Back in Action

Back in Action is a UK ergonomic furniture specialist. Its brand profile says it was started in 1987 by David Newbound, an engineer who suffered a debilitating neck injury, and his wife Lindall Pearce, an artist, and the About page describes the business as "Family Run for 35 Years." The site says it was set up "to help people manage, prevent and treat the symptoms of back pain," and it calls itself "leading back pain experts"; that is the company's own framing. The site invites customers to try products "in one of our 4 Shops," though the contact pages name two stores, Cookham and Bristol. Prices are in pounds sterling, and the phone line for advice is 0207 935 9120. The site does not state whether it ships outside the UK.

The active and kneeling range

The kneeling page opens with "Excellent if chosen wisely" and says the store has supplied thousands of kneeling chairs since 1987, adding that it is important to match a model to how long you sit and how active you want to be. Varier is the lead brand here. The Varier Variable is described as "the original, the most ergonomic and the best," designed by Peter Opsvik, and listed in stock from £379, with a Variable Monochrome version and a made-to-order "Create Your Own" option. The Variable Plus, "3 Stunning Woods," is from £699, and the site pitches it for zoom calls, intensive keyboard work and long telephone calls. The Thatsit is listed in stock from £1,349 with what the site calls a special free Social Tilt chair, and a made-to-order Thatsit from £1,399. The Varier Multi is described as a portable kneeling chair, and the Actulum, which the site calls an ergonomic home office chair, is from £899.

Varier is not the only maker. The same pages list the Putnams Posture Chair, a foldable, adjustable kneeling chair, from £498, and the HumanTool Saddle Seat from £139.

For stools and perches, the Varier Move is listed as a best-selling stool from £549, with a Move Compact for children at the same starting price. The store also stocks most of the Aeris range: the Swopper, "Excellent for Active Sitting," from £639, the Muvman perch stool from £389, the 3Dee chair with 360 degree pivot movement from £899, the Numo Task Chair from £739, and the Muvmat standing mat from £209. Smaller items include the VLUV Bol seating ball from £79 and Sissel Sitfit cushions. That spread, from a £139 saddle seat to a £1,399 made-to-order Thatsit, gives a buyer a real choice of movement styles in one place. The site says Varier kneeling chairs are "perfectly angled to prevent knee pressure," have movement built in "to trigger your balance reflex," and use materials "designed to last decades." It also says kneeling chairs "work immediately to improve posture"; those are the retailer's claims, not measured results.

Office chairs, children's furniture and the rest

Beyond kneeling chairs, HÅG is the main office chair brand. The listings show the HÅG Creed from £1,087, the Capisco 8106 from £935, the Capisco 8107 from £1,554, the SoFi Mesh from £917, and the Capisco Puls in two listings, a "Create Your Own" version from £285 and an in-stock version from £395. The RH Logic 220 from RH Office Chairs is listed from £994. Many listings carry a percentage off and a "Save" amount next to the price, and the footer says "Never beaten on price!" alongside a Price Promise page.

The children's section sorts products by age: 0-6 Months, 6 Months - 3 Years, 4-7 Years, 8-10 Years, 11+ Years and Pre-birth. It includes the Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair from £195, the Swoppster active chair for children from £289, the Moll Maximo chair from £429, a Capisco Puls for kids from £395 and Moll Champion desks from £1,057. The children's page offers free postural training for children in one of the stores.

The shop runs well beyond chairs. The menu covers sofas and recliners (Stressless among them, including a Stressless Quickship line billed as "Great Value & Fast Delivery"), beds and mattresses, desks and tables, a system called The Mobiliser, MBT shoes, and accessories such as monitor arms, laptop stands, vertical mice and wedges. Varier's lounge chairs appear too, including the Kokon from £3,499.

Service, delivery and terms

Back in Action puts its stores at the center. The About page says a typical store visit "might take 90 minutes," and that the team offers ergonomic advice and postural training programs alongside the furniture. It also says it works with customers "as an individual or as a business." The About page lists what it offers as furniture, "postural training programs," "ergonomic advice," and knowledge of what it calls "the very latest recuperative treatments," and the menu includes MBT shoe appointments. The home page flags the Cookham store as "Now Open!" Customers who cannot visit can get advice through the contact forms, which the site describes as "caring advice from real people," or by phone. The store's own product, The Mobiliser, comes with a literature page and a questions and answers page.

The footer links to Delivery, Returns, an Assessment Guarantee, a Price Promise, FAQ and gift vouchers. The listing pages themselves do not state a warranty length, a delivery time or assembly terms for the chairs, and they do not publish seat height ranges, weight capacities or full dimensions. A buyer who needs those figures should ask the store before ordering.

Who it suits

Back in Action suits a UK buyer who wants to sit on a kneeling or active chair before buying it, and who values a long in-store consultation. The kneeling range is broad, with the full run of Varier models plus a few other makers, and the prices are published on every listing. It also suits families, given the age-sorted children's range and the free postural training for children. It suits buyers outside the UK less well, since the site says nothing about shipping abroad, and anyone who wants to compare chairs by the numbers will find few specifications on the listing pages.