Interiors Monthly October 2023

Gone but not forgotten

the BIA has seen new winners

The interiors sector has recently lost two great stalwarts: Roger Oates and Peter Lynas. Oates and his wife Fay Morgan Oates transformed the stair runner business, making it a fashion item. In the late 1980s, the owners of a large country residence approached them with an historic flatwoven fragment that had been discovered hidden under the floorboards. These types of coverings, common in the 18th century, were usually plain in colour and void of pattern. This unique piece, worn and heavily faded, revealed vibrant colour choice and deliberate pattern design. Instantly inspired, the couple began a journey that saw them develop Venetian Flatweave into the highly distinctive decorative floorcovering it is today. It may seem a simple idea but no-one had developed it before.

Lynas was born into the flooring industry: the company was founded in 1826. For decades he ran the business as a sole trader: with none of the financial protection that being a director of a limited company gives.

He always explained to me that this was being honest and a man of his word: if he couldn’t pay a bill, why would anyone trust him? I remember in my youth my local electrical retailer went under: he too was a sole trader and lost his house and everything else. As well as being a true gentleman, Lynas will be long remembered for his integrity and the advice he gave to others, including Metro (for which he was a board member of many years) and the Carpet Foundation.

Our thoughts are with both families.

The Bed Industry Awards saw new and old winners. Of course, with awards there can only be one winner per category. As a co-judge of the retailer categories, I have to say that the standard is higher than ever. I also expect the market will be further significantly disrupted in the next couple of years by profitable players. Being a finalist, let alone a winner, is something to shout about. If you sell beds and didn’t enter, make sure you do for 2024.

INTERIORS MONTHLY OCTOBER 2023

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS

4Annual growth in sales

6 Knoll takes concession route

10 Roger Oates and Peter Lynas die

FEATURES

12New products

16Service

A very tight competition

18Sustainability

Bright idea

20Upholstery

Rockin’ chairs, shaggy tales, complete package

30Rugs

A beacon of creativity

36Outdoor

AI central

40 B eds and bedroom

Bed Industry Awards, recycling matters, sleeping easy

50 Preview

Flanders Flooring Days, VIFA EXPO

56Review

CIFF, VIFA ASEAN, The Flooring Show

91 Trade products and services

Meeting your needs

Editor: Andrew Kidd

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Carpet, flooring advertising: Joanne Paull

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The industry has lost two visionary characters who we will all miss, while

Furniture and flooring see annual sales rise

The retail value of furniture and lighting sales in England, Scotland and Wales dropped by 1.41% in August compared with July, but was still 5.1% higher than year earlier.

Sales were £1,264,938,000.

Compared with August 2021, sales were 10.15% higher. They were 14.4% higher than August 2020 and 17.69% higher than August 2019.

According to Office for National Statistics data, August was the 40th highest month for furniture and lighting sales since January 1986 when comparable records began.

Flooring sales dropped by 0.8% between July and August 2023, but were still almost twice that of pre-Covid levels.

Sales in August, at £226,646,000, were 6.4% higher than August 2022.

Compared with 2021, they were 26.2% higher, and they were up 92.1% on 2020 and 99.5% higher than 2019.

Sales were the 49th highest since 1986.

The data is not seasonally adjusted, is subject to revision and makes no allowance for inflation.

Yates takes top role at French Bedroom

Furniture and flooring etailer French Bedroom has a new md.

After three years as head of brand, Holly Yates has been promoted. Founder Georgia Metcalfe has become creative director.

‘Holly perfectly shares my “anything is possible” mantra, coupled with my pace of work: she knows a morning idea can be an

afternoon implementation. It’s a fast-paced, deepthinking, quick decisionmaking environment so the

Kasthall joins NOD fold

Rug producer Kasthall has become part of the Network of Design group.

The Swedish manufacturer has joined the Altor-owned group – established in 2020 – which also includes String Furniture, Byarums Bruk, Photowall, Wall of Art, Norling Studio, Cooee Design, Kid’s Concept and Grythyttan Stålmöbler.

connection, chemistry and interdependence Holly and I share is imperative. Yet we can also be polar opposites, bringing different angles and ideas to both boardroom and creative sessions. When you have a working partner who knows what you’re thinking and can osmotically absorb information, you know you have the best,’ says Metcalfe.

Price rises fall

Furniture retail price inflation fell again in August and is now less than half of what it was four months ago.

The rate for household furniture dropped from 6% in July to 4.2%. In August 2022 it was 15.6%, and as recently as April it was 8.6%.

Over the past 12 months the rate has averaged 14.9%, but has been falling every month. The Office for National Statistics says ‘the downward effect was spread across a wide range of lounge, bedroom, kitchen and dining room furniture’.

The flooring inflation rate continued its topsy-turvy pattern in August.

The rate for carpets and floorcoverings dropped from 9.9% in July to 7.6% in August. In August 2022 it was 8.1%.

‘We are thrilled to embark on this exciting partnership with the fantastic individuals and brands at NOD. I have every confidence that our collective expertise and dedication to quality and craftsmanship will propel Kasthall toward an inspiring future. This partnership opens up endless opportunities for innovation and growth. We are eager to explore these opportunities, as they allow us to accelerate Kasthall's digitalisation journey, our geographical reach, and possibilities to explore new market segments,’ says Johan Bergh, Kasthall ceo.

‘Kasthall is the perfect fit for Network of Design, it brings high design quality, a strong international brand, respect and care for craftsmanship and sustainability in the production in Kinna, Sweden. Together, we will ensure that floors in homes all over the world will enjoy Kasthall's design and quality,’ says Therese Hillman, NOD ceo.

Over the past 12 months the rate has seen constant increases and falls.

Both carpets and rugs and other floorcoverings saw the rate decline. Carpets and rugs dropped from 10.6% to 8.4% –it has averaged 6.9% over the past year – while smooth flooring saw the rate drop from 7.3% to 5.9%: almost a third of what it was in April.

Georgia Metcalfe and Holly Yates

Kasthall brings high design quality, says NOD

THE FUTURE IS FURnature

Knoll takes concession route

Modern furniture brand Knoll has opened its first European concession in London, as it prepares to use the method to increase its retail presence.

The space at Heal’s flagship Tottenham Court Road store features Marcel Breuer’s iconic collections – Wassily lounge chair (pictured), Cesca chair and Laccio table – alongside some of the modern classics created by Florence Knoll, Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen.

‘This is an important event that marks Knoll’s expansion of its store network and signs the brand blueprint for the future.

‘With its prime location in the heart of London, this new space ensures that visitors can fully immerse themselves in the world of Knoll design,’ says the company.

Heal’s was one of 22 stockists of Knoll’s residential collection in London, including the company’s Goswell Road showroom.

Aquafil factory faces closure

Econyl fibre producer Aquafil is proposing to close its UK production plant.

The £588m turnover Italian company says its Kilbirnie, Ayrshire factory has not made a profit for five years and has faced huge increases in costs.

The company has begun a consultation period with the plant’s 40 employees.

TRC funding deal

The Rug Company has refinanced its bank borrowings and secured additional funding for acquisitions.

The company, which has been majority owned by Palamon Capital since 2015, has secured a loan from Tresmares Capital, which it says will accelerate its international expansion plans.

‘We are very pleased to have found a strong partner in Tresmares to support The Rug Company as it continues to build out its leadership in contemporary handmade rugs, serving the design community and high-end spaces across the globe. Tresmares is an experienced

lender in the space, and acted flexibly and creatively to match the financing needs of the company,’ says Ia Bergman, Palamon Capital associate partner.

‘As one of the leaders in the global luxury rug market, The Rug Company represents a fantastic opportunity to support its continued international expansion. The company has made great strides over the last five-plus years in expanding its customer base, growing average order values and increasing repeat spend by customers,’ says Miguel Sanchez, Tresmares Capital investment director.

Aquafil has 19 other manufacturing sites across the world.

‘Covid and Brexit have brought about challenging trading conditions in the UK. Aquafil UK is finding it

increasingly difficult to fulfil its planned capacity through existing clients. This has led to management taking the decision to lower our cashflow prices, with subsequent falling gross profit margins and problems,’ says a statement.

‘We have had to consider how we can reduce our overhead costs and consider the viability of a site that has continued to make losses for five years. Further losses are unsustainable. We therefore propose to close the plant.’

Aquafil bought the factory in 2014.

Partnership aims to boost apprenticeships

The Furniture Makers’ Company and Furniture and Interiors Education, Skills and Training Alliance (FIESTA) are partnering on a new free service that will support businesses in the furniture and furnishing industry to close their skills gaps and take on apprentices with ease.

Launching this autumn, the Apprentice and Skills Plus Service will help companies

recruit and retain new talent, upskill existing employees and act as a central resource for information, advice and guidance on apprenticeships.

Natalie Cole has been appointed Skills Plus coordinator, responsible for management and development of the service, including signposting employers to approved training providers with access to funding.

IMAGE: FEDERICO CEDRONE

NEW COLLECTION OUT NOW

Remembering Roger Oates and Peter Lynas

Roger Oates, co-founder of the eponymous flooring company, and Peter Lynas, Lanarkshire flooring retailer have died.

Oates died on 30 August at Gloucester Royal Hospital. He is survived by his wife and Roger Oates Design co-founder, Fay Morgan Oates and their son Daniel. A private family cremation on 22 September was followed by a service of thanksgiving the next day. Donations can be made to the British Heart Foundation.

‘He has left behind many examples of his creative talents as lasting memorials,’ says a statement.

The couple met at the Royal College of Art and began designing and working together, and in 1977 founded the partnership Morgan & Oates, designing rugs, throws and scarves.

In the late 1980s, the owners of a large country residence approached them with an historic flatwoven fragment they had discovered hidden under the floorboards. These types of coverings, common in the 18th century, were usually plain in colour and void of pattern. This unique piece, worn and heavily faded, revealed vibrant colour choice and deliberate pattern design. Instantly inspired, the couple began a journey that would see them develop Venetian Flatweave into the highly distinctive decorative floorcovering it is today.

The company became best known for stair runners. In

later years the brand expanded into rugs, furnishings and furniture. In 2016, Roger Oates Design was acquired by Ulster Carpets.

The funeral of Peter Lynas will take place on 10 October. The Lanarkshire flooring retailer and Metro board member died on 22 September.

His body will be taken to St Marys Church, Cadzow Street, Hamilton at 6.15pm on 9 October. The funeral mass will begin at 10am on 10 October. He will be laid to rest afterwards at Bent Cemetery, Hamilton.

Lynas saw the Hamilton retailer, founded in 1826, join the Metro buying group in 1985 and spent many years as a board member supporting independent retailers within the group. He also spent many years working on behalf of the Carpet Foundation, again supporting fellow independent retailers.

‘I first met him nearly 20 years ago in my early days at Brintons. Despite me not allowing him to have a Brintons account he was always very welcoming and friendly when we met. I have had the great fortune and pleasure to have spent much time with him during my 11 years at Metro,’ says Steve Depport, Metro Group operations manager.

‘Peter was one of the great characters in the carpet trade and overall a really great person. Everyone at Cormar Carpets sends his family our condolences,’ says Carl Quall, Cormar Carpet Company regional sales manager.

Loaf set to open 10th Shack BGNFS moves to April start

Furniture retailer Loaf is to open its 10th – and largest –showroom this month.

The chain will open the two-floor, 15,500sqft store

at Redbrick, near Leeds.

It will be housed in one of the original mill buildings, adjacent to the main shopping complex. It will

open on 19 October and is double the size of the Edinburgh store that opened in February.

‘We’ve had high customer demand to open another Shack in the North of England and we’re thrilled to be introducing our 10th showroom, in the Leeds area. Redbrick is one of the UK’s top retail destinations for furniture and interiors, and we know that our largest space to date will be amongst great company. We look forward to opening the doors to Loaf’s laid-back world,’ says Sam Perkins, Loaf ceo.

Next year’s Buying Group’s National Flooring Show will move to late April, but retain its mid-week schedule.

The two-day event in Solihull will take place from 30 April –1 May. This is earlier than its original planed dates, which would have clashed with the third Flanders Flooring Days (13-16 May).

The show had been looking to move from its Tuesday–Wednesday format to Sunday–Monday in an effort to boost footfall, but the Bank Holiday for the King’s coronation put paid to those plans, and 2024’s event will follow the same days.

Loaf’s informal showrooms, which it calls ‘Shacks’, are proving popular

1 The Rolf Benz 990 dining table gives pure elegance a modern look that you can combine in any way you like. Clear and delicate, the 990 brings both these properties to the table. The brushed, stained or limed oak table top with a striking feel appears to float on narrow, powdercoated panels in black or Umbra grey.

