Positive POS for smart business

POS is essential in a crowded, competitive market but your floor and wall space is a precious commodity that all your suppliers want a piece of.

So we’ve selected some of the best displays for retailers to help drive your business in 2023. See pages 42-44

Ten POS tips for top-selling stores

1. Ensure a large mix of standard and niche products to reassure consumers they have plenty to choose from – even if they ultimately go for something safe.

2. Mix more expensive items alongside cheaper products so that the opportunity to trade up is always there – don’t place the high end products on their own or in an increasing price layout where they can be disregarded by customers.

3. Use your window – too often this is a neglected area but a good display reassures consumers that you’re a smart retailer.

4. Use your floor! Have the most popular of your higher margin products laid in sections of your floor. Consumers like to buy what they can see in a larger sample.

5. Keep literature racks full – empty displays look tired and complacent and consumers like to have material to take away – and you can clip your business card to it.

6. Create different areas for different product types so that consumers are not confused by too much on offer in the same place.

7. Avoid an ‘industrial’ environment – too many stores are sheds with industrial roofs, lighting and ventilation on show. Use suspended ceilings, black paint and screens to hide the worst parts – the buying environment should be as domestic as possible.

8. Use soft furnishing, furniture items and flowers around the flooring displays to create a homely environment – and you can sell them too!

9. Avoid the dark, dead bulbs and dark video screens.

10. Be careful about locating roll stock – very often it has a prominent position and lures consumers past the higher margin material. Consumers not only know it’s cheaper but the large area helps them visualise it in their own home which is more challenging with small samples.

Victoria Carpets & Design Floors

With over 128 years retail experience, Victoria offers point of sale you want to have in your store.

Innovative, eye catching and exciting stands that can be scaled to suit the space available. Whether you specialise in carpet or LVT Victoria have something for everyone.

With a dedicated team of inhouse merchandisers Victoria has stock ready to install. They stand firm in supporting independent retailers with bricks and mortar premises and can offer preferred pricing for stand holders.

www.myvictoria.co.uk sales@myvictoria.co.uk

01562 749300

Pure Branding by SMG

Representing over 450 retail outlets, SMG have always offered their members and suppliers ultimate flexibility in developing their businesses and nothing exemplifies this as much as their Pure branding concept.

Designed to be a versatile option for members it gives the retailer everything they need to optimise their de-branded offer in store. The retailer can choose from a range of bespoke unitary and then choose from a basket of products which include some of the top selling ranges from the best suppliers in the industry, at every price point. There is something for every store, large or small – featuring carpet, carpet tiles, vinyl, underlay or LVT - they don’t even need to have a direct account with the supplier whose product they feature.

Retailers have total independence and can take as little or as much unitary as they would like – from a single tombola to a whole shop fit. It’s an excellent way to give a cohesive look to any carpet section in store.

Abingdon Wilton Royal

As wool carpeting continues to enjoy a resurgence, Abingdon Flooring has revealed a brand-new visual identity for the made in Britain Wilton Royal collection.

The new look for point of sale and hanging books, brings Wilton Royal in-line with Abingdon Flooring’s fresh and modern brand and brings unity across Wilton Royal, Love Story and Stainfree collections. Showcased on displays for Royal Charter Deluxe and New Royal Windsor ranges, the identity highlights the natural qualities of wool carpets as well as reinforcing Abingdon Flooring’s strong brand.

Abingdon Flooring has a strong reputation for affordable carpets made in Britain and bringing this sentiment to the forefront of the identity has been a key part of the merchandising redesign. Now featuring heavily alongside signature graphics, the high-profile of Abingdon Flooring ensures these are recognised as wool carpets with great value.

“We’re delighted to be launching this new look for our Wilton Royal merchandising as it brings the collection firmly into the Abingdon Flooring family,” says Charlotte Coop, marketing manager. “We’re sure that the displays will help to make wool a star once again and give our retailers the opportunity to present wool carpets from a youthful and dynamic brand.”

Furlong Flooring

www.abingdonflooring.co.uk sales@abingdonflooring.co,uk 01274 655 694 www.furlongflooring.com dowen@furlongflooring.com

Furlong Flooring is relaunching its best-selling Trident range with improved, industry leading specification and an additional eight new colours to deliver on current home decor trends.

