Bedding brand Bedfolk has risen to the challenge of consumers looking to upgrade their comfort during the pandemic, after seeing sales increase seven-fold in 2020.

The Cheltenham-based company celebrates its third birthday in May, after a year of record sales and staff growth that has seen a team of ten full time employees recruited in just 12 months.

Established in 2018 by couple Jo and Nick James, Bedfolk said it offers consumers a simplistic, jargon-free approach to buying bedding.

The brand's use of 100 percent natural cotton and linen, fair pricing, responsible manufacturing and ethical sourcing has resonated with its customers, who rate them 4.9/5 in more than 1,500 independent reviews.

During 2020, Bedfolk moved to a new office space in Cheltenham to allow much needed room for the growing team, warehouse space for stock and a photography studio to support new launches.

Further growth is expected in 2021 with the team expected to grow to 30-plus to keep up with demand - most of whom will be hired and based in Cheltenham.

"We were seeing strong growth before lockdown with sales increasing by 500 percent in 2019 and this accelerated further during 2020," said co-founder Nick James.

"Interiors is an area that has reported increased sales during lockdown as consumers focus on their home surroundings and invest in high quality items to keep them comfortable.

"We've seen an uplift in sales across the board in terms of age demographic and we've seen a particularly big boom in over 55s shopping with us. All of the adopted technology for family video calls is clearly leading to more confidence in online purchases."

He added: "The growth we've seen in the past 12 months has allowed us to bring forward recruitment and investment plans to support our continued growth in 2021. We launched three new collections last year; a linen range, a quilted collection and our linen & cotton throw, and have some exciting new products in the pipeline. 2021 is set to be another busy year!"

Bedfolk said it is dedicated to creating the kind of heritage-grade sheets that its family-run, Portuguese mill partner has been passing down between generations.

All the brand's bedding is Oeko-Tex certified, meaning it is manufactured to the strictest of environmental and social standards without harmful substances.

More info can be found at bedfolk.com.