The Stocklists - October 2022

Wool Week chic

Contract opportunity

Star achievers

BALTA

FLOORING 8,55 01274 655694

56-57 07713 511912

62,71 01264 335111

01422 431100

01536200502

+32 56622267

BERRYALLOC 60-61

BETAP 9 +31 38 386 1060

BRAMPTON CHASE 10-11 01604 664855

CARPENTER 92 01457 861141

0161

01254 268000

0208

+31

01204

3322

477 8911

01604 664850

01977

01538 361633

01159

01509

Add underlay

Building

page

Easy under pressure

BerryAlloc's

Out of this world

Bostik

page

Foundation focus

Business news

Jodrell

Fittest fitter

Dan's

Director: David

Roy

GAIA® - AW’s POLYESTER BRAND

Polyester is the most widely used textile fibre in the world. Polyester is alluring & smooth to the touch

Gaia ® carpet with its excellent colour fastness, rich lustre and 100% virgin pile materia l will certainly enrich your home.

And no maintenance issues whatsoever: Gaia ® carpet is bleach cleanable

, Dorado , Tigris , Ganges … names of famous and less well-known rivers. But all are threatened by plastic and other pollution. Start contributing to solve this problem now by buying products containing recycled plastics.

ECO FusionBac is a unique premium carpet backing. It is made from 100% recycled pet plastic bottles.

A UK brand since 1964

www.associated-weavers.co.uk

Lectern Tigris & Ganges

Lectern Dorado & Indus

Always a trailblazer when it comes to branding, Associated Weavers reinvents the in-store display & brings an experience unseen in the flooring business. With traditional samples and an intuitive digital module, Invictus® luxury vinyl flooring invites the customer on a fun-todo purchasing journey.

Royal Windsor Oatcake

Herringbone

GRANT MILLER

SCOTLAND M

gmiller@furlongflooring.com

MARK

PART LANCS, FLYDE COAST

CUMBRIA M 07980 786265

ALAN CAIRNIE

SCOTLAND M

acairnie@furlongflooring.com

ALAN CHEETHAM GTR MANCHESTER, CHESHIRE M 07966 263571

acheetham@furlongflooring.com

DEAN

dstyles@furlongflooring.com

MARTIN PRICE YORKSHIRE M: 07968 828516

MARTYN MORRIS SOUTH YORKSHIRE M 07973 403450

mprice@furlongflooring.com

TIM

mmorrisr@furlongflooring.com

COLBY

JASON BRIMBLE

M

JACK O’CONNOR

SHANE CULLINANE BIRMINGHAM/ STAFFORDSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE T 07970

MICHAEL MELBOURNE LEICESTER, WARWICKSHIRE M 07968 324598

MARTIN DYNES NORTHANTS, BEDS, BUCKS &

LONDON

891025

JAMIE

PAUL

ANDY

joconnor@furlongflooring.com

Preston sales tel: 01772 696787 fax: 01772 311921

Gloucester sales tel: 0845 520 0800 fax: 01452 222515

London sales tel: 01322 628707 fax: 01322 698733

Carpet

Wood

With a sense of authenticity, warmth and modernity, this new wood flooring collection pays homage to timeless Scandinavian design. With the help of their extensive archives in Sweden, documenting over 160 years of history in wood flooring, Kährs found six timeless designs to introduce to the 21st century.

All six floors feature unique stains and warm, silky colours, inspired by flooring trends seen between the 1940s and 70s, while the Ultra-Matt Lacquer gives the appearance of untreated, natural wood.

Meet the team!

FIND YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE HERE:

SCOTLAND & BORDERS

Stephen Cawley

M: 07718 762236

E: stephen.cawley@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: All Scottish Regions.

NORTH WEST & NORTH WALES

Ian Henderson

M: 07974 141919

E: ian.henderson@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire (inc SK9, SK10, SK11), Greater Manchester, (inc SK1 to SK8, SK12, SK14 to SK16), Clwyd and Gwynedd.

