When Is the Best Time to Buy a Sofa in the UK?

By Alex at SOFGO · 29 October 2026

Light grey Fairhaven corner sofa bed with channel-stitched backs and arms, adjustable headrests and the chaise on the left, in a bright living room with tall windows and a patterned rug — Fairhaven Corner Sofa Bed with Storage M84, £1,199 (view product). Shown in light grey with channel-stitched backs and arms, and the chaise on the left as you face it (the product page lets you choose a left or right corner). The page lists a click-clack mechanism, a pull-out sleeping area for two adults and a full-width storage compartment under the seat, with an overall size of 275 cm wide, 205 cm deep and 87 cm high. It's available to pre-order, with delivery in 2 to 5 weeks. Easy Clean fabric is available for £1,398. Pay by debit or credit card, Klarna or Clearpay (subject to eligibility and status).

Ask anyone when to buy a sofa and you'll usually hear one of two answers: wait for Black Friday, or wait for the January sales. Both can work. But the honest answer to "when is the best time to buy a sofa in the UK?" is simpler, and a little less exciting: the best time is early enough that the right sofa arrives when you actually need it.

This guide looks at how the sale seasons tend to work, why timing matters more for made-to-order pieces than for in-stock ones, and how to plan around guests, moves and the holidays. We're not announcing any offers here. If SOFGO runs a promotion, it will be shown on the site, and the price that counts is always the one on the product page on the day you order.

Sale seasons: Black Friday and January

Most UK furniture retailers run promotions at fairly predictable points in the year. The two big ones are:

Black Friday, at the end of November. Black Friday sofa deals in the UK often start before the day itself and run into the following week. The main appeal is timing: you're buying before Christmas, so there's still a chance of having the sofa in place for the holidays.
The January sales, which usually start on Boxing Day or just after and run through January. January sofa sales suit people who aren't in a hurry and are happy to plan for the new year rather than the festive season.

Many retailers also run promotions around bank holiday weekends and at the end of a season, when ranges change.

A few things are worth knowing whichever season you shop in:

A sale price is only useful if the sofa suits you. Size, corner side, fabric and features matter more than the percentage on a banner. Our Black Friday sofa checklist covers what to check beyond the headline price.
Delivery charges don't always come down in a sale. At SOFGO, delivery is free to most of mainland UK. Where a charge applies, it's per order, and our delivery page says sale discounts don't apply to it.
Your rights don't change in a sale. The same returns terms apply at SOFGO whether or not something is on offer.

Cream Hollingwood Mini corner sofa bed with adjustable headrests and slim metal legs, chaise on the left, in a loft room with city-view windows — Hollingwood Mini Corner Sofa Bed with Storage M04 (Left Corner Only), £1,299 (view product). A compact corner sofa bed shown in cream with adjustable headrests, built as a left-hand corner. The page lists a pull-out sleeping area for two adults and a full-width storage compartment under the seat, with an overall size of 230 cm wide, 170 cm deep and 90 cm high. It's shown as in stock. Easy Clean fabric is available for £1,498. Pay by debit or credit card, Klarna (subject to eligibility and status) or pay on delivery by cash or bank transfer.

Why timing matters more for made-to-order

Here's where the calendar really counts. A sofa that's in stock can be booked in for delivery once you order. A made-to-order sofa is built after you order, so its delivery window is longer. The exact window is shown on each product page, and it can differ even within the same range.

That changes how you should think about sale seasons:

If you need a made-to-order sofa for a fixed date, the date you order matters more than the date of any sale. Waiting for a promotion might mean it arrives later than you'd like.
If you're waiting for a sofa bed January sale for a spare room, that's fine, as long as you don't need the bed for guests before the new sofa can arrive.
Check the window on the product page, and again at checkout, so you know what you're signing up for.

Many of our corner sofa beds with storage are made to order. The Goldcrest Mini Corner Sofa Bed with Storage M04, for example, is £699 (view product), with Easy Clean fabric at £898, and its page shows the delivery window rather than "in stock". You can browse the full range of corner sofa beds with storage, and our round-up of corner sofa beds with storage under £1,000 is a useful starting point if you're working to a budget.

It's also worth knowing that ordering early doesn't lock you in. At SOFGO you can cancel at any time before delivery. Our returns page explains that standard colours, fabrics and sizes from our range aren't personalised goods, even when an item is made to order.

Clearance and in-stock ranges

If you've left it late, or you simply don't want to wait, in-stock and clearance pieces are where timing works in your favour. You're choosing from what's ready now rather than waiting for a sofa to be made.

A few tips for shopping in-stock ranges:

Look at the full range, not just one category. Our in-stock range includes corner sofa beds, U-shaped sofas and more.
Check the corner side carefully. Some in-stock corners are a fixed left or right hand and can't be swapped. Our guide to left or right hand corner sofas shows how to tell which you need.
Check the ways to pay. On some in-stock products you can pay on delivery, by cash or bank transfer when your order arrives. It's listed under Ways to pay on the product page where it's available.
Measure before you fall for it. Our guide on how to measure a room for a corner sofa takes a few minutes and saves a lot of trouble.