Visit: www.rolf-benz.com

2 Busnelli has given the Armadillo armchair a new look, with the Kaleidoscopic version: shade-coloured tubing and a multicoloured covering to highlight the 1969 armchair’s iconic status. The new fabric families and tubular metal structures painted with eco-friendly paints make for unexpected pairings.

Visit: www.busnelli.com

3 Aram Designs has added to the available portfolio of Eileen Gray’s rug designs with four new models, including La Lune: a series of overlapping rectangles in shades of deep burgundy, vivid red, black and white, which is made from a combination of wool, nettle and silk.

Visit: www.aram.co.uk

4 In the past 17 years ADP has completed thousands of successful commercial and retail installation projects. The most recent of these was for Headlam’s Everyroom brand, installing more than 150 lecterns and displays into retailers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As ever, ADP worked exceptionally hard to meet the timescale, while continuing to provide its expertise and customer service until project completion.

Visit: www.adp-distribution.co.uk

5 The inspiration for Pinto’s new collection originates in Japan and the age-old and singular art of Shibari tying. Giving its name to the collection, the art of Shibari is reinterpreted in a sofa whose clever asymmetrical interweaving of midnight-blue ropes encloses the soft, shapes of the seat and back.

Visit: www.pinto.fr

6 With the new Natural Trends collection, homes can enjoy the comfort and easy living of LeoLine in exclusive designs inspired by the latest natural looks. The cushion vinyl collection features 12 looks that bring the best in ultra-stylish natural floors. Herringbone, classic wood planks, luxurious marble and a concrete design for good measure: Natural Trends has it all.

Visit www.leoline.co.uk

7 Quick-Step has introduced innovations and new collections to its Alpha Vinyl range of premium floors, bringing more realism, easier installation and even better soundproofing and comfort. New Alpha Vinyl proves that

in the world of Quick-Step, beauty and practicality go hand in hand. Visit: www.quick-step.co.uk

8 Floorwise’s entrance matting collection is ready to keep dirt and moisture at bay and keep entrances looking tip-top. With coir, fibre-bonded polypropylene and heavy-duty nylon scraper mats, your local Floorwise distributor is ready to fulfil almost any domestic or commercial matting requirement, so you can make sure newly installed floors stay looking fantastic. Visit: www.floorwise.co.uk

9 With the launch of Ecorugs and the Take Care programme, Louis de

Poortere is transforming the way the retail flooring industry thinks about recycling. For the first time, consumers will be able to return their rugs to Louis De Poortere for reuse or recycling into a new rug.

Visit: www.louisdepoortere.com

10 The Quick-Step website receives more than 1,000 visits a month to its Find an Installer search and there’s only one way you can get in on the action: by becoming a Quick-Step Master Installer at the Academy For Excellence in Flooring. Quick-Step constantly drives traffic to its website, raising the profile of the Master Installer network.

Visit: www.quick-step-academy.co.uk

Richard Renouf

Top class

The Floorlayer of the Year competition was the closest for years

As the Floorlayer of the Year Competition got underway at The Flooring Show last month, each of the five finalists started by unveiling the artwork they had done to meet the Judges’ Challenge. They had been given a piece of flooring-grade plywood and two different colours of LVT tiles and were asked to create a design on the theme of sport. This meant that from the outset there was some remarkable work on display.

The five finalists worked on five identical platforms, with the same flooring and with the same brief. The only two variants were that each was using a different sponsor’s adhesive and they could each decide the width of their LVT border and include a freestyle element around one corner if they wished to and had the time.

Over two days the platforms were fitted with LVT in a herringbone design with a border on the right-hand half.

There were plenty of obstacles to make things more challenging: curved walls, uneven wall finishes, radiator pipes and a raised heart motif to cut around.

As the work began, each finalist seemed to start in a different way and for a time it appeared that some were well ahead of their rivals, but in fact as the 13 hours of competition drew towards an end, they were all within minutes of each other and every finalist finished the platform.

The competition drew good crowds, and at times the aisle was blocked with attendees straining to work out who was winning, or pondering how the judges were going to be able to pick a winner, as all the platforms were of an exceptional standard.

The judges were watching carefully throughout the two-day event to see how the fitters did their marking out, cutting in and bonding of the tiles. Then when the time was up, we spent almost two hours looking at each

platform in detail and marking the finished results for alignment, cutting, gaps and appearance. Any of the fitters would have delighted their customers, and it was only by being exceptionally critical that we could differentiate between each one to give varying scores for each element.

The final results were very close, in fact the scores were the tightest I have known in the seven years I have been involved as a judge. The winner, by a narrow margin, was Dean Dickinson of Marston Flooring, near Bedford, and the winner of the Judges’ Challenge was Daniel Jones of Oxford.

Next year the competition will be for carpet fitters again. You can put your name down by going to the NICF website (www.nicfltd.org.uk), or watch for the entry form in this magazine. Visit: www.richard-renouf.com

Richard Renouf is an independent furnishings consultant

Dean Dickinson on his way to victory

Daniel Jones was the winner of the Judges’ Challenge

Bright idea

Recycled and reclaimed glass is at the core of Shore

Mouth-blown from recycled post-industry and post-consumer glass, Tala’s Shore table lamp references the shape of the light bulb before it is cut to size and sealed. Paired with a spherical G95 LED matte white bulb, which delivers Tala’s distinctive Dim to Warm performance via the in-line dimmer on the lamp cable, Shore features a high-gloss sheen that accentuates the soft glow of the light source.

The series title and the names of the colour options are a nod to the salvaged glass found on our shores, such as turquoise sea glass, brandy bottles and apothecary jars. Launching in three colours – Bottle Brown, Sea Green and Smoke Grey – each lamp tells its own story and celebrates glass as a design material and carrier of colour.

‘With Shore, we wanted to celebrate the elegant form of our glass ‘bulb blanks’ before they are transformed into light bulbs. The stem of the lamp represents

a section of mouth-blown glass vessel, which is usually separated and recycled during bulb production. To complement the product story, we selected some

familiar colours inspired by the soft fragments of glass found while combing the shoreline. Sea glass is a waste product that is also beautiful, and we felt it was an appropriate anchor for the series,’ explains Dan Carpenter, Tala senior designer.

Founded in 2015 by Joshua Ward, Maxwell Wood and William Symington, Tala was built on the premise that ‘good design can help mitigate climate change’. Since its foundation, sustainability has been at its core. Its lights are designed to last and be easily repairable and its packaging is now plastic free. Aluminium and brass are key materials because of their recyclable qualities.

In April, Tala became the sixth UK lighting company to become a Certified B Corporation, scoring 89.7 out of 200 (80 is needed for qualification), ahead of the lighting industry average of 87.1. Visit: www.tala.co.uk

Shore uses recycled glass

Tala became a B Corp in April

Three colours are available

FLOORING INSTALLATION PRODUCTS

LOOKING AFTER FLOORS AND REPUTATIONS FROM THE GROUND UP.

F. Ball’s System LVT range is a comprehensive subfloor preparation system that helps you achieve the best results when installing LVT floorcoverings. The range includes the full system of products that flooring installers need to ensure a perfect installation every time. Use the right products from the System LVT range and follow our installation guidance for a lifetime guarantee. Not only is the installation protected but so is your reputation. Find out more: f-ball.com/systemlvt

Rockin’ chairs

Upholstery designs inspired by albums

To celebrate 50 years since the launch of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, wallcoverings brand Bobbi Beck conceptualised 10 armchairs inspired by iconic rock albums.

Inspired by the undeniable influence of music on art and culture, the conceptual collection pays homage to legendary rock albums that have shaped generations and transcended time.

Each armchair in the collection was designed with the help of AI. Can you guess the albums from the chairs?

Answers are overleaf, at the bottom of the page.

Visit: www.bobbibeck.com

Harrison - An off-the-floor design, bringing a chic, low silhouette to your living room, this power recliner range features an adjustable headrest. Put your feet up with ease with the hidden footrest which curls out whenever you want to relax. Choose from an armchair, two seater or three seater with optional chaise end.

Harrison

ANSWERS: 1 Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen 2 Aladdin Sane – David Bowie 3 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

4 Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd. 5 Ride the Lightning – Metallica 6 The Velvet Underground & Nico – self-titled

7 Purple Rain – Prince 8 Ace of Spades – Motörhead 9 OK Computer – Radiohead. 10 Elephant – The White Stripes

Flair and Kinsley are designed to bring a feeling of modern chic to any living space. Scatters are also available, adding extra opulence and elegance with both ranges available in a range of fabric styles and options.

Shaggy tales

Fratelli Boffi has shown its wild side

What does the word shaggy mean to you: 1970s animated TV series, the rapper or an extremely long-winded anecdote? For Fratelli Boffi it is an opportunity to be different.

Pemba is a cocoon armchair that embraces the body, enveloping it in a feeling of great softness, a sensation accentuated by the Tibetan lambswool used to give the appearance of fur.

The pyramidal wooden base with bevelled edges and finished in precious bronze-coloured silver leaf connects to a soft and compact upholstered swivel seat. The seat and back have a geometric origin and an angular design, and

are upholstered in camel-coloured Mongolian leather that gives the entire armchair a primitive and wild look.

Madama is inspired by the Duchesse of Home model, but presents itself in a smaller, reduced version. The sinuous and feminine shape of the armchair’s seat can be embellished by the Tibetan lambswool upholstery or with laser decorations on the leather covering its back.

The Daina chair, by Nigel Coates, is inspired by the flexibility of the fallow deer, as well as the roundness and grace of the female body, giving it further elegance and lightness. The

structure, made of solid wood, folds like a ribbon, creating a stylised profile and holding a soft cushion in the middle covered in Tibetan lambswool. The simplicity and delicateness of this design conceal the complexity of the construction and the refinement of the details.

Clorophilla is a dining chair with a backrest made up of three carved leaves, the legs innervated by thin branches. In this variant, reinterpreted by Lorenza Bozzoli, the structure is made of solid wood and the seat cushion upholstered in lambswool.

Visit: www.fratelliboffi.it

Clorophilla

Daina

Pemba

Madama

Deck the halls

Introducing our latest 2023 Autumn Winter Collections, there’s a style for every preference and we’re here to help you find the look that’s right for you. Whether that’s a fully coordinated range or simply an accent piece to complete your room. Finding the perfect fit has never been easier with our carefully curated 2023 Christmas Edit, enabling you to make informed product selections at ease.

With an offering of over 6,000 lines in our collection across seven categories, we’re proud to say we’re the complete home and outdoor supplier.

Christmas Edit

View our full collection www.gallerydirect.co.uk

Complete package

Kits can save time and effort

Working with clients across both the domestic and contract upholstery sectors, Peak Converters has been converting foam products at its Derbyshire factory for the past 50 years.

Known for its customer service and innovative, high-quality foam and fibre products, Peak is the UK’s leading supplier of upholstery kits to the industry, and has produced millions of kits and cushions for some of the largest furniture, caravan and mobile home manufacturers in the country.

Whether you are upholstering a sofa, stool, chair or headboard, its 80-strong team has a wealth of knowledge, and the factory is fully equipped to deal

with standard and complex, small or large-scale batch runs, with competitive lead times, including a one-week turnaround on upholstery kits.

Upholstery kits can save upholsterers time and effort by providing all the necessary materials in one package and typically include: foam padding, which comes in various thicknesses and densities, giving shape and comfort to the piece; cushioning material that is placed between the foam and the outer fabric, which helps to smooth out any irregularities and gives the upholstery a more polished appearance, while bespoke accessories such as tape or dipryl can also be included.

‘Upholstery kits really are our bread and butter. We despatch several thousand kits to clients up and down the UK every month. Our job is to keep the furniture makers in production and our kits can be uniquely tailored to the requirements of each customer.

‘We pride ourselves on our quick turnaround time and the high quality of our kits. Our return rate is a fraction of a percent. We also appreciate that upholstered furniture is a key investment for many and are proud of the part we play in helping upholsterers to create something special for the consumer,’ says Mike Crowshaw, Peak Converters md. Visit: www.peakconverters.co.uk

Upholstery kits can save upholsterers time and effort

Kits typically include foam padding, cushioning and bespoke accessories

Denver in Chacha Fern Fabric

Hawaii in Petrol Blue Leather/Match

Ocean Dove Fern Oat

Petrol Blue Olive Green

Mushroom Cinder

Lisbon Rock Lisbon Marine

Dubai in Mushroom

Navy Olive Green

Biarritz in Lisbon Rock Fabric

Lisbon Teal Lisbon Silver

Knots Rugs’ latest Artist Collaboration collection features eight designs, in partnership with paper marbling artist Natascha Maksimovic.

