The Furniture Re-use Network is a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee. The FRN is the national body which supports, assists and develops charitable re-use organisations across the UK. We do this to reduce poverty by helping households in need access furniture, white goods and other household items at affordable prices. In addition, we support re-use organisations in providing training and work placement opportunities for people who are socially excluded.

Approximately 400 re-use organisations work with social and environmental aims across the UK. These vary in size from small local charities to large social enterprises. Some are attached to housing associations, development trusts and councils for voluntary service. The benefits of our members work extends far beyond that which can easily be quantified, for example, rebuilding someone’s confidence or turning the shell of a property into a home.

FRN Enterprises Ltd
FRN Enterprises is the wholly owned subsidiary company of the Furniture Re-use Network. FRN Enterprises was set up to:

Negotiate and broker contracts and services on behalf of Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) re-use organisations.
Audit and register the operations and procedures of VCS re-use organisations.
The FRN Enterprises subscription is only open to Full Members of the FRN. All subscribers to FRN Enterprises will be subject to a regulatory regime established by the FRN.

The successful candidate will be employed by the FRN but will be seconded to its trading subsidiary FRN Enterprises to carry out the brokerage activities. The Contracts Officer will report directly Enterprise Director.

Brokerage & Contracts
In addition to the eleven nationwide contracts that FRNE currently operates with the commercial sector, we are currently implementing 3 other contracts with major retailers. Also ad hoc work is being done with hotel chains that are keen to nationally roll out a furniture reuse service within their hotel refurbishment programmes.

FRN intends to build on this work and be far more proactive promoting FRNE services to the private sector and being in a position to conclude a larger number of contracts. Furniture and Electrical Retailers and Manufacturers are continuously contacting FRN for such services and it is with some urgency that FRN and FRNE needs to increase its staffing resources to meet this demand.

The commercial sector is keen to reduce costs; our services have the dual benefit of providing cost effective services and making re-usable items available to our socially and financially excluded market. More contracts inevitably means more supply and a wider base of customers to reduce risk of depending upon a small number of companies.