3 minute read
hellooo sydney
When National Tiles’ founder Frank Walker first launched the business in 1979, he did so with one small store in Geelong West in Victoria. The business quickly grew with several stores across Melbourne plus a few franchise stores. National Tiles operates over 40 stores and franchises in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Queensland.
Explains Nick Walker, “When we first considered expanding National Tiles into other states, Queensland was the first market we wanted to pursue. My wife and I moved there and the whole process happened really quickly. It’s the best decision I ever made. To be honest it was very challenging in the early days. But we persevered and around 18 months after moving to Queensland we opened our first store. We’ve never looked back, and Queensland now equates to around 45% of the National Tiles business.”
After the foray into Queensland, National Tiles opened a number of stores in South Australia that have become very successful operations. The team then made their way into the NSW market. Says Nick, “Our venture into NSW was driven by our partnership with Metricon Homes. Launching into this new market and adding installation to our supply offering was a challenge, but the partnership really flourished. Four years on the store we opened in Warner’s Bay near Newcastle has been very successful for us.”
And now, Sydney. It has always been a vision for National Tiles to take the business to Australia’s largest city. After searching for the right property for a number of years, the team found the ideal site Alexandria. A very large building at over 8000sqm, it’s the perfect location for making a statement and launching into the Sydney marketplace with maximum impact “It’s a cracking location, a great traffic hub and ideal for creating the biggest National Tiles store in Australia,” says Nick.
The store will bring a fantastic ‘in stock’ range to Sydney offers great value. “There are currently a number
of high-end expensive tile retailers in Sydney and some very cheap alternatives too, but I don’t believe any other retailer offers the breadth and depth that the brand new National Tiles showroom will present. Stock is king, so having stock on hand is a key feature of the new store. We understand that when customers visit, sometimes having travelled some distance, they want to be able to select their tiles and either take them with them or have them delivered within a few days. We will bring a fabulous offer of European tiles at incredible prices that are in stock, delivering what the market needs.”
The new National Tiles store in Sydney will have a multi-layered approach. As well as the cash and carry facility where customers can pick up their tile purchases on the day, there is a 2000sqm double lane trade drive through right in the middle of Sydney. Importantly, there is a strong focus on design. “We have an unbeatable retail offering for consumers with $4million to $5million worth of tiles on the floor at any one time. We will also be working very closely with architects, high end builders and interior designers and will offer personal consultations by appointment with our in-house design team. We have incredible technology on site with our bespoke Tile Bar and Tiles Express, and we have created an inspirational space where design professionals can dwell, meet their clients and take their time selecting the perfect tiles to create the very best custom solution for their projects.”
“National Tiles is more than just a business,” says Nick. “It’s a family, we will never forget our humble beginnings and we’ll always look to the future. Our core values are our compass – respect, teamwork, customer commitment, relentless improvement and innovation are what keep us on target as the ultimate tile destination.”