Fearlessly experimenting with fresh colour palettes, exploring uncharted possibilities, creating thought-provoking compositions that ignite the imagination, her commitment to innovation is rooted in a deep desire to ensure that Suminagashi marbling, a technique that blurs the traditional boundaries of art and craft, remains a beacon of creativity.

The collection is a faithful expression of her timeless craftsmanship and artistic elegance, created in collaboration with Knots Rugs using a variety of boundarypushing techniques – experimenting with the use of non-conventional materials such as crepe paper, resulting in an added level of texture and dimension. All rugs in the collection have been hand-knotted by artisan weavers in Nepal in Tibetan wool and Chinese silk, and in some cases, linen. Production time is 16-24 weeks.

Dreamland has been taken from Knots’ oil ink colour swatch featuring pops of pinks, oranges, greens and golds, all of which were organically created with a paintbrush on paper. It has 36 colours in Tibetan wool and Chinese silk.

Monsoon features a bold, moody palette of deep blues and emerald

Monsoon

Natascha Maksimovic

Natural Origins

greens with bright pops of oranges, reds and purples, and uses 42 colours.

Ink’s different tones of inky indigo blue, fading out into the soft neutral ground, are from where the oil inks have dispersed across the paper, creating a ghostly edge.

Experimenting with the use of nonconventional materials such as crepe paper has resulted in an added level of texture and dimension for Dusk and Dawn. They both combine Tibetan wool, Chinese silk and linen in a 150-knot quality and have deep forest greens representing the structure and veins of leaves. Dusk has pops of orange reminiscent of blossom, while Dawn uses intense orange and red colouration.

Drawing from the mystical ambience of foggy mornings, Low Tide and High Tide evoke the soothing and calming atmosphere that comes in the early hours, with the day’s possibilities waiting to emerge. With hues of blue and green, the rugs transform interiors into a sanctuary of tranquillity.

Sea Mist is the most traditional of the collection’s designs as its use of soot black and indigo blue is most closely associated with the original Japanese paper marbling art form. The swirling formations and smoke and cloud patterns that are created with the use of the oil-based ink on water produce a zen-like sense of peace. This rug is a faithful expression of timeless craftmanship and artistic elegance.

The range was debuted at COVER Connect in September and will be on show at Decorex later this month. Visit: www.knotsrugs.co.uk

High Tide and Low Tide

Sea Mist Dawn

Al central

While AI is grabbing headlines, it is aluminium that is key to Diabla

Easy is a collection by Rocío Gambín that originated from the idea of creating simple designs from several points of view: easy to produce, acquire, integrate, transport and store.

‘Easy chairs and stools are understood,

integrated, transported and stored without complications,’ says Gambin.

The series, which nods to the simplicity of Scandinavian design and the originality of Italian design that make up the creator’s references, is made

entirely of textured power-coated aluminium, making its lightness and versatility its strength. The chair is available with and without arms. Austere in line and lacking upholstery and cushions, it is comfortable due to its ergonomics, as its design pays great attention to the inclination and curve of the backrest. The chairs and side tables, which can also be used as stools, are stackable and come in seven shades.

Diabla’s Cacao is an upholstered inflatable lounger made from PVC that becomes a daybed when combined with its aluminium frame, which is available in white, pink, red, grey, anthracite, sand and bronze. ‘We wanted to experiment with inflatables from another, more sophisticated point of view,’ says Ana Segovia, Odosdesign partner.

Tuba is the first collaboration between London-based designer Samuel Wilkinson and Diabla. The name ekoves the 19 distinctive tubular profiles from which it takes shape.

Easy in Greenacre Park, New York

Cacao in Antarctica

Tuba’s construction does away with visible welds and, in this quest for formal purity, leaves to the imagination the way in which the transverse elements intersect, without apparent tension, with the vertical supports. At the same time, the curves anticipate the sensation of comfort. However, these are not exaggerated curvilinear features; rather, Tuba retains a gentle balance between straight lines and curves from all

perspectives.

The formal simplicity of Tuba evokes the calm and relaxed beauty of those oases that, by definition, provide refuge and mental rest. ‘In essential chairs like

Tuba, I like to find uniqueness through aesthetics, materials or processes. Tuba’s design conforms to this methodology, and manages to be legible from a single material, that of the repetitive components that build its structure,’ says Wilkinson.

Plier is the second collection by OiKo Design Office for Diabla. Following on from the Balconi series, the aluminium Plier was conceived from the desire to design a small, stackable, single-material, recyclable, resistant and everyday chair that could be produced without using moulds and avoiding any complex industrial process. The solution to this challenge, a light folding, gave its name

to the result – plier is French for bend.

‘The language we have used in Plier can be perfectly adapted to modern dining rooms and even incorporate an upholstered or cushioned version, and also the choice of colour plays a fundamental role,’ says Jose F LópezAguilar, OiKo Design Office co-founder.

The absence of right angles is a constant throughout the piece. ‘Plier is an exercise in origami turned to metal. In fact, we carried out the design process in volume, mainly with paper and cardboard,’ says Salva Codinach, OiKo Design Office co-founder.

Visit: www.diablaoutdoor.com

Tuba

Plier in red

Tuba in sand

The cream

The Bed Industry Awards recognised the finest of the sector

Dreams clinched National Bed Retailer of the Year for the third year running, having recently celebrated nine years of consecutive profit growth. The judges recognised its passion for customer service and impressive ratings, and its strong support of NBF manufacturer

and supplier members alike. Staff development is a priority for the chain, with several training packages and a financial support programme for employees.

Bensons for Beds, DFS and Furniture Village were finalists.

MattressNextDay was crowned Online Bed Retailer of the Year for the first time. The retailer launched its new website in late 2022, with significant investments in photography, videography, an AI mattress finder tool and comprehensive blog.

Host and comedian Maisie Adam and Jim Gerety, NBF president present Dreams with theNational Bed Retailer of the Year award

Sussex Beds won Large NBF Retail Champion of the Year MattressNextDay was crowned Online Bed Retailer of the Year

Eradicating plastic packaging and an impressive upturn in traffic, orders and average transaction value helped to secure it as this year’s winner.

Mattress Online was runner up.

Sussex Beds, scooped the Large NBF Retail Champion of the Year award. Over the past year, Sussex Beds has achieved record net profits, with two new store openings as well as a full rebrand and new product training video programme for staff. Partnering with a sleep expert has not only supported the sleep of both its customers and staff but has helped to enhance its web and social media presence.

The Bed Post was runner up.

Peter Betteridge – Your Bed Expert, a Premier Retail Champion that stocks entirely NBF-approved brands, won Small NBF Retail Champion of the Year. In the past year, the Southwest-based retailer saw a healthy increase in sales volumes and an up-tick in margin. It completed a significant extension to one of its showrooms and increased presence of NBF-approved brands. Other highlights

included enhancing its social media presence and launching new IT systems.

Dreamland Bedding, Linthorpe Beds and Now to Bed were finalists.

‘The industry-renowned Bed Industry Awards are a valued opportunity to recognise the standout companies and individuals in the UK and Irish bed sector. Congratulations to all the worthy winners and finalists and those who put themselves forward to be judged,’ says Jim Gerety, National Bed Federation president.

Sleepeezee was awarded the Bed Product of the Year for its Centurial 3 mattress, a celebratory launch ahead of the manufacturer’s 100-year birthday. Centurial provides exceptional levels of comfort through an impressive array of natural fillings, including Talalay latex, British wool and alpaca wool. The judges commended the mattress for looking opulent and feeling substantial. It is glue free, 100% recyclable at end of life, and backed up with excellent POS for the independent retailer. Additionally, the judges acknowledged it being great

value for money, and for each sale a donation is made to a homeless charity. The judges highly commended Sealy UK’s Posturepedic Exquisite Indulgence Plush mattress, its integrated technology and proven components producing a bed that looks and feels superb.

The finalists were Millbrook Beds for its Opulent Supreme 5000 range and Komfi for its KomfiMed range.

Jay-Be scooped the trophy for Bed Manufacturer of the Year. Aiming for global growth and demonstrating the extent of its ambition on many fronts, Jay-Be has seen its customer base expand greatly, alongside two Which? Best Buy accolades.

The Yorkshire-based manufacturer’s product development focuses on sustainability with the use of recycled materials and more recyclable designs. Judges were impressed by Jay-Be’s innovative approaches, such as the use of 3D printing and computer robots to produce exciting new concepts, efficiencies and improved customer service. Clutching a fistful of 

Jay-Be won Bed Manufacturer of the Year

Sleepeezee was awarded Bed Product of the Year

Justin Read from Sealy UK clinched the NBF Member Sales Agent/Rep of the Year Award

Peter Betteridge – Your Bed Expert triumphed in the Small NBF Retail Champion of the Year category

certifications, the company is now reaching out aggressively on the export side, initially to the USA, Canada and New Zealand and Europe.

Harrison Spinks, Hypnos and Sealy UK were finalists.

Component Supplier of the Year was awarded to The Vita Group. Taking responsibility is at the heart of The Vita Group’s approach and it is proud of its initiatives to measure and reduce its environmental impact – such as the Orbis range, using polyols from used foam and its Lifecycle Analysis tool, measuring the environmental impact of its products.

Vita aims to look after its customers and its people in equal measure, with customer contact across many

ON THE PANEL

departments and a new engagement manager role focusing on staff welfare.

The finalists were John Cotton Nonwovens and Spinks.

John Cotton Nonwovens took home this year’s Component Product of the Year trophy for its new ECO₂Blend, a carbon-negative polyester binder fibre. Manufactured from recycled PET and biowaste gases, ECO₂Blend reduces its environmental impact by delivering a negative carbon output and a lowered carbon footprint and is 100% recyclable at end of life.

The judges commended the innovative approach to developing the fibre as a huge step forward, coupled with the ambitions to extend it across a broader range of polyesters

y The judges for the retail awards were Bernard Eaton (Greenwood Retail), Dan Squires (Big Furniture Group) and Andrew Kidd (Interiors Monthly).

y Steve Adams (Mattress Online), Sue Davies (Sue Davies Design Solutions), James Dunne (Prestige Beds), Paul Farley (Furniture News) and Becca Maloy (AIS) judged the Bed Product of the Year.

y Richard De Melim (Furnishing Report), David Fitzsimons (Oakdene Hollins and European Manufacturing Council) and Jonathan Hindle (British Furniture Confederation and KI Europe) judged Bed Manufacturer of the Year.

y Adams, James and Maloy judged NBF Member Sales Agent/Rep of the Year.

y Ad of the Year was judged by Phil Bennett (PIP Creative) and Richard McMurrough (The Propaganda Agency).

y Component Supplier of the Year was judged by Farley, Fitzsimons and Hindle.

y Component Product of the Year was judged by Natalie Armstrong (Sealy UK), Danny Blackmore (Silentnight) and Dave Morris (Sleepeezee).

without compromising performance or adversely impacting affordability.

The judges also highly commended The Vita Group’s Orbis flexible polyurethane foam. Orbis is a truly circular solution, manufactured from 20% recycled polyols and derived from post-consumer waste mattresses, with substantiations for every claim.

Justin Read from Sealy UK clinched the NBF Member Sales Agent/Rep of the Year Award, which shines a spotlight at an individual level.

His professionalism and customercentric approach has allowed him to build strong, lasting relationships that have been instrumental in securing customer loyalty during a period of disruption and challenging trading.

Read demonstrated outstanding sales performance over the last 12 months and is hugely respected by his customers and colleagues alike.

The finalists were Jason Hillier from Komfi & Shire Beds and Robert Moore from Sleepeezee.

Prestige Beds’ online video ad was crowned Ad of the Year.The Lancashirebased retailer created an engaging video ad, impressing judges by producing it entirely in-house to showcase its wide product offer, excellent service and 60-year family heritage.

Using Google’s Performance Max, the ad was promoted via Google, Facebook and YouTube, delivering impressive and measurable increases in store traffic and sales.

The finalists were MattressMan and Mattress Online.

Visit: www.bedshow.co.uk/awards

Component Supplier of the Year was awarded to The Vita Group Jessica Alexander, former NBF executive director received a Lifetime Achievement Award

Sleep easy

Physical and mental health relies on a good night’s rest

Getting a good night’s sleep has never been more important. Our physical and mental health relies on our bodies feeling rested and rejuvenated, so making sure we sleep well is a necessity.

