7
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsRetailConsumer
- Website category Home and Garden · Furniture
- Website dfs.co.uk
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Advent International (Apr 2010)
- Legal Name Dfs Limited
- Date of Incorporation 29 Dec, 2000
- Jurisdiction OSSETT
- Latest Funding Round$78.85M (USD), Post-IPO
Apr 2020
- Investors
- Employee Count7
- Investments & AcquisitionsSofa Workshop
& 1 more
- Acquired byAdvent International
(Apr 2010)
Funding Insights of DFS
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Post-IPO — $78.85M
- First Round $78.85M
(Apr 2020)
All 1 funding rounds of DFS with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2020 | $78.85M | Post-IPO | – | – | – |
1 investors in total: 1 institutional.
Investors in DFS
DFS has secured backing from 1 investor, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Advent International.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity firm focused on multiple sectors | – | adventinternational.com | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
Investor details for DFS
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People of DFS
143 people are tracked at DFS (52 in leadership, 5 in board & advisors, 86 in team); the tracked headcount is 7.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Nick Smith | Chief Executive Officer of DFS | Leadership |
Russell Harte | Chief Operating Officer | Leadership |
Joanne Shawcroft | Chief People Officer | Leadership |
Dionne Loughrey | Head Of Group Procurement | Leadership |
Jay Astill | Head Of Group IT Security | Leadership |
Barry Slinger | Head Of Group Infrastructure | Leadership |
Tim Stacey | CEO & Director | Leadership |
Paul Bachelor | Head Of Digital Delivery | Leadership |
Rebecca Edmeads | General Manager | Leadership |
Mark Sylvester | Head Of Customer Operations (south) | Leadership |
Liz McDonald | General Counsel, Company Secretary & Director | Leadership |
Kellie W. | Head Of Upholstery Buying & Brands | Leadership |
Louise Coates | HR Business Partner | Leadership |
Andrea Smith | Head Of Service Operations | Leadership |
Stuart Tucker | Branch General Manager | Leadership |
Amy Pandazis | Senior Culture And Inclusion Partner | Leadership |
Hazel Smith | Group Finance Director | Leadership |
Robert Michael | Group Head Of Data | Leadership |
Angela Lovett | Finance Business Partner | Leadership |
Kai Bentley-Grey | Senior Technology Business Partner | Leadership |
123 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for DFS
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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- Team structure
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- Professional contacts
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Investments & Acquisitions by DFS
DFS has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include Sofa Workshop and Sofology.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multichanne sofa retailer | sofology.co.uk | Golborne, United Kingdom | 1974 | Aug 2017 | $33.05M | |
Handmade sofas are manufactured and retailed by Sofa Workshop. | sofaworkshop.com | Farnborough, United Kingdom | 1985 | Jun 2013 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for DFS
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Timeline of DFS
5 dated milestones of DFS across 51 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded DFS is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Advent International.
- Acquisition Acquires Sofa Workshop.
- Acquisition Acquires Sofology.
- Funding First funding round of $78.9M.
Competitors of DFS
DFS has 8 listed competitors in our database, 4 of them funded. They include MADE.COM, Swoon, eve sleep, Knoll and Salter, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| made.com | 2010 | London, United Kingdom | $135.9M | 673 | Multi-category home improvement products are sold through an internet-first brand. | |
| swooneditions.com | 2012 | London, United Kingdom | $44.22M | 64 | Multi-category home furniture is sold online by Swoon. | |
| evesleep.co.uk | 2014 | London, United Kingdom | $23.03M | – | Mattresses, pillows, and furniture products are provided by eve sleep. | |
| knoll.com | 1938 | East Greenville, United States | – | 1,778 | Modern furniture for homes and offices is designed and manufactured. | |
| salter.com | 1760 | Manchester, United Kingdom | – | 356 | Multi-category home improvement products are offered through an internet-first brand. | |
| anglingdirect.co.uk | 1997 | Norwich, United Kingdom | – | 410 | Angling Direct is recognized as a leading retailer of fishing tackle in the UK. | |
| lick.com | 2019 | London, United Kingdom | $44.64M | 3 | Multi-category home improvement products are provided online by Lick. | |
| sharps.co.uk | 2009 | Bilston, United Kingdom | – | – | Designer and installer of bespoke fitted furniture |
Detailed competitors of DFS
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Web traffic of DFS
The website of DFS (dfs.co.uk) receives about 4M visits a month and ranks #12,795 among all websites worldwide, #133 in Furniture.
- Monthly visits4M
▼ 4.3% vs previous month
- Unique visitors1.8M
per month
- Global rank#12,795
among all websites
- Category rank#133
Home and Garden · Furniture
- Bounce rate50%
- Pages per visit3.8
- Average visit2 min 44 sec
- DevicesDesktop 14% · Mobile 86%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with DFS. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| furniturevillage.co.uk | 100% | 1.7M | #35,010 | View details | |
| scs.co.uk | 99% | 945.6K | #58,627 | View details | |
| sofa.com | 88% | 301.5K | #152,217 | View details | |
| sofology.co.uk | 84% | 1.2M | #53,947 | View details | |
| dreams.co.uk | 78% | 2.2M | #26,808 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for DFS
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- 40 similar websites
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Top companies in Retail Stores & Chains
10 companies that operate in the same segment as DFS (Retail Stores & Chains), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online platform offering a wide range of baby, kids, and maternity products | 2010 | Pune, Maharashtra, India | USD 513.39 M | USD 911.07 M | 3,752 | |
Home improvement products and services are retailed by Lowe's. | 1946 | Mooresville, North Carolina, United States | – | USD 86.29 B | 270,000 | |
Office supplies and business products are distributed online to companies. | 1986 | Framingham, Massachusetts, United States | – | – | 13,447 | |
Pet foods, products, and care services are provided by PetSmart. | 1987 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | USD 23.3 M | – | – | |
Multi-format offline retail is operated in India. | 1997 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 3.41 B | USD 280.87 K | 32 | |
Grocery products are retailed through a nationwide chain of stores. | 1883 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | – | – | – | |
Internet first brand of fashion apparel wear for men and women | 1975 | Arteixo, A Coruna, Spain | – | USD 308.1 M | 1,454 | |
Retailer offering wide array of perfumes | 1910 | Dusseldorf, North Rhine-westphalia, Germany | USD 259.43 M | – | – | |
Groceries, essentials, clothing, and electronics are retailed nationwide. | 1962 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | – | USD 104.78 B | 440,000 | |
Hypermarkets and retail stores are operated globally by Carrefour. | 1959 | Massy, France | – | USD 98.74 B | 324,750 |
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Related news about Dfs
Complete news archive for DFS
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Frequently Asked Questions about DFS
DFS was founded in 1969 and raised its 1st funding round 51 years after it was founded.
DFS is headquartered in Doncaster, United Kingdom. It is registered at Doncaster, England, United Kingdom.
DFS was founded in 1969 and operates as a furniture manufacturer and retailer in the United Kingdom. Production occurs in three UK-based factories, with over 85 stores distributed nationwide. The range includes sofa beds, leather sofas, corner sofas, and other household items. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and forms part of the FTSE 250 Index, with headquarters in Doncaster.
DFS has made 2 acquisitions, including Sofa Workshop, and Sofology.
DFS has 1 investor. Key investors include Advent International.
DFS operates through Dfs Limited.
Yes. DFS was acquired by Advent International in April 2010.
The website of DFS receives about 4 million visits a month and ranks #12,795 among all websites worldwide.