Thinking around the impact of the recession will have vexed the minds of all Oxfordshire company directors recently. So David Lewis, managing director of specialist chair manufacturer OSC Group, was not alone when he started scratching his head in a bid to keep sales healthy.

Having already sub-contracted manufacturing from the Wallingford base to High Wycombe, Mr Lewis decided to use the space to not only help the company, but the local community and the environment to boot.

The new arm of the business, Chairtrader, sources unwanted office and technical furniture and either donates it to charity, or resells it after refurbishment.

So, for example, when 200 chairs were recently sourced from Waitrose, they were given to Wallingford School. The same has happened with the Thomley Hall activity centre for disabled children in Worminghall.

Mr Lewis explained: “There is nothing wrong with what we are giving away, but it is just not viable for sale.”

The second tranche of the business involving resale of higher quality chairs also has a degree of social responsibility as the company donates a percentage of the sales to its chosen charities, or those of the furniture donors.

Chairtrader is also green, as it saves all the chairs which it collects from going to landfill.

Often companies which are being liquidated; downsized or simply moving to new premises need to dispose of their furniture quickly. Rather than heading to the tip, Chairtrader steps in.

Mr Lewis said: “When companies move office, very often they buy new furniture. Firms buying from us will be small start-ups, perhaps university spin-outs more interested in science, rather than furniture.”

Much of the furniture also becomes available as end-of-line clearances, or ex-photographic or demonstration samples and is virtually new.

OSC turnover last year was £800,000 — £150,000 of which was generated in export sales. Mr Lewis admits Chairtrader is unlikely to overtake the core business.

But he is interested in accessing smaller firms and helping them grow which should benefit both sides of the company.

Contact: 01491 838156.

Web: www.chairtrader.com