Sleepeezee’s array of products and services, alongside its team of expert craftspeople, can help ensure the best night’s sleep. As a Royal Warrant holder since 1963, the Sleepeezee team is dedicated to combining innovative practices with market-leading designs to provide the right bed and mattress solutions for customers.

Established in 1924, Sleepeezee is best known for its popular mattress ranges, from 100% natural luxury fillings to more technological materials such as graphite memory foam. Its mattresses come with a range of support technologies that provide everything from firm to soft support that tailors to differing sleep needs and targets customer pain points. Its Staycool Gel foam provides pressure-sensitive support that immediately responds to body shape and helps to regulate body temperature. Its ViroFresh technology is an anti-microbial technology that kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on contact, for a more hygienic night’s sleep.

And of course, you can’t have a mattress without a luxurious divan base and headboard. Sleepeezee’s divan beds

are built to last and include many storage options. They come in a variety of fabrics and colours and can be tailored to the mattress and sleep space.

Based in Rochester in Kent, Sleepeezee products are manufactured in the UK. With strong family values at the heart of the business, it aims to support national and local charities across the country. A recent donation saw the company contribute £57,000 to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in partnership with the brand’s ambassador Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. The donation was funded by sales of

Sleepeezee’s Jessica range, in which the company donated £20 to the children’s hospital with each sale.

The company is further committed to supporting sustainable efforts. Having been carbon neutral since 2017, it has continued to strive for sustainability in all it accomplishes. Last year alone, Sleepeezee’s 591 energy-saving solar panels, installed in 2021, generated a total of 249,160kWh of electricity, which avoided a total of 52,9 tCO2e and helped to reduce electricity use by 23.78%.

Visit: www.sleepeezee.com

Ultimate 7000

Centurial

Celebrating 100 years of sleeping on it

LEAVE THE REST TO US

Recycled, recyclable

GNG is responding to demand for more environmentally friendly products

With continuing demand from consumers and retailers for more environmentally friendly products, GNG has added to its Komfi collection which features its unique Ecofoam, designed to give greater sustainability and recycling benefits.

Developed in-house by GNG, Ecofoam is made from 100% recycled and re-engineered foam, resulting in a product with a reduced carbon footprint. When an Ecofoam mattress reaches the end of its natural life, it can be entirely recycled.

‘Given our long heritage in British mattress manufacturing, together with the strength of our experienced in-house R&D team, we are in an excellent position to innovate and develop products that specifically meet market needs. The concern for sustainability is gathering momentum across all sectors and the credentials of Ecofoam put us at the forefront of meeting this demand,’ says Richard Gretton, GNG commercial director.

‘With many models in our popular Komfi range featuring Ecofoam, we’ve built on this success, combined with our strong track record as an approved supplier to the NHS, to launch the KomfiMed range, which delivers the environmental benefits of Ecofoam

along with the health benefits of medically proven foam with TrueGel technology. KomfiMed delivers excellent pressure relief while minimising motion transfer and regulating temperature to provide a peaceful night’s sleep. An industry-first, the range is already causing lots of interest.

‘Other benefits include Ecofoam’s resilience and durability, as well as being naturally dust mite resistant and offering body support. Featuring throughout the NBF Approved collection, the mattresses also have a 10-year warranty.’

Engineered for enhanced support, the

range is designed to provide excellent spinal alignment and relieve stress on joints. It offers a supportive sleep surface while conforming to the body’s contours. The range is available in soft, medium and firm options.

Many products in the Komfi Unity range have recently achieved Crib 5 (Ignition Source 5) accreditation, making them suitable for the contract market. Following rigorous testing, these models have passed UK Fire Regulations 1988 and are now categorised as Crib 5 Medium Hazard in line with BS7177. Tel: 01924 950 300

The range is engineered for enhanced support

Tolerance

Fluctuating temperatures require temperature-tolerant adhesives

form an instant grab upon contact, ideal for installing flooring featuring intricate patterns and bespoke designs that need precise alignment. They also offer a long open time, reducing the risk of late placement. Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS is a water-based vinyl adhesive with the familiar characteristics of a pressuresensitive adhesive, which develops the high bond strength and dimensional stability required to hold vinyl firmly in place in areas exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations: from minus 20degC to 60degC. While providing high initial tack, the adhesive allows the flooring to be lifted and repositioned in the initial stages of drying.

‘Extreme temperatures or temperature fluctuations can cause floorcoverings to expand and contract significantly. This is frequently the case in heavily glazed areas that are subject to solar gain during the day, such as conservatories, which then rapidly cool at night. Over time, this can lead to unsightly tenting and gapping at the edges of floorcoverings, particularly between adjacent vinyl tiles or planks. Once fully cured, temperaturetolerant adhesives hold floorcoverings firmly in place, restricting these movements and ensuring that flooring installations maintain their aesthetic appearance for years to come,’ says Andy Mees, F Ball technical service officer. There is sometimes confusion about why a temperature-tolerant adhesive is required to install LVTs in conservatories but not over underfloor heating. This is because temperature fluctuations as a result of underfloor heating systems are much more gradual and less extreme than changes from solar gain, which can result in swings of 60degC. To meet British Standard guidelines of resilient and textile floorcoverings, underfloor heating systems should not exceed 27degC at the bond line. Temperaturetolerant adhesives are only always necessary where there are heavily glazed areas, including conservatories, and where there are floor-to-ceiling windows, such as extensions fitted with bi-fold doors.

Where a temperature-tolerant adhesive is required, there are a number of options. Wet-lay temperature-tolerant adhesives are available for installing vinyl in areas that will be exposed to high temperatures and are available with a range of additional properties.

‘F Ball’s Styccobond F48 PLUS, for example, is a fibre-reinforced, high temperature grade adhesive for installing a range of vinyl floorcoverings. The fibres allow it to offer high initial grab to hold the flooring securely in place while fitters are working. It is also fast drying, and as a one-part solution there’s no mixing required before application,’ says Mees.

‘When installing vinyl tiles and planks, it is useful to have the benefits of pressure-sensitive adhesives, which

‘Styccobond F49 has also been approved for installing vertical flooring accessories, such as PVC skirting, capping and coving, meaning it offers an alternative to traditional contact adhesives. However, unlike contact adhesives, the hybrid adhesive only needs to be applied to one surface. It is also water resistant, allowing it to be used to install floorcoverings in damp and humid environments such as kitchens and bathrooms.’

F Ball’s Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG) lists adhesives recommended for use with more than 6,000 floorcoverings, produced by over 200 manufacturers. A continually updated version can be found on F Ball’s website and as a free app. It is also available as an A5 booklet. Visit: www.f-ball.com

The Recommended Adhesives Guide shows which adhesives can be used with which flooring

Supporting cast

It’s not just the LVT that is important for a fantastic floor

‘With a dedicated range of subfloor preparation, underlay, profiles, scotia and cutting tools for use with luxury vinyl, Floorwise can provide a complete solution for the preparation, installation and finishing of LVT floors,’ says Andrew Gill, Floorwise group product manager.

‘Of course, any LVT install needs a flat and level subfloor to give the best result, so applying Floorwise Pro-Screed Gold is a great start to any project. This two-part smoothing and levelling compound is designed to tackle a wide range of subfloors and conditions, leaving you with a finish ready for LVT. The fast setting time also helps it deliver flawless results quickly, so you can get on with fitting after just four hours. For less complex tasks, Pro-Screed Feather Edge is a patch repair and levelling compound perfect for addressing small subfloor problems and is ready in just 15 minutes.’

With sound an issue in many installations and click LVT products on

the rise, choosing the right underlay can save a lot of pain. An underlay that’s too thick and with too much ‘bounce’ can put stress on the thinner profiles of LVT click products, causing popping joints. The wrong density and it will do little to stop sound, deal with subfloor imperfections or support the floor.

‘Acoustica LVT underlay is specifically developed for all-round performance with LVT. At just 1.5mm thick, it uses an ultra-high density rubber that delivers 18dB of impact noise reduction as well as absorbing minor subfloor imperfections. Safe for use with UFH without breaking down, Acoustica LVT can be used under all click and dryback LVT floors,’ says Gill.

‘Cutting around tricky objects and cutting planks to length is made easy with high-quality Sheffield steel blades and a range of knives. With ergonomics

a very personal thing, our wide variety of knives means you can get the right feel in hand, backed with great value blades that won’t let you down.

‘The installation is only as good as the products used to finish it. With the scotia and transition profiles available from Floorwise trade counters across the UK and Republic of Ireland, you can be assured of a first-class result. From the contemporary finishes of Reflections to match switches, sockets and door furniture, to the Zenith range in matt gold and matt silver and foil-wrapped wood effects in shades from grey oak to dark walnut, there’s a profile for every application.’

Floorwise’s Wood, Laminate & LVT Installation Accessories brochure features time-saving subfloor preparation products, adhesives, underlays, tools, profiles and scotia designed for use with click and dryback LVT floors, to guide fitters to a fantastic LVT floor.

Visit: www.floorwise.co.uk

More and more

Next year’s Flanders Flooring Days will expand further

From 13-16 May 2024, a large part of the European flooring industry will gather in and around Kortrijk, Belgium. The goal? Reveal new products, meet customers and conclude collaborations.

For the third time, market leaders and local manufacturers will open their showrooms. New for 2024 is the central Kortrijk Xpo, where non-Flanders companies can display their innovations.

‘In 2022, Flanders Flooring Days originated as a trade event where players in the flooring industry could meet despite the pandemic,’ says Cindy Collez, Flanders Flooring Days sales manager. ‘It became an unexpected success. Customers were welcomed to the showrooms and production facilities of market leaders. Within a radius of 25km, more than 10 notable names in the sector participated: indicative of Flanders’ historically strong position in

the industry. In 2023, our visitor numbers grew by 60% to 1,600.’

The event quickly built a reputation as a surprising and professional event for the international soft and hard flooring industry, with the support of Flemish market leaders and its founding partners, who continue to attract an international audience. This year no fewer than 72 nationalities found their way to the showrooms in East and West Flanders. By popular demand, Flanders Flooring Days has decided to open its doors for a third edition and welcome European manufacturers as well, who will claim their own place in the central showroom at The Hub in Kortrijk Xpo.

‘FFD24 is the fastest and most efficient way to see everyone who matters in the sector, across national borders. The location of the participating showrooms and Kortrijk Xpo has an

added advantage: visitors and exhibitors get to enjoy the renowned Flemish hospitality. Kortrijk is the perfect base to get to know customers and colleagues better over dinner or a cultural excursion after the day’s programme – perhaps a visit to Bruges or Ghent?’ says Collez.

‘One of the highlights will be Flanders Flooring Night, an exclusive gala event for visitors and exhibitors. After all, personal contact remains the defining factor of a trade event like Flanders Flooring Days. It not only guarantees a better understanding of each other and each other’s business, but also gives the opportunity to experience a product with all your senses.’

Confirmed participants include Associated Weavers, Beauflor, Belysse, BerryAlloc, Betap, COREtec Floors, Condor Group, Lano, McThree, OSTA and Unilin. Visit: www.flandersflooringdays.com

Next year’s event will welcome a mixture of showroom and Kortrijk Xpo participants

First in line

VIFA EXPO has a new location and new timings

Next year‘s VIFA EXPO is to have new timings that will see it move to the head of the southeast Asian interiors exhibition circuit. The Vietnam show, which this year took place on 8-11 March, will be held on 26-29 February 2024.

This will see it take place before IFEX in Indonesia, MIFF (1-4 March) and EFE (5-8 March) in Malaysia and CIFF (18-21 and 28-31 March) in China.

The show will also have a new venue. The SKY EXPO VIETNAM centre in District 12 of Ho Chi Minh City is nearer to Tan Son Nhat Airport and more convenient for buyers continuing their trip to visit the furniture factories in the Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An provinces, which are the furniture manufacturing centres of Vietnam.

As the largest and oldest furniture fair

in Vietnam, the show attracts the country’s leading furniture and home accessories export manufacturers. This year’s edition, the 14th, saw more than 18,000 visitors, including 6,000 international buyers.

The 15th edition is expected to host more than 600 exhibitors covering over 36,000sqm.

Visit: www.vifafair.com

15th

Since 2008

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New level

CIFF Shanghai saw a record number of visitors

The 52nd edition of CIFF Shanghai welcomed a record number of visitors, attracting 93,474 trade visitors, 84,611 of whom came from China and 8,863 from abroad. This was a 10.4% increase on the record set in 2019.

