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In 1946, as Britain was still celebrating the end of the Second World War, thousands of servicemen began to return to civilian life. Two air force men, George Dennis and Robbie Robinson, decided that their future lay in hand-crafted furniture and established Dennis & Robinson Ltd in workshops in the North Laine area of Brighton.
In 1952 Dennis & Robinson Ltd was bought by its largest customer, Smiths Industry plc. After a brief period in Portslade, Sussex, Dennis & Robinson moved to its current home on the Lancing Business Park in the early 1960s. The factory, which has more than 120,000 sq ft of floor space, was once a railway building, the whole business park having once formed the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway sidings and carriage works. Many reminders of that past are still visible in the factory, not least of which is the original works clock, which dates back to 1872.
By the mid 1960s, fitted kitchens were all the rage, led by the American lifestyle dream. As Dennis & Robinson already possessed the necessary skills and equipment, it was an easy market for to move into. The brand name ‘Manhattan Furniture’ swiftly followed.
Manhattan quickly established itself as one of the leading players in the UK kitchen market, focusing then, as now, on new-build housing.
In 1982 Jim Downs, then managing director, led a management buyout and Manhattan became a private company once again. In 2000, Iain Flitcroft led another management buyout and it is Iain and his team that currently owns and runs the business.
Now supplying and installing more than 80,000 kitchen cabinets a year, Manhattan continues to be a highly respected sub-contractor to the UK house-building industry.
Supplying most of the leading UK house builders, Manhattan is extremely proud of its standards, products, service and achievements.
As the only kitchen supplier to the new housing market to hold the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) Gold Awards for Product and Installation and with products designed and tested to BS6222 Level H, our customers know they can rely on the durability and reliability of Manhattan Kitchens.
Manhattan is an Investor In People, and for more than 60 years has trained and developed a workforce of craftsmen, technicians and specialists. For nine consecutive years we have won British Safety Council Health and Safety Awards, a visible record of our commitment to safe and healthy working.
The ISO 9001 standard underpins the robust quality systems that support Manhattan in delivering excellent products and services.
In 2001 the company was proud to receive the Royal Warrant in recognition of a number of years’ reliable service to the Queen and her household.
Now, in 2007, Manhattan is a trusted sub-contract partner to most of the building industry’s household names. Moving forward, the company’s aim is to retain the best of the standards and quality of the last 60 years, while harnessing all the efficiencies that technology and the global marketplace has to offer. Manhattan continues to make great furniture and still aspires to be ‘the best sub-contractor to the new-housing market’.
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