With the summer holidays now an increasingly distant memory the time has come to look at bringing the home up to scratch.

As the nights draw in a comfortable and cosy home is just the thing to protect against those winter blues and one of Kidderminster's independent established businesses is determined to make that as easy and inexpensive as possible.

Carter's Furniture Centre is the one stop shop for all lounge, dining and furniture requirements with thousands of different products to suit all tastes and budgets available under one roof at the centre in New Road.

With 25,000 square feet of showroom on two levels the Furniture Centre is big by the standards of any of its competitors but that is not the case with prices as Carter's is committed to keeping costs down. To make paying easy interest free credit is available and customers can spread the cost over four years.

The range of furniture available is huge with differing styles offering traditional, transitional, modern and contemporary. By having so many styles under one roof home makers get the chance to mix and match furniture before deciding what will really work for them.

More than 100 different sofas and suites can be viewed in various leathers, fabrics and materials. If your requirement is for a classic three piece suite, a fixed chair, a two or three seater sofa or something different such as a lift and tilt chair then Carter's are almost certain to have what you want.

The lounge furniture comes from all over the world but all the main brands are stocked such as G Plan, Duresta, Cintique, Steed, Sherbourne and Vale.

Shopping for furniture at Carter's means that it is possible to design just a single room or the whole house if that is what the customer wants.

As well as the upholstery displays the store sells a full range of dining and bedroom furniture including popular names like Nolte, Kingstown, Old Charm, Sutcliffe, Morris and Caxton. The finishes cover a spectrum from yew to mahogany, French Cherry to light oak.

Customers planning to view the dining and bedroom furniture ought to allow plenty of time as there are over eighty different room settings to look at all designed to help buyers to decide what is best for them and what will fit best in their particular home setting.

To survive and prosper in a highly competitive market Carter's know what their customers want a large range of products well displayed and at competitive prices.

But Carter's know that all this is not enough and that customers value a particular shopping experience and that is where more than 30 years experience in the business comes in handy.

Too often when people shop they are either faced with hard sell floor staff or at the other extreme people who seem to know nothing about the products and care even less.

Knowledgeable floor staff will always be at hand to offer advice and information but will not be converging like a pack of hyenas practicing high pressure selling as soon as a potential customer comes through the door. As well as quality stock at good prices the Carter's promise includes hassle free shopping.

If people know what they want and are keen to get on with it that will be accommodated but shoppers who want to spend the day browsing are equally welcome. Carter's is an independent family owned businesses and this gives it the character and characteristics to stand apart from the mainstream.

Easy access is also an important part of the shopping experience and the furniture centre is simple to get to being just out of the town on the junction of the A449 to Worcester and the A451 to Stourport. There is also ample free parking available.

Carter's is open Monday to Saturday 9am until 5.30pm and between 10.30am and 4.30pm on Sunday. Telephone 01562 755766