How icon has evolved to deliver ‘real life comfort’ to households across the UK and Europe
icon, formerly Beanbag Bazaar, is a design-led homeware brand specializing in comfort for real life – bean bags, soft seating, and interiors designed to fit how people live. Designed in the North East of England and shipped across the UK and Europe, icon’s products are simple, stylish, and built for the everyday.
Now led by newly appointed CEO Leanne Cahill, formerly of Bravissimo, the brand’s evolution reflects growing cultural relevance and commercial scale, with products appearing in unexpected places – from the Wicked film sets to LADbible’s Most Relaxing Interview Ever – alongside collaborations with Greggs and Newcastle United Football Club.
“Our story began in 2003, when founder Jayne Dolder reimagined the classic bean bag and established the business from her kitchen table,” opens Chief Financial Officer, Duncan Smith. “Together with co-founder Mark Dolder and a growing team, the business quickly transitioned from a small start-up to a category leader. Today, icon is a £20m international business operating across the UK and Europe, with a 50,000-square-foot headquarters in the North East and a Hamburg base supporting European growth – but its mission remains unchanged: comfort that fits real life.
“Our bean bags span a wide variety of structured and squishy designs, for both indoor and outdoor living. From armchairs and loungers to kids’ seats, gaming chairs and sofas, we design for families, film nights, and everything in between. Each style is developed with thoughtful details, high-quality fabrics, and a focus on how it lives in the real world. Across all products, we prioritize durability, construction, and textures, ensuring our pieces don’t just look and feel good, but are made to last.”
As part of the Bazaar Group, icon made a strategic decision to rebrand from Beanbag Bazaar in 2025. “Our rebrand marks a major shift for the business; one that reflects how far we’ve come and where we’re heading next,” Duncan states. “We wanted to evolve the company beyond its strong heritage in bean bags and reposition it as a broader comfort-led interiors brand, while staying firmly rooted in the North East, which is a key part of our identity.
“The transition wasn’t a leap into the unknown,” he adds. “Products under the icon name were already the most recognized and best loved within our portfolio, sold extensively through our DTC channels and major homewares retailers across the UK and Europe. With over 80,000 followers on social media, the brand identity was already resonating strongly with consumers. In many ways, we had already become icon; the rebrand simply brought the business and its public-facing identity into alignment.”
Relevant and creative
icon’s recent Greggs collaboration was an important milestone in demonstrating the company’s new direction, ambition, and creative confidence. The limited-edition range combines comfort with personality, from XL Steak Bake bean bags to the Greggs logo gaming recliner and Bake-inspired cushions. Showcasing icon’s ability to align product, design, PR, retail, and social media, this collaboration not only featured on BBC Breakfast but also marked the company’s first step into physical retail, with selected pieces debuting in Fenwick Newcastle.
“icon is at an exciting point in its journey,” Duncan says. “This collaboration with Greggs is a bold way of showing how relevant and creative the brand can be, while staying true to our values of comfort, accessibility, and design. We have new leadership in place with Leanne Cahill named as CEO in November 2025, and with continued investment, we’re focused on building icon into a distinctive, comfort-led homeware brand with a strong European presence.”
While growth is inevitably important for icon, the company is also on a journey towards more responsible and sustainable business practices. “We’re currently working towards B Corp certification, which provides us with a framework for improving operations with an equal focus on customers, communities, and people,” explains Helen Svensson, HR Director.
“Our purpose-led approach is visible throughout our product development process, as we use high-quality materials and support customers with refill options and repair patches to extend the life of every piece. We’re embracing operational improvements at both the UK and German sites, where significant changes have reduced water use and energy consumption. While we acknowledge that the home and furniture sector faces complex sustainability challenges, we are committed to continuous improvement, transparency, and long-term change.”
Bold growth
With a successful rebrand in place and a new CEO, icon will continue to build on its success with a renewed focus on scaling the brand across the UK and Europe. The combination of continued investment, an expanding product range, and growing European operations, icon remains committed to bringing comfort-first design to new and existing audiences.
“Over the next few years, we see icon growing boldly and brilliantly as a bunch of real people who genuinely care about what we make,” Duncan concludes. “With new leadership and strong backing, we’re ready for the next leap: a bigger European footprint, stronger retail and DTC presence, and a wider collection of pieces that feel good, look good, and stand the test of time.
“We want to build one of Europe’s most loved homeware brands; creative, credible, responsible, and proudly rooted in the North East while bringing proper comfort to homes across the UK and beyond.”