The show had 1,500 exhibitors across 340,000sqm at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai Hongqiao).

With the theme ‘The First Destination for International Furniture and Furnishing Purchases in China’, the exhibition was divided into eight themed areas and hosted four side events: CIFF WMF; CIFF Trend Life Aesthetics Exhibition; CIFF

Commercial Office Space Exhibition and CIFF Urban Outdoor Exhibition, bringing the furniture industry together under one roof over four days.

In addition, there were 46 live broadcasts on Chinese social channels followed by some 2.6million online viewers. In uncertain times the Chinese domestic market – segmented between the wealth emerging among consumers with truly impressive economic capacity and a growing, increasingly demanding middle class – is proving a safe harbour for many companies in the sector.

But CIFF Shanghai is not just business – it represents trends, lifestyles,

design-centric culture. It’s a place for meeting and exchange that gave rise to 40 professional forums this year, bringing together hundreds of industry experts. A standout among the events was the 2023 Global Home Furnishing Development Forum – China Home Furnishing Business Design Trend Conference. The participants included 20 special guests, all main players on the Chinese design scene, who shared reflections on urban renewal, sustainable design and technological change over three days of activity, touching on lifestyle and cultural integration issues. Visit: www.ciff.furniture

The show attracted almost 100,000 visitors

Global Development Forum

Camerich

Welcoming the world

VIFA ASEAN attracted a strong contingent of UK buyers

VIFA ASEAN (Vietnam ASEAN International Furniture and Home Accessories Fair) attracted 9,438 visitors from 29 August to 1 September.

Visitors came from 63 countries to see the 198 exhibitors – 102 of which were non-Vietnamese. Of these, 3,779 were from overseas, with UK buyers making up the ninth largest grouping after China, Japan, US, Taiwan, Korea, India, continental Europe and Hong Kong.

Some 55% of visitors reported their main interest as furniture, followed by 16% home decor and 8% furnishings and handicrafts.

Almost a quarter (23%) said they intended to place orders, with 25%

looking to extend their network of suppliers and 24% looking for new products.

27% of visitors were first-time visitors.

As well as organising factory visits,

the show hosted a series of seminars, with topics including the ecommerce platform Alibaba; the use of coconut, and the impact of net-zero.

Visit: www.vifaasean.com

Three into one

Unilin Flooring showed its trio of brands

Unilin Flooring came to The Flooring Show to showcase its brands in engineered wood, laminate, LVT and cushion vinyl floors: Quick-Step, Moduleo and LeoLine.

‘Since joining forces, we’ve been keen to show independent retailers how our brands are complementary and give opportunities to all kinds of shoppers,’ says David Bigland, Unilin Flooring UK & Ireland sales and marketing director. ‘As it brings together the industry, we decided The Flooring Show was the perfect place to achieve this as well as show our latest innovations, like the refreshed Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and the new Moduleo Roots Herringbone Classic.’ From world-first technologies to enhance the life of its wood, laminate and LVT floors to design innovation that has pushed into new realms of authenticity, Quick-Step has long appealed to homeowners that prioritise performance and natural beauty, and the new Alpha Vinyl is no exception. Shown on Quick-Step’s new displays,

the collection now features integrated underlay across the range, and the Unizip herringbone locking system that makes two-plank systems a thing of the past. Selected designs also come with more depth and texture than any other vinyl floor on the market.

‘Alpha Vinyl includes the most realistic wood designs on the market. Even to the experienced eye, it’s genuinely hard to tell this floor apart from the look or feel of real wood,’ says Bigland. ‘It’s typically Quick-Step and it gives Alpha Vinyl the edge if customers are looking

Moduleo Roots Ethnic Wenge

LeoLine Rapport Patagonia

for a premium vinyl floor that’s as close to nature as possible.’

Bigland says Alpha Vinyl isn’t competition for Moduleo. ‘You have to look at the history of the brands. Quick-Step has always focused on premium quality and lavished attention on the details across a range of flooring categories. Moduleo still has that “Made in Belgium” quality, but it has always adopted a forward-thinking approach to design and dealt only in LVT.

‘There’s more versatility and inspiration in Moduleo Roots and this appeals to a different type of customer. Someone who prizes design highly will always veer towards Moduleo for the scope of the looks on offer, a more trend-sensitive collection and the possibilities it brings in mixing and matching. For example, in the Moduleo Roots collection you’ll find nine different terrazzo looks, while Alpha Vinyl has none. This is neither good nor bad but goes to show the difference between the brands.’

The show saw Moduleo launch its Herringbone Classic plank, which is better proportioned than previous sizes and has been added to ensure versatility across a range of room sizes. Available iin a range of trending wood looks, Herringbone Classic is now

available alongside Herringbone Short, Moduleo’s answer to grand patterns.

Unilin Flooring’s visit to The Flooring Show also introduced the market to LeoLine’s 2024 premium display, a ground-up rethink of cushion vinyl’s positioning, both in-store and in the minds of consumers. The stand is designed to elevate LeoLine into the world of design flooring, previously the reserve of LVT.

‘Cushion vinyl has a great set of features for consumers. It’s easy to fit themselves, comfortable and quiet, simple to look after and comes in a great range of textured designs. These benefits have always been appreciated by its fans, but there’s new opportunity there too. Inflation and the rising cost of living is putting extraordinary pressure on people’s budgets and it’s important retailers can respond to this without their customers thinking they’re getting an inferior product or something not as modern. That’s been pretty hard until now, but LeoLine is changing that with a new brand identity and a focus on desirability and design. It still delivers cushion vinyl’s affordability, but in a manner that makes it a desirable option and not a downgrade.

‘The popularity of the stand with retailers visiting us at the show clearly

says that we’ve got it just about right, and we’re confident that cushion vinyl is a floor that’s going to enjoy something of a renaissance over the next couple of years,’ says Bigland. This is clearly evident in the new LeoLine stand. The construction feels premium and includes internal lighting and ‘floating’ collection displays. It comes wrapped in a smart black finish and LeoLine’s new branding that puts attention on the floor’s ability to offer designs ‘as unique as you are’.

Visit: www.unilin.com/en/flooring

Quick-Step Capture Brushed Oak Natural

LeoLine Atomic XT Scarlet

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Bios Coast Oak Beige

Colourful

Abingdon Flooring marked its 20th anniversary

Abingdon Flooring marked its 20th anniversary and showcased how it has a carpet to fit any customer’s taste.

‘For 20 years we’ve been producing carpets in Britain, and in that time we’ve become one of the nation’s favourite carpet brands. It was great to celebrate this milestone anniversary with our customers, friends and colleagues from across the industry, and we also used the show to unveil some exciting new collections to our product families. The response to these new ranges was fantastic and we’re looking forward to rolling them out to stores right across the UK,’ says Charlotte Coop, Abingdon Flooring head of marketing.

The company also used the show to help retailers get a better understanding of how colour carpets can be used in the home.

‘Our wide colour choice does leave retailers with something of a puzzle when it comes to recommending the right shade, so we used the show to help them solve it. Our stand gave some really helpful hints on how to pick the perfect colour and make customers happy: what a great way to mark 20 years.’

The manufacturer’s previews of new collections included Pure Elegance and Captivation, two high-end Stainfree carpets that bring the luxury feel of a Saxony carpet with the durability of a twist.

Using a 1/10th gauge for a finer twist, and combined with Abingdon Flooring’s

latest generation polypropylene yarn, Pure Elegance and Capitvation represent choices for customers that want the feel of Saxony without sacrificing a classic look that keeps tracking and vacuuming marks at bay. The construction brings durability, whether in the heavyweight Pure Elegance or the lighter and

more affordable Captivation. Presented in a full spectrum of colours, including sophisticated neutrals and a range of rich classics, the carpets feature Abingdon Flooring’s fleece back for improved comfort and easier installation.

Visit: www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Pure Elegance

Silkstone

Abundance

ALPHA VINYL Beauty without compromise

Redefining premium luxury vinyl

A premium collection for contemporary living, new Alpha Vinyl brings unrivalled natural authenticity in a floor that’s waterproof, wonderfully silent and that lets homes mix and match between plank and herringbone. Now with attached underlay across the range.

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AVHBU40364

New developments

Cormar Carpet Company drew the crowds

Cormar Carpet Company was delighted to return to The Flooring Show, showcasing its award-winning Trade Portal and building on the strength of key bestselling ranges to further extend their appeal to consumers.

To meet the rising popularity of wool products, Cormar has enhanced their offering with the new Hampstead wool twist range, as well as the recently launched wool loop ranges Fairisle and Malabar Two Fold, all of which enjoyed the spotlight at this year’s show. The

new Wool Textures display was also presented on the stand, exhibiting the manufacturer’s popular loops on one distinctive lectern.

The company’s sixth range launch of the year, Kingston, was previewed at the show, ahead of its launch in the coming weeks. Made from 100% Excellon polypropylene and produced using a two-ply yarn, Kingston is a value-orientated, 1/10th gauge carpet, offering improved pile density and performance. Durable and resilient, this

new range is manufactured by Cormar in a collection of 15 popular plain and heather shades, providing a stylish and practical base for interior design schemes.

Since its launch in 2011, Cormar’s Trade Portal has gone from strength to strength, with more than 60% of customers now placing orders via the service. During a recent survey, over 90% of users reported the online portal as the best in the industry, and with a host of new features introduced this year it is better than ever.

Cormar’s investment in enhancements to the portal this year has exceeded £100,000. Visitors to the stand benefited from live demonstrations exhibiting the latest features, including the new pending deliveries feature alongside the highly requested marketing area.

‘With the number of customers choosing to use our Trade Portal increasing all the time, we were delighted to showcase our recent enhancements, which we believe will cement user confidence in our online service and work towards enabling customers to carry out most of their interactions with Cormar online, should they choose to do so,’ says David Cormack, Cormar marketing director.

Visit: portal.cormarcarpets.co.uk

Kingston in Woodbrook

Above: Cormar returned to Hall A Above left: more than 60% of customers use the portal

We’re proud of our Roots

Make more of luxury vinyl floors with new Moduleo Roots

Curated into six distinctive themes, Moduleo’s new Roots collection is appealing, aspirational and as diverse and vivid as nature itself.

Designed and Made in Belgium to handle whatever life throws at them as well as to be warm, comfortable and quiet; Roots is made from up to 50% internal recycled PVC from our own production waste.

To begin your journey with Roots, contact your ASM or visit moduleo.co.uk

Community

‘Greendale is much more than a buying group; it is a community, that’s what makes it unique,’ says Eamonn Prescott, Greendale chief executive.

‘We have banged the drum about Greendale being more than a buying group and some have asked us what we mean by that. What we mean is, when you become a member of Greendale, you also become a shareholder and own a stake in the group. Which means that we all work together, and the group grows stronger. It’s not just about the individual, it’s what being a collective can achieve.

‘It’s the reason we have our own purpose-built warehouse. Built for the

members, by the members. It’s the reason we have such strong trading relationships with suppliers. And it’s the reason we have the Interiors Monthly Flooring Brand of the Year award. We believe everything is possible because of the strength of our members as a collective.

‘Another example of how we work together is the sharing of information. While other groups can have two to three members in an area, we have one. This exclusivity means our members don’t compete with one another, so whether it’s exchanging information on insurance, card machines, deposits or accounting software, there is a huge

community willing to engage to help make someone else’s business stronger. Tell me where else that happens?’

‘Greendale is such a great buying group to be part of. It is so much more than a group, more like a family who are always there to help and support the members whilst still getting us the best products for the best prices,’ says Katie Courtney-Jones, director of J&I Carpets in Oswestry, Shropshire.

‘Pride of place on this year’s stand at The Flooring Show was the Interiors Monthly Flooring Brand of the Year award. This year we have raised the profile of the brand with a social media campaign which has seen audience engagement more than triple. We have also revamped the website, logo, corporate colour and entered into collaborations with such high-profile interior companies as ANTA Scotland, Panaget Flooring, Broadleaf and The Woven Edge,’ says Latona Potter, Greendale marketing manager.

‘All this plus a record number of in-store installations has seen a massive transformation in how the group is viewed. We’ve had a big rise in enquiries for membership and that is testament to the hard work we have put in on our recruitment drive for 2023 and beyond.’

