Teesside furniture stores recover from flooding

Two Teesside furniture stores hit by devastating floods are re-opening after a major makeover. Neighbouring outlets Race For Furniture and Home Interiors were flooded last September. Now finishing touches are being put to the stores on Portrack Lane Retail Park, Stockton, where £500,000 has been invested.  ekonglong office meeting chair

Chris O’Connor, MD of the outlets, both based at Holme House Road, says: “After months of planning and hard work, the Home Interiors store will open its doors on Bank Holiday Monday at 10am, with the Race for Furniture store opening approximately three weeks after.

“During the major restoration, we have taken the opportunity to improve the layouts of the stores and are looking forward to welcoming customers both existing and new to the new-look stores.

“To celebrate that Race For Furniture and Home Interiors are back in business, there will be thousands of amazing opening offers in our huge relaunch event that will start at 10am on Bank Holiday Monday 6th May.”

Flood water started to pour into the premises at around 5pm on September 25th, and at its peak came up to nearly 3ft high, with the car park outside the two stores even deeper in water. Staff moved as much of the display furniture as possible to the safety of the first floor. They were joined in their mission by family and friends, who worked with them until the early hours to move the stock. The bosses made sure that customers that had previously placed orders were not affected by the flooding.

The stock at the outlets was display furniture, with customers’ orders dealt with by the company’s distribution hub based on Wearside, which escaped the effects of the rain.