FLOORWORLD ADDS TO THE GROUP IN THE SUNSHINE STATE

Floorworld welcomed North Lakes Floorworld in Brisbane into the Floorworld group in March 2022.

Raymond Bartel and his wife Diane and team of six service the north and south of Brisbane and at times from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast and beyond.

“What drew Diane and I to join the Floorworld group was the Floorworld business model, member support, low fees, good rebates, community spirit and the large product range.

Floorworld – Advice, Price, Range it all rings true,” says Raymond.

With 49 years in the flooring industry Raymond started his journey as an installer and worked his way through various roles in sales and store management before owning his own store. Collectively the team at North Lakes Floorworld can boast 125 years in the flooring and window furnishings industry.

Raymond remarked, “I’ve been a store owner with another flooring group for over 17years and although not an easy decision, it was time to change. It was a challenging time, but the results have been positive.”

Raymond also added, “Our success has been the fact that we put a lot of focus on people. We believe people buy from people. That’s why we work with our customers to give them a personal flooring solution and help turn their hopes and dreams into reality.

“North Lakes Floorworld prides themselves on the long term relationships with their customers, staff and suppliers.

“Along with our extensive product knowledge and handson approach, we offer our customers the whole package –carpet and carpet tiles, timber, hybrid, vinyl and vinyl planks. We also specialise in window furnishings from custom-made curtains, blinds, shutters and awnings.”

In2021 Shane Herborn thought seriously about what the next steps were for him in the floor-laying world.

“Ultimately, it was to open a small shop in Cairns, where I grew up,” Shane recalls.

“I worked for over 9 years as a contractor with Wayne Hoppen from Hoppens Floorworld in Cairns and after looking at a few stores with him, I decided to open a fresh, new Floorworld store in Caboolture, Queensland and to build our own name and create something we would be proud of.” Shane remarks.

Having been an installer for 18 years, Shane reflects that it definitely helps to have that sort of knowledge while running a flooring store.

“I’m able to be transparent and advise our customers with their choice of flooring because I’ve laid a lot of the products we sell here. Our customers love discussing their new floors with me and having me show up to lay it soon after. That, plus my wife Lou and mum Debbie, run the front counter and take the time to greet each customer and chat with them about anything and everything, helps us stand out from other shops; we put a lot of time into our customers.” comments Shane.

“As an installer, I have have the luxury of offering almost every flooring service. From commercial to residential, even boats and caravans, almost anything vinyl-wise I can probably do. We have already landed some semicommercial fitouts, commercial kitchens and wet areas. Our customers come from our local area of Caboolture over to Bribie, up to Maleny and even Kilcoy. We are happy we made the right decision.”

Floorworld was nominated as one of the finalists at the 2023 Australian Retail Innovators Awards in the category of Social Cause. The 4th annual Australian Retail Innovator Awards showcased retailers who are outstanding in their approach to innovation and out-of-the-box thinking across seven unique categories.

Thank you, Pancare Foundation, valued supplier partners and our members for being a part of this amazing cause. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners and thank you, Retail Doctor Group, for shining a light on innovative thinking that creates a path for others to follow.

Floorworld’s philosophy is to improve your business by providing a support mechanism for small businesses with our proven model of operational success. Intrigued by the possibility of joining a retail group with tangible benefits then Floorworld may be the perfect solution for you. If you are interested in the Floorworld model please contact Bob Crotty (03) 9761 5235 or info@floorworld.com.au for a confidential discussion. At Floorworld, we offer more than just