Utopia Furniture Ltd is continuing to invest in its local community by introducing an apprenticeship scheme. As a major employer in the Wolverhampton area, the company has many long-standing local employees and is keen to support and encourage new talent into the business.

The first two apprentices have already joined the company as part of the scheme which allows them to attend Dudley College of Technology for one or more days each week. Chloe Powell has joined as an IT Junior Apprentice for an initial two years leading to an Infrastructure Technician qualification. Adam Briscoe is a new Maintenance Apprentice and will work towards a Mechatronic Maintenance Technician qualification over the next three and a half years.

Dave Conn, Joint MD of Utopia, says “Young people are the lifeblood and future of our industry so it’s vitally important that we attract the next generation by offering a proper, structured career opportunity resulting in both formal qualifications and meaningful work experience. We look forward to nurturing this new talent and hope our apprentices will go on to have long and rewarding careers with us.”

With another major product launch imminent, Utopia has introduced three new dedicated brochures.

Designed to provide clear focus to its largest range of furniture to date Utopia has split its offering to provide a focused solution for Fitted Furniture, Modular Furniture and the Roseberry painted timber collection, whilst also comprehensively covering its complementary products portfolio.

With significant product launches across the board this Spring, the brochures feature new imagery to inspire consumers as well as suggesting creative and imaginative solutions for every bathroom type.

In keeping with its environmental policy, Utopia is acutely mindful of the impact of brochure production. Whilst many people view brochures online with the option to download them, there is still a definite requirement for a printed brochure and the company has therefore taken advantage of the latest developments in paper sourcing and printing techniques to minimise the impact of this.

As Helen Clark, Utopia’s Head of Marketing, explains “Working closely with our ISO14001 accredited printing partner, we have specified that all paper used is not only FSC certified but also ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free), which means it has been bleached using chlorine dioxide as opposed to the more harmful chlorine gas method. In addition, the printing process uses vegetable-based inks and water-based coatings, and a minimum of 40% of each brochure is recycled material.”

Utopia has also opted to go one step further by paying an additional supplement to carbon balance the paper through the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats acre by acre.