Visit: www.greendalecarpets.co.uk

Greendale saw strong interest from potential members at the show

The Greendale team relax after a day at The Flooring Show

Above: The group’s branding has been revamped Above left: Greendale was winner of the Interiors Monthly Flooring Brand of the Year award

Floors as unique as you are

The new LeoLine is ready for the colour, vibrancy and variety of every space. Drawing upon our flooring know-how, we’re making cushion vinyl the contemporary and savvy way to create the floor you want. After all, everybody deserves their perfect floor.

Purity

Victoria had plenty for visitors to see

Victoria Carpets and Design Floors

Pure & Simple is an undyed wool collection, available in velvet and loop pile designs. The velvet is an 80/20 blend, while the loop uses 100% British wool. There is a choice of eight shades.

First Impressions received its first

colour update in several years, with the number of colours increasing from a dozen to 20.

Pioneer is a lighter-weight option to complement First Impressions, available in 10 shades.

New display units were debuted,

which will be used for all lecterns from now on. These see the samples lifted forward rather then up.

Victoria also previewed a polypropylene sisal-style weave suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Visit: www.myvictoria.co.uk

First Impressions now has 20 shades Pure & Simple heralded new lecterns The Design Floors collection was also on show

Retailers were able to see the full offer

COMING THIS AUTUMN

All natural COREtec expanded its The Naturals collection

The Flooring Show saw COREtec launch 21 designs in The Naturals collection. The 22 current designs, which include eight in herringbone format, were joined by 21 new woods. The new designs include six herringbones, contemporary 1,500mm and 1,800mm length boards, a dynamic multi-series design and two realistic planks with the new and unique ‘pressed bevel’ technology.

The New Naturals are in addition to the more than 100 COREtec floors already stocked in the UK, available exclusively through the Likewise Group. There are wood, stone and contemporary finishes across four collections: The Essentials, The Naturals, Megastone and XL-End.

The New Naturals is available to see in the COREtec Tour Van along with XL-End and The Essentials. Email: discover@coretecfloors.co.uk.

21 new designs were debuted

Size matters

Growing sales, increased sales network and the largest stand

With extended stand space this year, Kellars sported the largest stand at the show, allowing the introduction of new features, characteristics, stand displays and seven brands into the 180sqm space. This opportunity allowed Kellars to create more of a dynamic and interactive experience for customers, with an ecommerce team. Jess, Jo and Ethan were managing and putting through orders as they were placed across the three-day exhibition.

This year’s stand centrepiece was ‘Frannie’s Bar’ as the company paid tribute to its former sales director, Dave Francis, who sadly died in April 2022.

With Kellars providing exclusivity within all its products, demand is only increasing. Kellars’ Lazio carpet range saw the addition of 10 new colours, with the choice of 11mm and 6mm pile height options, and Messina, also with an additional 10 shades introduced.

Award-winning Alva LVT features 10 planks, 10 herringbones and four tiles, each exhibited on branded floor and wall stands.

The company continues to increase its network of sales representatives to keep up with demand, with the team now 25 strong. Visit: www.kellars.co.uk

The ecommerce hub saw orders updated instantly

Frannie’s Bar paid tribute to Dave Francis

IMAGES: IVAN GASKIN & TOM MARSTON, LENSCORE

Alva Herringbone

• 0.5mm wear layer

• multi bevelled edge

• 10 herringbone, 10 plank, 4 tile

• 2.5mm thickness

Explore our 2023 Award Winning Alva LVT, available in 10 herringbone, 10 matching planks, and 4 tile decors. Not only is this product exclusive to Kellars, but we supply our LVT in branded packaging for additional value.

Alva

Floor colour style English Oak

Differentiation

Carpenter highlighted the choices on offer

Visitors to the Carpenter stand were encouraged to ‘Discover the Difference’.

It highlighted three categories of underlay: Standard, Comfort and Performance, and asked visitors to stand on different samples.

The Standard category is a practical, all-round product providing support and comfort. It highlighted Magic 8, which has a density of 85kg/cum, 8mm

thickness, sound insulation of 34dB and a thermal insulation of 2.13tog.

The Comfort category underlay is designed to deliver a deluxe flooring experience. It offers resilient support to the carpet while focusing on providing supreme luxury under foot. It highlighted Deepstep, which has a density of 125kg/ cum, 11mm thickness, sound insulation of 46dB and a thermal insulation of 2.78tog.

The Performance category is designed to provide carpets with optimum support, while its high density of 180kg/ cum brings additional durability to extend the life of the flooring, ensuring it looks its best for longer. Prostep –suitable for domestic and heavy contract use – was highlighted, with its 8mm thickness, 36dB and 2.07tog ratings. Visit: www.carpenter.com

Visitors were encouraged to Discover the Difference

Award Winning Home Care

Marketleadersin the provision of care plans and products forthefurniture, beds and flooring industry.

Mattress Protectors

Mattressgard have led the way for many years in the development of innovative products that both protect your mattress and provide a healthy and hygienic sleeping surface, by harnessing the most natural products such as Tencel™, Cotton and Bamboo.

Care Kits and Products

Staingard is widely acknowledged as the leader in the supply of the best products for the protection, cleaning, repair and care of all furniture types including Leather and Fabric Upholstery, Carpets, Wood and Glass furniture and beds. Our products are used extensively by consumers and professionals alike.

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Staingard Furniture Care plans cover structural failure, accidental damage and accidental staining. Staingard’s Care plans are available for: Fabric and Leather Upholstery, Cabinet Furniture, Beds, Mattresses and Carpets.

Transformed

Production is now almost all in the UK, improving service levels

Balta used The Flooring Show to highlight its transformation since it was bought by Victoria Group. Now 95% of production is in the UK and all of it stocked here.

Thanks to the improved service it is now able to offer UK retailers, it is looking to expand its retailer base. The opening of the Alliance warehouse in Worcester allows it to ensure faster delivery and closer proximity for cuts

and rolls. And to further improve service it is continuing to add to its network of sales representatives.

Luxury Weave is the latest Woolmaster addition, with the 100% wool range offering a dozen colours. The Tradition range will be added by the end of the year, further extending the wool offer.

In Stainsafe, which features top-quality polypropylene ranges that prioritise cleanability and easy use in everyday

home life, more qualities will be added by the end of the year.

The Made in Heaven roll-out is happening and features Crescent, Eclipse and Sublime.

All of this while keeping the offer to retailers fresh and appealing. Proof of which is the relaunch of updated offers such as the evergreen qualities Noble, Shepherd Twist and Supertwist.

Visit: www.balta-carpets.com

Balta at The Flooring Show

Sublime

Luxury Weave

No repeats

Digital is the future for Tarkett

Tarkett is rolling out a collection of digitally printed LVT. This allows a pattern repeat of 12sqm. While traditional LVT manufacturing processes can create a dozen unique planks before the pattern is repeated, Tarkett’s digital technology sees about 50 ‘average-sized’ planks before the pattern is likely to be repeated: allowing consumers to cover a much larger area of unique decor.

The ranges have a matt finish, further differentiating them from the competition.

Inspiration Naturals ‘Design Studio’ concept has seen 14 decors added and they will be introduced this month.

November will see the launch of the Natural ceramics decors, followed in December by Inspiration Classics, which uses regular printing techniques to introduce a wider range of price points to the overall collection.

Some herringbone designs in Inspiration Classics will come

‘preassembled’ with four tiles together – a new ‘Fast-Fit Herringbone’ format, which the company says will make fitting at least four times quicker.

Visit: www.inspirationnaturals.co.uk

Naturals Farringdon in French Blue

Classics comes in several options

Naturals Studio Forest Oak Nutmeg in mansion weave

Statement

Colour was key for Hugh Mackay

Hugh Mackay drew the visitors with a host of introductions.

Natural Origins is a 100% wool loop in eight natural shades, each available in herringbone, boucle and rib designs and 4m and 5m widths.

Durham Alternates is an extension of the Durham Twist ranges and is offered in 10 coordinating shades.

The Axminster collections saw updates on Tartan Naturals and Tartanesque, together with the new Harrison Tartan and Jasper collections. This included examples of custom designs that can be produced.

The Deco collection includes Plains (15 SKUs), Two Tone (four SKUs), Pinstripe (four SKUs), Candy Stripe

(six SKUs), Flatweave Boucle (three SKUs), Flatweave Herringbone (three SKUs) and Flatweave Jacquard (eight SKUs) – in 100% wool.

Deco’s POS stand features a moodboard section, which allows a retailer to work with their customer on a full decorating scheme.

Visit: www.hughmackay.co.uk

Seeing the benefits

Metro highlighted what members can gain

The Metro Group used the show to explain to retailers what the benefits of membership are.

The group negotiates on behalf of its members – all independent flooring retailers across the UK – to get the best possible terms. These net terms are passed on to members for them to manage their own prices. The group does not hold money back to pay rebates: members get the best possible invoiced prices on every order. This puts them firmly in control of their own prices, without having to wait and wonder what level of rebate they may

receive at some time in the future. Members retain the independence to set their own pricing policy, with full knowledge and visibility of the terms.

Retailers who experience the frustration of having a customer who wants a specific carpet and not having an account with that particular supplier can simplify this and save time and money in the process. Metro has in place a Central Order System with group suppliers, to order on members’ behalf. Retailers can quickly and easily get the products they want, at the best prices, and have them delivered to store – all it takes is a phone call to the Metro office. In many cases this has led to accounts being opened with members who may have struggled to open accounts before.

The Metro merchandising service is unique and one of the main benefits of group membership. A subsidised, personalised service, it can do everything from design and print a business card to revamping your entire shopfront. All Metro members receive a £600 (+VAT) free allowance to spend each year with the service – the group’s commitment to give access to the best marketing and merchandising support in the market.

A display and marketing brochure is full of examples of work completed or

ideas members may wish to think about. Everything in the brochure can be made bespoke to suit members’ businesses. Design, manufacture and installation are all done by the same people, for an efficient service.

Many major retailers offer products under their own exclusive brands and the Carpet1st label has been developed for members of the Metro Group who want to take advantage of an own label. The decision on whether to show a product under the manufacturer’s name or the Carpet1st name is always up to the member: they remain 100% independent and manage their business as they wish.

The Carpet1st ranges are rebranded products agreed with the major UK and European manufacturers. The cost pricing is the same, whether retailers choose the manufacturer’s brand name or Carpet1st. The Metro Group can negotiate special offers on POS to help keep in-store displays fresh and current.

The Metro Group merchandising service can take this own-label offer a stage further: it can develop personalised branding for retailers so they can put their own business name onto ranges. Having your own name on samples and stands is the ultimate personalisation. Visit: www.carpet1st.co.uk

Rebranded displays at Crown Carpets, Widnes

Tombola dividers made for Highdown Carpets, Rustington

Creative

Lifestyle Floors again opted for colour and positivity

Seasoned visitors to The Flooring Show would have recognised the Lifestyle Floors stand immediately: habitually bright, welcoming and consistently busy, this year was no exception. The stand was designed to be spacious and easy for visitors to navigate and browse the array of new ranges on display, which helped to ensure that it never felt cramped.

The pops of bright orange weren’t the bravest thing about the stand, as the centre portion was carpeted in White Sands from Montego Bay: a lush, pure white carpet. A risk considering the footfall on a rainy Harrogate weekend, but one that paid off.

Montego Bay was flanked by two different designs of ArtBlend, Lifestyle Floors’ new LVT range, which was the star of the stand. The new POS display was showcased for the first time, and was consistently surrounded by retailers checking out the range.

ArtBlend is designed with creativity

in mind. A select colour palette of six unique decors has been crafted to pair with one another. In addition, each decor is available in three sizes, making it easy to create unique patterns. This

means you are not restricted to a single colourway in a straight lay: instead, it encourages you to mix and match more than one to create a stunning pattern, as was demonstrated by the designs

on the floor of the stand.

The display boasts three different-size planks, from full-size plain and mix and match boards, full-size parquet samples and mini play pieces, which are magnetic and allow consumers to try designs on the walls as well as the floors.

A further 16 new ranges were shown using large lookbooks in the centre of the stand.

Vinyl has been a strength of Lifestyle Floors in recent years, and has now been boosted with the upcoming

relaunch of Queens, including the ever-popular black and white checkerboard. In addition, the newly launched Harlem Home was on display, boasting a range of wood and stone decors, as well as the motif-inspired designs of Abode and Estate.

A couple of favourite carpet ranges were Cosmic Twist, a dense product with a grey-blue decor included in the 12 decors on offer, and Elmhurst, which will be launching in two weights. Elmhurst is the second 100% recycled

yarn carpet from Lifestyle Floors, following on from the 100% recycled Daintree which launched earlier this year.

