People have been left scratching their heads as they try to figure out what DFS actually stands for – with some joking about it standing for ‘Doesn’t Finish Sales’
They’re a well-known retailer specialising in sofa and soft furnishings – but many customers have no idea what its company name actually stands for.
DFS has 118 showrooms across the UK and Ireland and is estimated to have a market application of £316.09 million. But when the company started out in 1969, it served customers from a single store in Doncaster under the trading name Northern Upholstery.
Founder Graham Kirkham went on to purchase the name DFS from the Hardy Family in 1983 with the aim of expanding his company’s footprint. And he definitely achieved this!
In 2003, DFS became the largest retailer in the UK upholstery market before achieving its highest market share, 34%, in 2019. It then launched a new strategy to lead sofa retailing in the digital age.
However, despite it being a household name, many people still have no idea what DFS actually stands for, prompting one Reddit user to state: “No one actually knows what DFS stands for. My friend said ‘Da Furniture Store’?”
Commenting on this, other users started to share their ideas on what the acronym might mean, with one suggesting: “D is for discount. As in discounts across the whole store. F is furniture. Like all the great furniture we have inside. S is for sale! If my memory serves me well.”
Another user added: “I always thought it meant Deals Finish Sunday.” A third user said: “Discount Furniture Store One more user added: “Doesn’t Finish Sales.” Another user guessed: “Doncaster Furniture Store.” However, according to the company, DFS simply stands for Direct Furniture Supplies.
A DFS statement reads: “With 118 showrooms in the UK and Ireland and a market leading website, the DFS brand has the sector-leading integrated retail proposition which is supported by nearly 4,000 employees across our showrooms, online team, manufacturing operations, warehousing, delivery and post sales servicing teams and support centre functions.
“We have a unique and differentiated sofa offering. In addition to strong promotional and core DFS ranges, we have partnerships with a number of leading lifestyle brands which together allow us to provide all our customers with a tailored range of products. Our innovation team is focused on developing new customer propositions, and we are trialing new ranges through online customer panels before piloting them through physical showroom presence.
“A key priority of our strategy is to drive the growth of the brand through developing new services to engage customers, enhancing our range and unique product offer and continued development of a seamless multi channel customer journey.”
