To our teams, partners and clients, 

Welcome to the Fall season, which has started with strong initiatives and excellent feedback from designers.  

With the economic and political environment continuing to shift shape, I have some updates from Sanderson Design Group to share as we enter a peak period:  

 

Increase in Tariff Surcharge 

Firstly, I’d like to thank you all for your support and understanding as we continue to navigate the changing and often challenging landscape regarding tariff measures worldwide. We know that everyone feels these fluctuations, and we recognise that clear communication and an open dialogue about how this affects Sanderson Design Group as a business are key. 

Following our previous announcement in April, outlining the impact of the tariff measures in place and the recent increased tariff rate on goods from India, we must update our tariff surcharge following the withdrawal of the “de minimis” allowance at the end of August. 

We are implementing a 6% flat surcharge on all goods, lifting from the current 3%, as a necessary response to the tariff rates raised at the end of August. We kept a close watch on increased costs during September, and this rise will be sufficient to contribute to the additional cost felt by our business.  

We consider 6% very keen across our industry but fully understand the implications for your clients. The situation seems stable for now, but it remains under review, with the court appeal pending.  

The surcharge will take effect on 11th October and will continue to be itemised as a separate line item on invoices for complete transparency.  

Our priority continues to be collaboration with our valued partners, including offering flexible and straightforward working solutions that we can adapt to changing conditions. Thank you for working with us on this.  

 

Our New Trade Site 

Our new Trade Site has been live for over one month now, and we’ve received hugely positive feedback on the operation and content of this much-improved design portal. The Trade Site has been completely upgraded as part of our Digital Innovation Program. It is now a highly functional, intuitive and accessible portal for all our luxury British brands. With pricing available at a click of a button, transparency in stock availability and a full range of supporting visuals and comprehensive storytelling for every brand, collection and design, we hope our Trade Site becomes your one-stop shop for all future projects. Please log in, browse, and let us know your feedback. 

 

Branded Website Launches 

Moving on at pace with our Digital Innovation Program plans, we’re also delighted to deliver new single-branded websites for each brand. Following on from Morris & Co., which was launched in March, Harlequin is now live as our next full platform, with Sanderson to follow within the next month or so. Each of our omni-channel sites has been thoughtfully planned and executed to inspire with our designs as experts in textile design and making, with the clearly defined values and ethos of each brand elevating our standing as luxury British brands.  Brand storytelling is of the utmost importance in fostering meaningful connections between our brands, designers and their clients – the people who embrace our creativity within their interiors. We hope you enjoy these new websites as tools to highlight our brands' quality and design excellence and inspire broader audiences, generating more awareness and demand back to our design community. 

 

Making Strides in the USA 

In other news, our fantastic team and I have recently returned from a wonderful trip to NYC, where we visited the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in the West Village. Kips Bay was celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year with a very special show house, including Sanderson products in one of the rooms.  This is the first time Sanderson has sponsored the event significantly, and the first time for British designer Ben Pentreath, who was invited to design one of the rooms. Ben selected the first-floor drawing room and decorated it in his unmistakable style. The reception and response to this thoughtfully curated and expertly executed design have been fantastic, showcasing the brand and our collaboration with Highgrove Gardens to sensational effect. 

We’ve also seen Morris & Co. elevated to monumental heights. Cabana magazine, featuring our exclusive collaborative cover with the Morris & Co. x The Huntington design, Daisy & Oak, was featured in the hands of none other than Oprah Winfrey this weekend. Leafing through the publication, Oprah was quick to celebrate the impressive quality and weight (physical and metaphorical) of Cabana, and we are absolutely delighted that our new series of designs, born out of our collaboration with The Huntington and subsequent exploration of their archive, has garnered such tremendous, organic interest.  

 

Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any further questions relating to recent announcements. We greatly appreciate your partnership and commitment to Sanderson Design Group. 

 

Thank you for your continued support. We wish you a fabulous Fall season.  

 

Yours, 

Lisa Montague
CEO, Sanderson Design Group