But 12 months on, the future is looking bright for HJ Berry following the appointment of the first non-family member to take over the company.
John Woodruffe believes that a growing public interest in the quality of products, their background and the ethical processes used to produce them will guarantee the 168-year-old chairmakers continues for many years to come.
The 43-year-old passionately champions British manufacturing and has worked with many organisations throughout his career, including some major UK 'blue chip' companies, to improve their manufacturing processes to increase profitability and allow them to become more competitive in the face of cheaper products from abroad.
After finishing school, John, who lives in Walton-le-Dale, joined his father and brother at Goss Graphic Systems in Preston. He started as an apprentice in 1981 and eventually worked his way into office roles.
His initial experiences in the manufacturing industry fuelled his interest in British manufacturing and led him to focus on increasing production in the UK.
He said: "After 10 years, I took voluntary redundancy and left because the manufacturing industry was on the decline. My dad had been there all his working life. Back then, there was a thing called a 'job for life'. People would begin as an apprentice and retire from the same place and everybody knew each other. It was like a family. There is no such thing anymore.
"It came as quite a big shock, working for a number of years and watching the number of people reduce both naturally and through redundancies. For the person who had been working there for many years it was a massive culture shock to find somewhere else to work and find new friends."
John took on various roles, working in production, processing, senior operations and management. He started to learn a technique called Lean manufacturing, which had been developed by Toyota.
He worked at La-Z-Boy Reclining Chairs, Leyland, before moving to the Manufacturing Institute where he became a consultant, implementing the Lean technique within companies throughout the UK, as well as in Holland and Poland.
He said: "Lean manufacturing removes the waste out of processes. The idea is to stop working with the old mentality of mass production and large batch sizes and to incorporate the techniques which have made Toyota the largest, most profitable car manufacturer in the world.
"British manufacturing has been slowly dying, and yet there are tools and techniques out there that can help everybody to be more competitive and fight off competition from Eastern Europe and China."
Whilst working for the Manufacturing Institute, John visited HJ Berry, and he realised that the company had lots of potential.
He continued: "The company had gone through a state of growth over the 50s, 60s and 70s after the war, but as the competition from abroad began it went into steady decline.
"But HJ Berry has got a massive heritage. The name is synonymous throughout the UK with quality furniture, and it is respected throughout all the retailers.
"I realised that the company would show its true potential by utilising some external experience and I was very fortunate to have been offered the position of managing director."
Although John, whose brief includes Forton Woodturning on the A6 at Forton, believes the most important thing for the company is its survival, he is determined not to lose the ethics behind the business. He believes that in the long run, HJ Berry will succeed as long as it keeps the values and qualities which make it stand out from the crowd.
He says that for too long, the furniture-makers has produced good quality British products and emphasised corporate social responsibility without any recognition.
The company has reached the regional finals of the National Business Awards for working with the community and looking after the environment.
Neutral
It is completely carbon neutral, and the burning of excess timber in a biomass boiler generates all heating requirements for the factory and offices.
The company also sources its timber from managed forests, where for every tree that is cut down, another is planted.
John said: "I've found we've made some massive changes for the business in the past which have all been about the environmental issues and sustainability. Unfortunately we've done this with no recognition. I think now is the time that we go out and shout about it.
"We've implemented new ranges since I started and have also worked closely with a lot of other organisations to improve things.
"I think it's fantastic working here. It's really enjoyable, but there have been some very high highs and low lows and some decisions have been really hard to make. Thankfully because of the improvements that have been made things are levelling out and looking bright for the future."
John's next plan is to secure the future of the business through an apprenticeship scheme, which will involve training local, young people and ensure that the chairmaking skills that have been used since the 1840s are not lost.
He said: "We are showing a steady increase in orders and enquiries and are very optimistic for the future. We are proud as a company to be known as one of the largest local employers.
"Jack Berry received an MBE for services to the community and we want to show that commitment is still ongoing through the new management. The turnaround has taken into consideration the effects that it will have on the community, which has meant that the rate of change will be slower, but in the long term it will show more benefits.
"I have never worked anywhere where there has been such a dedicated workforce. The business is more like a village and I think it would be a crying shame if it was lost.
"But we're doing really well, the atmosphere is improving and the factory has not been so busy in years. There is now the potential for a future within the company and perhaps a return of the 'job for life'."