Orrino Mini corner sofa bed in taupe textured weave with a cream base and the chaise on the right, in an open-plan kitchen and living room with wooden floors — Orrino Mini Corner Sofa Bed with Storage B03/S33 (Right Corner Only), £1,299 (view product). Shown in a taupe textured weave with a cream base. The chaise is a fixed right-hand configuration, so check your room suits a right-hand corner. The page lists a click-clack mechanism, a pull-out sleeping area for two adults and a full-width storage compartment under the seat, with an overall size of 230 cm wide and 170 cm deep. It's shown as in stock. Easy Clean fabric is available for £1,498. Pay by debit or credit card, Klarna (subject to eligibility and status) or pay on delivery by cash or bank transfer.

Planning around guests and moves

For most people, the best time to buy a sofa isn't set by a sale at all. It's set by life: guests coming for Christmas, a new flat, a spare room that needs to work as a bedroom. Work backwards from the date that matters.

Hosting guests. If you want a sofa bed in place for visitors, give yourself a margin. Choose in-stock if the date is close, and check the delivery window on the product page if it's made to order. Our guide to ordering a sofa for Christmas goes through the timing, and choosing a sofa bed for Christmas guests helps you pick the right one.

Moving house. Order for the address the sofa is going to, and measure the new rooms, doors and stairs rather than the old ones. Our guide to whether a corner sofa will fit through your door shows you what to measure. A few practical points:

Check that we deliver to your new postcode. We don't deliver to Northern Ireland, the Scottish islands, Caithness and the far north of Scotland (KW postcodes), the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands or the Isles of Scilly.
Check for postcode charges. Some postcode areas (AB, DD, EX, FK, IV, KY, PH, PL, SA, TQ and TR) carry a £149 charge per order.
Allow for stairs. Upper floors without a lift add £49 per order for the 1st to 4th floor, or £199 for the 5th to 12th floor. This applies to upstairs rooms in houses as well as flats. The ground floor, or any floor with a lift, is free.
Know how you'll hear about delivery. We text you a delivery date and a two-hour window, so you can plan around keys and removals.

Replacing a worn-out sofa. If your current sofa is sagging, it can be tempting to wait for the next sale. Our guide to how long a sofa should last can help you decide whether it's time.

U-shaped Goldcrest corner sofa bed in dark grey fabric with a black leather-look base and chaises at both ends, in a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows — U Shape Goldcrest Corner Sofa Bed with Storage, £999 (view product). Shown in dark grey with a black leather-look base. The page lists deep chaise ends on both sides, two storage compartments under the seat bases and a sofa that extends into a double bed, with an overall size of 352 cm wide, 152 cm deep and 76 cm high. It's shown as in stock. Easy Clean fabric is available for £1,198. Pay by debit or credit card, Klarna, Clearpay (subject to eligibility and status) or pay on delivery by cash or bank transfer.

FAQs

When is the best time to buy a sofa in the UK?

The best time is whenever the right sofa can arrive before you need it. Black Friday and the January sales are the best-known sale seasons, but a promotion is only worth waiting for if the timing still works. Made-to-order sofas need more notice than in-stock ones, so check the delivery window on the product page before you decide to wait.

Is it better to buy a sofa on Black Friday or in the January sales?

It depends on when you need it. Black Friday comes before Christmas, which suits people who want a sofa in place for the holidays. The January sales suit people planning for the new year. Whichever you choose, compare the full cost, the delivery window and the returns terms, not just the price.

Does SOFGO have a Black Friday or January sale?

We haven't announced one. If we run an offer, it will be shown on the site and on the product pages, and the price on the product page on the day you order is the one you pay.

Should I wait for a sofa bed January sale if I need it for Christmas guests?

Probably not. If you need the bed for guests over Christmas, order in good time, or choose an in-stock sofa bed and check the delivery window on its page. You can cancel a SOFGO order at any time before delivery.

Are in-stock sofas delivered sooner than made-to-order ones?

In-stock items are ready to book in, while made-to-order items are built after you order, so they take longer. The exact window for each sofa is shown on its product page.

Can I return a sofa I bought in a sale?

At SOFGO the same terms apply all year. You have 14 days to change your mind, starting the day after delivery. Faulty, damaged or incorrect items are collected free, and for a change-of-mind return we confirm any collection cost with you before booking it. See the returns page for the full terms.

Planning your next sofa? Browse our in-stock range and our corner sofa beds with storage. Delivery is free to most of mainland UK, and assembly in the room of your choice is free, with the packaging taken away. You can pay by card, or with Klarna or Clearpay (subject to eligibility), and some in-stock products also offer pay on delivery. The delivery page lists the postcode areas that carry a charge, the areas we don't deliver to, and the charge for upstairs rooms without a lift.

Not sure whether to order now or wait? Message our team or email support@sofgo.co.uk. We reply between 8am and 10pm, every day. Our FAQ answers the most common questions about delivery and corner sofa beds.

Alex at SOFGO