New Trident is available in neutral tones to complement existing home décor or make a statement with an added splash of colour. Functional and easy to fit, these hard wearing twist carpets have been manufactured using their innovative, award-winning Combi-bac, which provides a flexible but strong alternative to other carpet backings on the market.

Furlong Flooring has also enhanced the stain-resistant, easy-care qualities of the carpet. The range has received a heavy commercial classification, highlighting it as the perfect choice of carpet for high-traffic domestic and commercial settings.

A significant part of ACG’s member offering is its class leading own label brand “Smartchoice”.

Through its modernistic consumer friendly appearance and significant product choice, it allows retailers to rejuvenate their stores and give their showrooms the “WOW” factor.

To stand out and grab customers’ attention in competitive retail environments, Furlong is supporting Trident retailers with a range of fresh, bright, appealing and easy to use POS display models.

01322 628 700

Equally, if not more importantly, it allows members to maximise margin whilst protecting their sale against the annoyance of high street and online price comparison and more recently, with the increase of trade counters offered by distributors, the man in a van.

Cavalier Carpets

It’s all about catching the eye ! And few manufacturers point of sale range does it better than the stunning Cavalier display system.

The angular POS system is well established but now with radically different new graphics it looks brand new and Cavalier’s latest, distinctive new branding makes it even more of a show stopper.

Choose from contemporary ‘slim-line’ wall unit modules incorporating LED lighting, stylish ‘selecterns’, ‘design a drum’ tombola and Cavalier’s revolutionary ‘select a swatch’ wall hanging system. All backed up by the attractive style of the new-look swatches.

Ask your Cavalier representative about updating your existing POS, or more details about ordering new stands today.

www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk info@cavalier-carpets.co.uk

01254 268 000

Associated Carpet Group

A significant part of ACG’s member offering is its award-winning own label brand “Smartchoice”.

Through its modernistic consumer friendly appearance and significant product choice, it allows retailers to rejuvenate their stores and give their showrooms the “WOW” factor. Equally, if not more importantly, it allows members to maximise margin whilst protecting their sale against the annoyance of high street and online price comparison and more recently, with the increase of trade counters offered by distributors, the man in a van.

www.acgcarpets.com info@acgcarpets.com

01942 825520

Domotex splits event focus to secure its future

Organisers of the world's leading flooring show Domotex have announced radical plans to change its focus between carpets & rugs and hard flooring in alternate years.

The show in Hanover was re-launched in January after two years of Covid closures and while the event was heralded as a "full success" by organisers Deutsche Messe, visitor numbers were around 20,000 compared to 35,000 pre-pandemic and exhibitors were down around 50%.

Deutsche Messe spokeswoman Saskia Krolop says: "Numerous exchanges with our exhibitors and the market have shown that the Carpet & Rugs segment and Flooring segment have different needs in terms of the frequency of Domotex. Therefore, both worlds will be brought together at the Hanover location in the future in a model with rotating focuses."

The plan is that in years with an even number, like 2024, the show will be styled as the "Domotex - Home of Flooring" and will "comprehensively unite the entire field of hard floor coverings, as well as carpets and rugs."

In odd years, like 2025, it will be "Domotex - Carpets & Rugs", focussing exclusively on textile products. The events will continue to be held in January. As a result, it is likely that Hanover will be hosting smaller annual shows, each with a more distinct focus. The dates for 2024 are January 11-14.

ScS encouraged by order uplift

ScS, one of the UK's largest flooring retailers, says it is "encouraged" by an order uplift and a return to growth.

In a trading update to its shareholders covering trading up to January 28 this year, the furniture and flooring plc said: "Like-for-like order intake momentum improved significantly throughout the period and the Group returned to growth of 2.6% in the last 10 weeks, which included the key winter sale."

This better news follows the company's reports of a 9.1% decrease on order intake year-on-year for the period July 31 to November19. Overall, order intake was down 4.7% for the half year from July 31 to January 28. ScS also announced it has expanded to a portfolio of 100 stores with the opening of outlets in Swindon and York. On prospects, the plc commented: "Despite the current economic climate remaining challenging and unpredictable, the Board is encouraged by recent order levels."

