There are of course many places besides Backworld where you can go shopping for new office equipment. Backworlds business model isn’t unique, there is always a choice.
The truth is there aren’t many ‘bricks and mortar’ shops that specialise in ergonomic office equipment, where you can go for expert advice on chairs, desks and accessories. There is of course a lot of choice online, and if you know exactly what you want it can be a good place to shop, as it’s quick and easy to compare prices. You’ve loved the chair you’ve got for the last 10 years, it needs replacing, you don’t feel you need to look at alternatives, and you’re happy to build it yourself and junk the enormous box.
Of course most companies trading out of a shop premises also have an online offering, and these tend to have the best selection of quality products. Back2 tends to lean on their online offering more than their showroom which like Backworld, is open by appointment.
Back In Action is probably the best known shop, maybe because they have 4 of them. They have nice showrooms in London, Buckinghamshire and Bristol and are worth a visit if you’re in the area and looking for great products and advice.
If you’re in Surrey, Healthy Home and Office in Guilford offer a full service – Assessments, advice and sales. Like Backworld it’s a traditional service lead business. The products you can try in the showroom are available to order online, but they would really like to meet with you first if possible. Similarly and at the other end of the country, Lundia in York are well worth talking to.
Access 2 Comfort specialise in assessments. Whether it’s an individual in pain or advice on an office refurb, they have nationwide coverage and lots of knowledge.
Guy Osmond, the figurehead at Osmond Ergonomics has as much knowledge and experience as anyone you’ll ever meet. He even had the foresight to register www.ergonomics.co.uk. They’ll design an office and sell you a chair online like anyone else, but they love to share knowledge and resources and provide excellent B2B training.
Probably the best selection of quality product online is available at Online Ergonomics. They specialise in volume sales to dealers, but the website is there for all.
Supplying huge numbers of colleagues with DSE training is a problem that Hub4 grapples with. Gerald and his team have been developing online assessment services for larger companies for 30 years keeping the worlds desk workers safe and their employers compliant.
All of the above promote high quality products because we believe that the human body is a high quality item that deserves nothing less. Google ‘ergonomic office chair’ and you’ll see hundreds of offerings at rock bottom prices available for next day delivery. Of course if one of these fits you well, it may be everything you need. Ikea is one of the few companies that has a large range of chairs that you can try before you buy. Occasionally in other High Street shops we come across a decent chair or desk but I’ve never yet found anyone that could advise me on it’s suitability for me and my work or even how to adjust it correctly.