Habitat

History of Habitat

For many people Habitat conjures up London in the swinging 60s; the very first Habitat store opened in Chelsea in 1964. It was the brain child of the English designer Terence Conran who created the store in order to sell his own range of stylish, contemporary furniture. From the very outset, the look and feel of the place was different; the walls were whitewashed brick, the ceilings were white wooden slats and there were spotlights everywhere. This was one of the first stores that understood branding as an active concept and the chosen design provided a perfect backdrop for the furniture on sale. Terence Conran is said to have remarked that the only reason for the store's immense success was the fact they sold pasta jars, at the very moment that dried pasta began to become popular in Britain!

By the end of the 1960s, there were Habitat stores in cities across the UK and customers were able to choose their items from the Habitat catalogue and have furniture delivered to their doors. By the end of the 1970s, Habitat was boasting that they could provide the new homeowner with everything they needed to furnish a three-bedroomed house, and deliver it to them in a six-foot high container. The 21st century Habitat store has remained true to its roots, although the range of household items available is now far beyond the dreams of the original. For the contemporary shopper, the online store has the added advantage of offering regular voucher codes with great savings in all departments and on delivery.

Brands

The brand is Habitat, so the stores don't stock high street names. They do however get contemporary designers, artists and celebrities involved in their product development; recent collaborators include Kate Winslet, Buzz Aldrin and Miss Piggy. Their most popular furniture collections include:

• Chester
• Hendricks
• Hyde
• Kasha
• Momo
• Newman
• Rupert
• Porto

Departments

This truly is the place to get everything you need to furnish your home. Habitat departments include:

• Sofas and armchairs
• Furniture (living room, dining room, bedroom, office, and hallway)
• Accessories (candles and holders, frames, clocks, laundry, mirrors, rugs, storage, and wallpaper)
• Lighting
• Kitchen (bins, cutlery, dinnerware, cookware, gadgets, glassware, and storage)
• Soft furnishings (rugs, towels, bedding, curtains duvets, and throws)

Opening Times

Habitat opening times differ dependeing upon their locations; retail park stores tend to stay open later. The times below are an indicator for high street stores:

Monday - Saturday, 8.00am - 8.00pmSunday, 10.00am - 4.00pm

Delivery Information

The delivery prices vary according to the size of the item you are buying, and your location. For all deliveries in the UK and Northern Ireland, orders under £50 cost £4.95 standard delivery. For orders over £50 which consist of small items (if it can be carried by one person), standard delivery is free. For furniture and bulky items under £500, standard delivery costs £9.95 and for orders over £500, standard delivery is free.

There are exceptions to this pricing structure, but they are all clearly laid out in the 'Delivery & Returns' section of each product page, as is the estimated time needed for delivery. For furniture and bulky items it is now possible to book a delivery slot up to two weeks before the item is scheduled to arrive.

If you live in the Republic of Ireland, the delivery price on all home accessories and small items is £12 and for all furniture and bulky items delivery is £135.

Returns Policy

There is no charge for returning unwanted or faulty goods to Habitat but there are some stipulations which must be adhered to. Items must be returned in a good condition, and refunds are not offered on made-to-order furniture. If you wish to return an item purchased online, you will need to inform customer services no later than seven days after delivery and collection will be arranged. Delivery charges are refunded.

The only place where returns are not free is in the Republic of Ireland; if you are returning a large or bulky item from there it will cost you £68.

Security & Reviews

The information Habitat offer relating to security of personal customer information which is collected and stored online is rather vague. There is an assurance that every care is taken to safeguard personal information using appropriate means, but more detailed information relating to data encryption would be welcome.

Customer reviews are quite mixed, depending upon which website you visit. On reviewcentre.com the ratings for customer service and item availability are very poor. However, on uk.trustpilot.com there is an entirely different story with the vast majority of customers stating their complete satisfaction with both the service they received and the items they purchased. It was clear from this website that where concerns and queries were raised, the Habitat customer service team were very quick to reply and attempt to resolve the issue. Often problems were solved very promptly and the customer was entirely happy with the outcome.