Furniture retailer MFI has stitched up a £12.3 million deal to buy Petworth-based upholstery firm The Sofa Workshop, it was announced today.

The deal will see MFI add 23 high street stores to its chain of 200-plus UK sites.

Chief executive John Hancock said: "Sofa Workshop is known for its quality and design and fits well with our strategy of offering our customers furniture solutions for the whole home."

MFI has been trialling Sofa Workshop products in eight of its 192 out-of-town UK stores since February and said these had accounted for 7% of sales in the shops.

It now plans to offer Sofa Workshop products in all its out-of-town stores.

It will also retain the Sofa Workshop branded high street stores, which will sit alongside its portfolio of 25 high street outlets.

In the year to December 29 2001, MFI reported pre-tax profits of £58.8 million on turnover of £1.08 billion.

Sofa Workshop, based in Petworth, West Sussex, reported sales for the 52 weeks to December 30 2001 of £33.4 million with pre-tax profits of £1.2 million.

The business was founded in 1985 by Andrew Cussins, who had a controlling stake and makes, upholsters and sells a range of furniture.