Buying a 3 piece suite. Any recommendations?

Ikea, Ikea, Ikea - cheap and good quality. Plus if you get one of their classic designs you will be able to get cheap new covers forever....

Yes I would say Ikea as well , but bear second hand in mind as well. It's really not that difficult to make big throws to go over them or get them re- upholstered if the base is sound.
I have to say that our last sofa came from a familt friend who was going to chuck it out , it's big, it's squishy and I love it!

One big thing, never buy them on the credit schemes without reading the small print really really really closely. I knew someone who was going to buy one on one of those pay weekly schemes. When we read through the bumph, she would have ended up paying 4 times more than if she'd paid upfront, and that was a reputable company

I would always look at getting one off the shop floor and asking for a discount if you can pay cash and take it away yourself {or if it's a bit shop soiled} and look at some of the big furniture warehouses that do end of lines etc because again you can always get new covers made.

Mine is Laura Ashley and still looks like new after 5 years. If you do buy from them wait until they do a "20% off everything" sale to get the best price.

Going to sit on the sofa is an absolute must as you will never know whether or not it is comfortable for YOU until you try it. Of course, there are a number of places that have both traditional and online shops, so that can be a good option.

Ofg course, remember that sofas have around a 400% mark-up...so DEFINITELY ask for a discount!!

Tell your friend not to even think about buying online until he's been around a few shops! Would you buy a car without looking at a few in real life first? No, well sofas are the same - they are a big purchase and he needs to be aware of the differences in quality - which he won't get unless he does the research.