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A long-standing UK bed and furniture manufacturer is facing potential collapse after years of "financial challenges." The business, which produces mattresses, bed frames and upholstered furniture under several brands including Airsprung and Gainsborough, has been a notable name in British manufacturing for generations. A

Airsprung items are often sold through major retailers like Argos, Very, Dunelm, and Amazon, as well as their own Airsprung Factory Shop. Airsprung Group plc, which is headquartered in Trowbridge,Wiltshire, and traces its origins back more than 150 years, has filed a Notice of Intention to appoint administrators (NOI) alongside its subsidiary Airsprung Furniture Ltd.

An NOI being filed means that a company plans to bring in administrators if it cannot resolve its financial difficulties. The company has not yet entered administration, reports Wiltshire Times.

The internal notice reads: "As you may be aware the company has been facing financial challenges because of difficult trading conditions over a sustained period alongside a significant pension scheme deficit. In recent times, the company has been exploring all its options.

"However, the business faces a short-term liquidity issue and as such the Directors have filed for a notice of intention to appoint administrators for Airsprung Group plc and Airsprung Furniture Limited.

"The Directors are working with key stakeholders on options to preserve the Company.

"Whilst these options are being progressed, the filing of a NOl provides the directors and the business some breathing space to see these options through."

The directors of Airsprung Group plc and Airsprung Furniture Limited told the Wiltshire Times: "There have been significant pressures faced in the sector, all of which have impacted Airsprung's trading performance and have affected the cashflow position of the company.

"The directors are working with key stakeholders on options to preserve the company. Whilst these options are being progressed, the filing of an NOI provides the directors and the business some breathing space to see these options through.

"We will not be able to provide live updates on this process." Staff will be paid on April 24 and April 28, it also confirmed to the paper.

The company dates all the way back to 1871. It was founded in Trowbridge by Henry Hedley Reeves Chapman. The business began trading under the Airsprung name during the mid-20th century and in 1965, it was officially incorporated as Airsprung Limited.

By 1987, the company was the UK's second-largest manufacturer of beds.