Two new water-resistant laminates were also on display on the new laminate bookcase. Love AQUA Steam is guaranteed against steam cleaning, which is sure to be popular in today’s age of chemical-free cleaning. Greenwich has been relaunched as water-resistant 10mm Greenwich AQUA.

Visit: www.lifestyle-floors.co.uk

Top prize

Everyroom was the stand to visit to be a winner

Everyroom, launched at 2022’s The Flooring Show, has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months. Walking up to the Everyroom stand you were immediately taken aback by the wall of rubber ducks, quite an unusual sight at a flooring show. This year’s stand followed the success of 2022’s, with prizes galore, all to win through playing two games. As well as the popular spin-to-win game, this year introduced hook a duck, with prizes to be won from every hook. Prizes – from practical tape measures through to stylish hoodies –were available only through playing one of these two games.

Landing on the star prize gave you the opportunity to enter the star prize raffle, which is a voucher for an adventure of your choice. This will be drawn in the

next few days, so keep an eye on your emails if you were lucky enough to enter at the show.

The new product from Everyroom was the new Everyroom Rug Collection. This presents a range of 12 rugs, thoughtfully designed in three sizes and crafted from carpet offcuts before undergoing handfinishing processes in the UK. This helps to reduce waste, while retaining the great value retailers have come to expect from Everyroom products.

The 80/20 blend Fairbourne included an interesting yellow, green and blue in the colour palette, while Woodford, a loop pile carpet in two designs and an inviting colour palette, was another popular range, as well as Everyroom’s ever-growing range of vinyls. Visit: www.every-room.co.uk

Story teller

Likewise had plenty to say across its brands

The new Likewise vinyl POS stand holds nine ranges and sample books. A smaller carpet display stand was introduced, while Lewis Abbot saw its first LVT POS stand.

Likewise added to the laminate

collection, with a second range of water-resistant planks in 16 decors.

H&V Carpets also updated its displays, along with 4m offerings including the 1,600g Chicago in six colours.

Alice Springs comes in 4m and 5m

widths and 10 shades.

Le Mans is a 1,500g version of the 2,400g Monte Carlo.

Delta debuted the Emotion Falls polyester collection in 11 colours. Visit: www.likewisefloors.co.uk

Delta introduced Emotion Falls

Likewise attracted the visitors

The new vinyl stand

In the know

From small to large retailers, Computers for Flooring has solutions

Computers for Flooring launched Carman, its flooring management software, at The Flooring Show in 2010 and it has been a constant presence at the show since.

‘The Flooring Show has been a great place to showcase our software and meet customers old and new. The flooring industry has been a difficult sector for us as an IT provider to break into, but as our customer base has grown Carman has grown to become a full management application,’ says Kris Bailey, Computers for Flooring md.

‘Employing a team of software developers we have been able to keep up with the latest advancements in technology, and the customer base for Carman now ranges from small retailers

with a single shop holding very little stock up to large, multi-channel businesses who may hold large amounts of stock at multiple sites and have a mixture of retail, contract/commercial, new build, wholesale and online business.’

The company has an in-depth knowledge of the flooring industry and understands the industry’s complexities and provides solutions in the form of its ever-evolving management software, Carman.

‘Most of our staff have been with the company for a long time, and some of them have been with us from the beginning. We value their service and the experience they bring to our customers and business, and they

have helped us grow,’ says Bailey.

The directors of the company are software developers and have worked with some of the largest manufacturers in the world. They are focused on delivering a quality product to the flooring industry, keeping up with technology trends and creating future innovations such as the recently developed Carman powered e-commerce website which seamlessly connects to the flooring management software, Carman, and allows users to sell the products in Carman.

The company offers a turnkey solution, but as it develops the software in-house it can also offer a bespoke service.

Visit: www.computersforflooring.com

ABINGDON FLOORING

Abingdon Flooring marked its 20th anniversary and showcased how it has a carpet to fit any customer’s taste. The manufacturer’s previews of new collections included Pure Elegance and Captivation, two high-end Stainfree carpets that bring the feel of luxury feel of a Saxony carpet with the durability of a twist.

Visit: www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

ACG

Member-owned and not-for-profit, ACG concentrates on delivering best trade prices and rebates for its membership. It also offers multi award-winning group branding, which is complemented by its brand-new consumer-facing website www.smartchoicecarpets.co.uk. Membership opportunities are available nationwide.

Visit: www.acgcarpets.com

In the spotlight

Over 400 brands were on show at The Flooring Show

ADAM CARPETS

Adam Carpets debuted Geometrics, urging ‘Make a bold statement’. The four designs: Cascade, Nexus, Parquet and Enigma range from small, discreet textured designs to bold statement styles. Each have between four and eight colours and come in 4m and 5m widths and are made from 80% British wool and 20% nylon 66.

Visit: www.adamcarpets.co.uk

AXMINSTER CARPETS

Axminster Carpets has spent the past 19 months rebuilding historic looms so it can offer all of its woven Axminster carpets in 3.66m and 4.57m widths, so seams are no longer necessary in larger rooms. The company expects this to generate significant demand. The woven carpets are now 100% wool compared with the previous 80/20 blend.

Visit: www.axminster-carpets.co.uk

BALTA

Balta used The Flooring Show to highlight its transformation since it was bought by Victoria Group. Now 95% of production is in the UK and all of it stocked here. The opening of the Alliance warehouse in Worcester allows it to ensure faster delivery and closer proximity for cuts and rolls.

Visit: www.balta-carpets.com

BETAP

It was a strong show for Betap. It unveiled several new developments and innovations. These included sustainable ranges ECoZY and Zen, made on the new Back-Again recycled backing. New Saxonies Lecco, Garda and Mercator were applauded, alongside New Montego made on heavy felt. The value-busting 2.5kg Alpine was the star of the show.

Visit: www.betap.com

CARPENTER

Visitors to the Carpenter stand were encouraged to ‘Discover the Difference’. It highlighted three categories of underlay: Standard, Comfort and Performance and asked visitors to stand on different samples of Magic 8, Deepstep and Prostep. They were also able to see the updated branding.

Visit: www.carpenter.com

CRUK

CRUK attended the show to provide support, advice and guidance to its members and the wider sector surrounding waste prevention, reuse and recycling. There was keen interest from companies wanting to introduce more sustainable products into the UK market. It was encouraged to see more sustainable product ranges displayed on exhibitors’ stands.

Visit: www.carpetrecyclinguk.com

CAVALIER CARPETS

Cavalier, which marked its 50th anniversary, introduced the polyester Elixir, Regal and Imperial, all in 12 shades. Hawkloop and Coastal Loop are four-ply and two-ply dyed ranges, while Owlet is a four-ply undyed range. Set for launch in January they use New Zealand wool. Visit: www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk

COMPUTERS FOR FLOORING

‘As our customer base has grown, Carman has grown to become a full management application. The customer base now ranges from small retailers with a single shop holding little stock to multi-channel businesses who may hold large amounts of stock at multiple sites and have a mixture of retail, contract, wholesale and online business,’ says Kris Bailey, Computers for Flooring md. Visit: www.computersforflooring.com

CORETEC

COREtec launched 21 designs in The Naturals collection. The 22 current designs which include eight in herringbone format were joined by 21 new woods. The new designs include six herringbones, contemporary 1,500mm and 1,800mm length boards, a dynamic multi-series design and two realistic planks with the new and unique ‘pressed bevel’ technology.

Email: discover@coretecfloors.co.uk

CORMAR CARPET COMPANY

Cormar Carpet Company showcased its award-winning Trade Portal and built on the strength of key bestselling ranges to further extend their appeal to consumers with the new Hampstead wool twist range and the recently launched wool loop ranges Fairisle and Malabar Two Fold, while previewing Kingston.

Visit: www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

EVERYROOM

Everyone was a winner at Everyroom as it encouraged visitors to Hook A Duck to win a variety of prizes. The winner of the star prize has yet to be announced, so it could be you! Alongside vinyl and carpet introductions, the Everyroom Rug Collection was debuted: a range of 12 rugs, thoughtfully designed in three sizes, and crafted from carpet offcuts.

Visit: www.every-room.co.uk

F BALL

F Ball and Co debuted Stopgap 1600, a fast-drying, fibre-reinforced smoothing compound that is formulated especially for use over underfloor heating systems. It also unveiled a new packaging design for its range of floor smoothing compounds, and celebrated 50 years of its industry-leading Recommended Adhesives Guide.

Visit: www.f-ball.co.uk

FATHOM

Fathom demonstrated its creative approach to bespoke display solutions for all kinds of floors as it made its TFS debut.

Designing and manufacturing displays for leading flooring brands from its Norfolk base, Fathom has become one of the UK’s premier flooring display companies and is the creative mind behind an array of impressive in-store POS.

Visit: www.wefathom.com

FURLONG FLOORING

As part of its commitment to delivering cutting-edge flooring options, Furlong Flooring introduced two ranges to its Beyond Wool 100% recycled yarn collection: Stanton and Callanish, available in both pattern and plain designs. These ranges feature the Combi-bac, an award-winning backing material that offers a flexible yet robust alternative to traditional carpet backings.

Visit: www.furlongflooring.com

GEKKO

Gekko reported an exceptionally engaging show and saw a real change in attitude to the safety of fitters and the environment as it reinforced its DCM-free message. It demonstrated fitting carpet using the G25 DCM-free spay adhesive.

Visit: www.gekko-adhesives.com

GREENDALE

The buying group showed its latest POS and collections while explaining to retailers the benefits of group membership. According to Eamonn Prescott, Greendale ceo, its exclusive stockholding facility can save members £3,200 a year.

Visit: www.greendalecarpets.co.uk

INTERFLOOR

Interfloor updated Renu with more densities and thicknesses: Violet is 120kg/cum, 9mm thick and has a noise reduction of 44dB, while Yellow is 160kg/cum, 11mm thick and has a noise reduction of 46dB. This compares with the original 160kg/cum, 9mm and 41dB specifications. It also introduced metal profiles in pewter and black finishes. Visit: www.interfloor.com

KELLARS

Kellars had the largest stand at the exhibition, including a large, dedicated ecommerce hub where orders taken at the show were instantly updated to the wholesaler’s ordering system, rather than waiting to the end of the day or show. At the centre of the stand was Frannie’s Bar.

Visit: www.kellars.co.uk

LANO

Lano Carpets’ Midori is a fully recycled shag pile that can be a rug; X Collection saw the 2,000g polyester Fame introduced as part of Enso, in 10 shades and 4m and 5m widths; Scala Solutions was updated with Scala Combinations in four designs and two backings for the heathcare market, with updated colours reflecting residential trends.

Visit: www.lano.com

LEOLINE

The Natural Trends cushion vinyl collection by LeoLine features 12 looks that bring the best in ultra-stylish natural floors. Herringbone, classic wood planks, luxurious marble and a concrete design for good measure: Natural Trends has it all. With these fabulous designs comes Superguard for extra protection from dirt, stains and scratches.

Visit: www.leoline.co.uk

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle Floors introduced a host of POS options and products across carpet, LVT, vinyl and laminate. Platinum Plus vinyl comes in 5m widths; Greenwich laminate has been upgraded to water resistant; Love Aqua has been refreshed, and Love Aqua Steam is steam cleanable. More recycled products were also introduced such as the Daintree carpet range.

Visit: www.lifestyle-floors.co.uk

LIKEWISE

Likewise’s family of brands drew visitors to Hall M. Attendees were introduced to new POS for vinyl and carpet; additions to the laminate offer; introductions to the offerings from H&V Carpets and Delta, and information on the wholesale group’s future plans.

Visit: www.likewisefloors.co.uk

MASTERPEICE SYSTEM

Flooring software company Masterpiece System told visitors of recent upgrades and potential introductions, including expanding the in-store ball-park estimate facility to allow consumers to add more precise measurements, enabling online customers to gain a better understanding of what an order could cost; and allowing for split jobs when scheduling fitters.

Visit: www.masterpiece-system.com

METRO

Metro revamped its stand for the show, making it much clearer that it is a buying group and highlighting the benefits retailers could take advantage of if they became members. The stand sported several examples of POS created by the group’s in-house marketing team: members receive £600 worth of marketing support a year for free.

Visit: www.carpet1st.co.uk

MODULEO

The show saw Moduleo launch its Herringbone Classic plank. It’s better proportioned than previous sizes and has been added to ensure versatility across a range of room sizes. Available in a range of trending wood looks, Herringbone Classic is now available alongside Herringbone Short, Moduleo’s answer to grand patterns.

