Soffurni has grown from a 388 sq ft shop to four locations in the Klang Valley, including its new Spaces & Senses showroom at Tropicana Gardens Mall. Its founder, Jack Liew tells us more.

There is more to running a successful furniture business than merely offering attractive pieces. Most furniture purchasers view their purchase as the start of a long-term relationship, which is why it’s important that the products leave a favourable impression. At Soffurni, you will not only be pleased with its multi-brand merchandise, but also by the customer service that is provided there. “What separates us from the competition is the hardworking and talented group of people who work for Soffurni,” says its founder, Jack Liew of the furniture and soft furnishings retail brand. In order to better enlighten our clients and help them make informed decisions, we regularly share our expertise, case studies in design, solutions, and top-notch service and support with them. In short, we’re continuously improving our team’s knowledge and expertise, and ready to serve when customers reach us”. Soffurni also invests a significant amount of time and energy into the selection of the manufacturers with whom it collaborates. “This is done to ensure that the brands that we work with can provide customer care and support in addition to producing products of premium quality.” Soffurni, short for “soft and furnishing”, was established in December 2015.

It has its roots in a modest, 388 sq ft store at Viva Home mall in Cheras, and it used to specialise in mattresses until it opened the Soffurni Spaces & Senses showroom at EkoCheras mall in 2019 to expand its selection to include living and dining room options. The second Soffurni Spaces & Senses showroom is at Tropicana Gardens Mall. “The market is paying more attention to us as a result of our new concept, which is helping us grow more quickly,” says the soft-spoken gentleman who hails from Sitiawan, Perak. He adds that in a world that is constantly changing, it is imperative that Soffurni continues to keep giving its customers new reasons to be excited. “In the past, we tried to have as many common brands and products as possible in our showroom so that we could be a convenient, one-stop shop.

Now, our direction is to offer a mix of common and extraordinary brands and products to spice up what we have to offer. This is the reason why we brought in a home theatre room set with the Devialet sound system from France, Roviva bedding from Switzerland, and Bomma lighting from the Czech Republic to enrich our customers’ experience and selection,” he explains. In Malaysia, Soffurni is the sole distributor for Bomma and Roviva. It is also the sole distributor in Singapore for the latter. The other brands available at Soffurni are Getha, Natura, King Koil, Chester London, Laveo, Thermos, Gaias, and Soffurni Stone collection.

The 5,736 sq ft Soffurni Spaces & Senses showroom in Tropicana Gardens Mall, which opened its doors in October last year, is divided into four main sections namely bedroom, living room, dining room, and accessories. Here, Soffurni showcases its first ever luxurious home theatre room set, which is truly remarkable. With a 120-inch projector screen coupled with cinema reclining beds from Getha, and customisable reclining seats from Laveo, plus the intensely immersive Devialet sound system, you can now bring the entire cinematic experience into your home! “We were always thinking about opening a Soffurni Spaces & Senses showroom in the Damansara area. The primary factor that led to us settling on Tropicana Gardens Mall is the manner in which the mall’s management operates; they are always willing to discuss new opportunities and are extremely welcoming to small businesses such as ours, as opposed to focusing solely on the interests of large enterprises,” Jack, 34, explains.

Because of its excellent location, design, and construction, Tropicana Gardens Mall is without a doubt an ideal place in which to establish a brand, he adds. “Residents in the area are more likely to place higher importance on quality than on price, which is consistent with both our retail offering and our brand positioning”. Soffurni, like most other businesses, has had its share of issues, the worst of which was when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. “During the MCO (Movement Control Order) period we did not make any money. But thanks to our solid relationship with banks, we were able to get their support with additional funds for us to get through the challenging period. We also launched a café next to one of our stores shortly after the first MCO, and the café not only serves as a revenue contributor to the business during the second MCO, but it also brings more attention and traffic to Soffurni. Very soon, we will open Caveman Coffee, which is part of the Soffurni company, next to every Soffurni store,” explains Jack. According to him, there will be a Caveman Coffee at Tropicana Gardens Mall by the end of the year. And, in 2024, Jack hopes to have a Soffurni showroom in Singapore. “We have big plans for Soffurni, like entering the Singapore market in two years’ time, and going into the hotel business. It would make sense for us to expand into the hotel industry, given that we already offer furniture and soft furnishings. Having our own hotel would be the perfect setting for potential customers to test out the products that we sell.”