Polyflor sales up but profits under pressure

Major UK flooring manufacturer James Halstead plc says sales in the second half of last year were up 8–9% but profits are under pressure due to cost increases.

The £300m turnover Manchester-based plc, best known for its Polyflor resilient flooring brand, expects to report revenues for the six months to 31 December 2022 around 8–9% ahead of the comparative period in the previous year. In his AGM statement in December Chairman, Mr. Anthony Wild described the challenges of the year, most notably energy and raw material costs. But the company noted that "sales were ahead in many markets." and added that it "saw signs of reduced international freight costs and raw material costs.. As a consequence of the [higher costs] challenges highlighted above, profit before tax for the half year will be short of the comparative period but not significantly so.

Karndean expands across Europe

Leading LVT company, Karndean International, has announced a major expansion of its operations in mainland Europe with the acquisition of mFLOR International B.V in the Netherlands.

See page 26 for the full story.

Belgium battles rising costs

Belgium, the UK’s biggest European carpet partner, is under severe pressure from rising energy and employment costs say manufacturers in the region after a series of factory closures. Imports from Belgium into the UK were 27% down in the pre-Christmas period compared to the previous year - the fourth consecutive month of decline. Leading Belgium newspaper De Tijd said that the historic textile industry in the Flanders region of Belgium “was in danger of being wiped out.” The industry generated only half as much revenue last year (€4 billion) as it did in 2001. The fall in carpet sales, Flanders' largest textile sector, was particularly precipitous, dropping 30% compared to the year before.

Numerous long-established factories – including B.I.G.’s Ideal Floor Coverings plant in Wielsbeke and the Balta Group yarn factory in Avelgem (pictured right) are scheduled to close.

Since the year 2000, the number of textile companies in Flanders has reduced from 1,100 to 515, and the number of employees from 38,000 to 16,000. "It's a battlefield," said Joe Lano, the owner and CEO of Lano Carpets in Harelbeke.

Although rising competition from China has led to a decline in demand for European-manufactured textiles, it is high inflation, and in particular soaring energy costs, which are principally to blame for the Flemish industry's woes. Victoria plc, the British firm which bought half of Balta Group in July last year, took action on costs. "Inflation added to the declining demand in Europe and the US," Victoria’s Belgiam CEO Philippe Hamers, told De Tijd. "But inflation worried me less than the high production costs.

“The market is picking up again, but the expensive European energy is probably the new normal. Just like the high wage costs in Belgium, you can't reverse it either. That's why we closed Balta's yarn production in Avelgem and partly moved to Turkey," he said.

Mr Hamers criticised the EU's energy policy as “ineffective”, pointing out that energy costs are still seven times more expensive than a year ago, before the war in Ukraine. He added that the Belgian Government's unusual policy of wage indexations – legal requirements to link pay to inflation - also bears significant responsibility for the current crisis: "We cannot let our strategy depend on what the Government decides. Waiting for the Government takes too long. Labour costs are rising too fast in Belgium. It is a cynical calculation, but due to the closure of our yarn factory in Avelgem, we have 220 fewer people on the payroll."

On 1 January 2023, companies in Belgium that fall under certain criteria were required by the government to increase the salaries by 11.08%.

Writing in De Tijd, commentator Tom Michielsen said: “Last year it rained closures, relocations and takeovers in the Flemish carpet industry. It seems as if the once glorious West Flemish sector is on its last legs. Still, echoes of hope can be heard: ‘The survivors will do great business in the coming years.’ and: "Innovation and high-end products will save the sector.’”

LATEST: Balta Carpets announced on February 16 that it will "right size" its factory in Sint-Baafs-Vijve saying: "The difficult economic environment with exponentially rising labour costs, an unstable energy policy and the falling demand for broadloom carpet on the continent, makes competitive and profitable production in Belgium impossible." Most of the broadloom operation will move to the UK plants of its parent company, Victoria plc.

The €14 million investment plans to expand the Sint-Baafs-Vijve site for the production of Balta Rugs is going ahead.