Visit: www.moduleo.com

NICOLA EDWARDS

The eponymous Nicola Edwards made its The Flooring Show debut, with its collection of bespoke carpet edging, offering whipped and taped edged products. While most products are currently for stair runners, a forthcoming move to larger premises will allow it to expand the service to rugs.

Visit: www.nicola-edwards.co.uk

ORIENTAL WEAVERS

Oriental Weavers specialises in Egyptian machine-made and handmade rugs. It is now partnering with Melrose Textiles and offering its product range. The company previewed its 2024 collection, including Chequers Multi.

Visit: www.owbmk.co.uk

PENTHOUSE CARPETS

Penthouse Carpets looked to strengthen its lower end offer. Six colours were added to Seasons, increasing the number to 14 in the 40oz, 4m and 5m widths range. Shoreline saw six new shades, boosting the number to 18. The Life in Colour display stand prototype received a warm welcome from visitors.

Visit: www.penthousecarpets.co.uk

QUICK-STEP

For Quick-Step, the focus was on Alpha Vinyl. Shown on Quick-Step’s new displays, the LVT collection now features integrated underlay across the range and the Unizip herringbone locking system that makes two-plank systems a thing of the past. Selected designs also come with more depth and texture than any other vinyl floor on the market.

Visit: www.quick-step.co.uk

STROOLMOUNT

Stroolmount showed the latest update in its Move It Pads, alongside its other flooring protection products. The pads now come in a reusable carrying bag with a QR code that links to a YouTube video explain how to get the best out of them. The company reported a very busy show, with visitors placing orders as well as seeking information.

Visit: www.stroolmount.co.uk

TARKETT

Tarkett highlighted a new collection of digitally printed LVT. Whereas traditionally produced LVT has 12 unique planks before the pattern is repeated, Tarkett can now produce 50. It also debuted pre-assembled herringbone tiles, which come as four together, making fitting four times faster.

Visit: :www.inspirationnaturals.co.uk

ULSTER CARPETS

Ulster Carpets highlighted new colours in York as it celebrated winning The Flooring Show’s inaugural Sustainability Award. The company has targeted 2025 to reduce carbon emissions by 50%; cut waste by a fifth reduce energy use by 18.5% and packaging by 5%.

Visit: www.ulstercarpets.com

VICTORIA

Victoria Carpets and Design Floors debuted an undyed wool collection, available in velvet and loop pile designs; updated First Impressions for the first time in several years; introduced Pioneer; revised lecterns, and previewed a polypropylene sisal-style weave suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Visit: www.myvictoria.co.uk

WESTEX

Westex Flooring debuted the chunky undyed collections of Butterwich; Eskdale; Laverton; Kirkmond; Croxyby and Sawley, while Opulence was recoloured and introduced to the Sumptuous quality.

Visit: www.westexflooring.com

Standards

Flammability testing is key

The Construction Products Regulation (305/2011) is used in the floorcoverings sector across Europe. This requires the product to be assessed against one or more test standards specified in EN 14041 – ‘Resilient, textile and laminate floor coverings. Essential characteristics’ (or EN 14342 – ‘Wood flooring and parquet. Characteristics, evaluation of conformity and marking’).

A major part of these requirements is reaction to fire testing. This is carried out in accordance with EN 13501-1 – ‘Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Classification using test data from reaction to fire tests’. This classification

is then used to inform customers of the ‘reaction to fire’ performance. In the case of floorcoverings it is also used to CE mark products against the mandatory product specification requirements.

Although the classification is acceptable throughout Europe and will be recorded on the CE label, it does not mean that a product is suitable for the same applications in different countries.

For manufacturers of textile, resilient, laminate and hardwood flooring products, EN ISO 11925-2 and EN ISO 9239-1 are the most important test methods called up for classification.

EN ISO 9239-1 ‘Reaction to fire tests for floorings. Part 1: Determination of the

burning behaviour using a radiant heat source’ describes a test procedure for assessing the burning behaviour (spread of flame and smoke development) of horizontally mounted floorcoverings firstly exposed to a radiant heat source and then ignited with a pilot flame.

EN ISO 11925-2 – ‘Reaction to fire tests – Ignitability of building products subjected to direct impingement of flame. Part 2: Single flame source test’ determines the ignitability of a vertically mounted test specimen when a small flame is directly applied to its surface and/or one of its edges. No other heat source is used.

Email: floorcoverings@satra.com

Testing tables and desks for almost every eventuality

SATRA can assess all kinds of tables and desks against EN 12521:2015 for domestic use and EN 15372:2016 for commercial use. We are equipped for structural tests such as the effect of static load, fatigue, sustained load, impact, dropping and overturning. We also carry out surface finish testing to assess the durability of applied coatings and finishes.

SATRA is an international centre of excellence for furniture testing, training, consultancy and innovation. Our expertise makes SATRA the premier technical partner for the furniture supply chain - testing to national, European and international standards, as well as key retailer specifications. Reassuring you and your customers that your furniture is safe and fit for purpose.

For the journey

Expectations must be met right through the process

‘One of the challenges of selling a protection policy is that it’s not a physical product and the customer only receives the benefit when they come to make a claim,’ says Martin Napper, Castelan ceo.

‘With the introduction, by the FCA, of the Consumer Duty, we have an even greater responsibility to meet the expectations of the customer, and in

the case of protection policies, this is applicable right the way through the journey: from the sale of the policy to the communications sent, the point of claim and beyond.

‘At the point of sale, we support our clients with all they need to deliver the right message in a compliant manner to each customer. Clear communication is akey element of this, and we supply and support with clear literature and wording: this not only helps the customer but also sales colleagues in understanding and explaining what the product offers.

‘We’ve worked hard on our terms and conditions to ensure that they are easy to read, don’t contain too much jargon and, most importantly, point the customer to all the key areas they need to read. This is an important element as far as the regulator is concerned, with nothing hidden in small print. All literature and POS material is checked by our Clear Communications Panel to make sure it is readily understandable for the customer.

‘When it comes to delivering on the

promises made to the customer, we are committed to providing an outstanding service. After all, this is what you have sold and it’s our job to deliver it. What does the customer want? They want their call to be answered: we answer 90% of calls within 20 seconds and only 0.5% of calls to us are abandoned. They don’t want to wait too long: we have an average wait time of 10 seconds and, as anyone who has tried to get through to most call centres will know, that’s superb.

‘We’ve designed our products to be the very best in sector and we have the infrastructure and teams in place to ensure that, when we have to deliver our end of the deal, we do it every time.’

Visit: www.castelangroup.com

In demand

Shoppers want to protect their purchases

‘With the UK economy feeling the pinch at the moment with the ongoing sting of inflation, it might be expected that retailers looking to sell furniture protection plans are facing consumer resistance. However, the sector is firmly rebuffing this expectation and insurance plan attachment rates remain very strong. Consumers recognise they need to protect their hard-earned cash more than ever and are spending it in a more considered way, which is why protecting their investments is at the front of their minds when it comes to purchasing new furniture,’ says Lyndon Willshire,

Guardsman commercial director.

‘Consumers want peace of mind that should an accident happen, such as a spillage or the family pet deciding the item of furniture would make a tasty meal, they are fully protected with no additional outlay or excess payment required. Even if the furniture cannot be repaired or cleaned, the insurance plan will ensure that either a partial or full replacement isprovided. So, as we head towards the festive season with the likelihood of customers wanting to take delivery prior to Christmas, it’s even more important togive them the option of purchasing afurniture protection plan to protect not only their investment but also their pockets from expensive cleaning or repair work.’

‘Accidents happen, but luckily for customers who purchase a Guardsman furniture protection plan through a trusted retailer, they will benefit from a repair and cleaning network comprised of the best of the best. In August 2023, our stain removal network Safeclean topped its best performance by fixing 88% of the claims on stains on the first

visit,’ says Zeyn Kassam, Guardsman head of sales and business development.

‘Every claim goes through an expert triage process to ensure the correct outcome is achieved. The technician will go into the customer’s home fully briefed on the problem at hand, with the tools and equipment to resolve the problem first time. The customer is not only benefiting from their expertise with this first-time fix, they are not having their day disrupted again with a technician making a return visit sometime in the future. In turn, this reduces the number of journeys each technician does, which as we know reduces the environmental impact – so everybody benefits.’

‘Working with Guardsman will not only provide additional revenue for retailers but also gives customers that extra reassurance that they have made a wise investment by protecting their furniture against unforeseen accidents. You provide beautiful furniture, we protect it and your brand reputation, and your customer walks away happy,’ says Willshire.

Email: zeyn.kassam@guardsman.co.uk

Safeclean recently fixed 88% of stain claims on the first visit

Shoppers want reassurance about their purchase

Protection Plans

FCA regulated furniture insurance for every day accidental damage

88% first visit fix

Products

Furniture care products to complement our protection plans, or to sell as an add on

Insurance expertise

Highly experienced insurance professionals to support you with selling protection plans within the FCA requirements

Take the strain

Let technology cut down on administration and improve your communications with customers

‘When it comes to changing the software you use in your retail operations, there are many reasons to do it. However, when we start to work with new clients we are often asked to help solve similar problems,’ says Darren Lee, Ordorite Software UK business development director.

‘Often it is along the lines of why the administration staff are constantly engaged in repetitive, time-consuming tasks – usually to generate reports such as targets or commission, or something for the accounts team. The second is how to communicate better with customers.

‘One new client pays its sales team commission upon full payment of

orders. The staff across multiple stores were completing a manual list when an order was paid in full, emailing that weekly to the office team, who then had to check each individual order on their old system to confirm the data before paying commission. With a sales team of more than 30, this task alone took the office team 10 hours per month.

‘Our Vision IQ tool provided a report that gave a list by salesperson of every order as it was fully paid. Live and accurate to the penny, no need to check, and the equivalent of a day-and-a-half staff saving in the office. Not to mention a sales team who were able to focus fully on sales, knowing that their

commission would be correct.

‘Most of our clients are looking to be more proactive with their customers, to better their expectations. Consistent contact is key here, but it’s no good if your team are on the phone all day. We advocate a combination of automated but personalised emails and texts to complement the occasional call to or from a customer. When the sale is completed, in-store or online, a confirmation is automatically emailed to the customer – no need to print if you don’t want to. That email contains a link to allow them to track their order status. As goods are received, payments made etc, the status is updated for the customer – no need for them to call in to the store.

‘The customer can make payment online and even book their own delivery, within business-set parameters. Meanwhile, if a container is going to be delayed, for example, a personalised message will be sent to each customer affected, advising them accordingly. The retailer can write that once and Ordorite sends to all. When a delivery date is booked, a confirmation text can go to the customer, and when the optimum route is planned on Ordorite, a delivery time slot can also be advised.’

Tel: 0203 2861 202

Keep your customers up to date on the progress of their order

Reduce office administration when it comes to orders and commission

WE’RE HIRING!

AREA SALES MANAGER Carpenter Underlay (South)

Carpenter Co. is one of the worlds largest producer of comfort cushioning products. We are looking for an enthusiastic, professional and committed individual, comfortable presenting and promoting our underlay products to all levels within the flooring trade.

The ideal candidate would live within the territory, have knowledge of the carpet trade and be able to demonstrate a proven successful sales record. A flexible approach to work, strong communication skills and the ability to build rapport quickly with customers are key skills required for the role.

You will be responsible for the sales and account management, along with developing new business, across the territory reporting to the National Sales Manager.

Competitive package offered to the successful candidate

Please send your CV and covering letter for the attention of; Rachel Clayton HR Manager - rachel.clayton@carpenter.com

We’re Hiring...

Territory Manager

Merseyside & North West

Attractive Salary Package + Excellent Company Benefits

Cormar Carpets is the UK’s leading manufacturer of tufted carpets, supplying stylish, quality carpets to the retail, contract and wholesale trade throughout the UK.

Due to promotion, we are looking for an enthusiastic and committed individual with the ability to realise the full potential of the territory. Knowledge of the carpet trade is not essential, however previous sales experience isrequired as applicants must be able to demonstrate a proven successful sales record.

The ideal candidate would live within the areas described, although the defined territory will be subject to the successful candidates location. Previous applicants may apply.

Please send your CV and covering letter summarising your relevant skills and experience for the attention of:

Carla Grant, HR Manager

Cormar Carpets, Brookhouse Mill, Greenmount, Bury, BL8 4HR Or email carla.grant@cormarcarpets.co.uk