Sue Chapman

M: 07801 538763

E: sue.chapman@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Hertfordshire, Essex, North London, West London and East London.

WEST MIDLANDS & WORCESTER

Emily Davis

M: 07753 983714

E: emily.davis@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Gloucester, Avon, West Midlands, Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester.

EAST MIDLANDS & SOUTH EAST

Simon Beeby

M: 07775 913380

E: simon.beeby@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas

Berkshire (split),

SOUTH WEST

Graham

M: 07825

graham.wood@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Herbie Montgomery (Agent)

NORTH EAST, CUMBRIA & ISLE OF MAN

John Pringle

M: 07825 991405

E: john.pringle@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Cumbria, Kirby Lonsdale via. Carnforth, Isle of Man, Cleveland, Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear.

YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER

Christine Searle

M: 07939 051608

E: christine.searle@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: North Humberside, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.

Chris Gee

M: 07919 047930

E: chris.gee@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Kent, South London, Central London, Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex

Guy Legg

M: 07801 357622

E: guy.legg@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: South Yorkshire, Sheffield, South Humberside, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire (inc SK13, SK17, SK22 and SK23).

EAST ANGLIA,

Gavin Walters

SOUTH

Nigel Woollard

M: 07767 213236

E: nigel.woollard@penthousecarpets.co.uk

Areas covered: Berkshire (split), Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Isle of Wight.

WALES (East, Mid, South & West)

James Thomas (Agent)

SOUTH EAST, LONDON (N,W&E) , HERTS & ESSEX

SOUTH EAST & LONDON (South & Central)

SOUTH YORKSHIRE & EAST MIDLANDS

Habberley Ridge, Rainy Day

Accolade

This superb heathered range is made from quality British wool in a perfect 80/20 blend. Available in 2 weights (40oz & 55oz) and 20 shades, this range adds effortless style to any home.

SCOTLAND

MARK VINTER M: 07775 902 376

NORTH EAST BECKY GIBBONS M: 07970 491 215

YORKSHIRE ALDO BERETTONI M: 07971 173 560

NORTH WEST & CUMBRIA

JOHN ROSTRON M: 07973 733208

EAST MIDLANDS STEVE FURNISS M: 07773 384 787

WEST MIDLANDS DEAN STANLEY M: 07572 758010

SOUTH WALES, BRISTOL, & GLOUCESTERSHIRE

PAUL POWELL M: 07968 186150

SOUTH EAST & LONDON ANDREW GOLDSMITH M: 07432 119 220

CORNWALL/DEVON/ SOMERSET/DORSET BRENDAN HART M: 07850 130221

SALES DIRECTOR KEITH MORGAN M: 07710 701063

SALES OFFICE T: 01429 892537

THOMAS WITTER

Support your British manufacturer

OXFORDSHIRE, WILTSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE

ANDREW JEFFERIES

M: 07831 457102

NORTHERN IRELAND GARY O’BOYLE M: 07831 220 675

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LARRY WHITE M: 0862 594 126

892537

FLOORINGNEWS

Get more from wool

Abingdon Flooring is celebrating new styles and colour updates to its Wilton Royal wool carpet collection with a special limited time offer on lecterns.

With its natural and renewable status, it’s little wonder that wool is enjoying a resurgence at a time when our impact on the planet is considered in the purchasing decisions people make. So, it’s great news that Abingdon Flooring has expanded its popular Wilton Royal collection to bring wider choice.

Thanks to the introduction of Royal Sovereign and Charter Royal Deluxe, as well as colour updates to Royal Charter and Royal Windsor; the British carpet manufacturer now offers retailers an expanded range of wool carpets. So, whether a homeowner is looking for the quality and natural look of a 100% wool loop, or the value and classic looks of cut pile wool-rich styles, you can find it in Abingdon Flooring’s Wilton Royal. Ordered through its online portal and delivered through the Alliance network, the range is an easy and fast way to benefit from wool’s rebirth.

Charlotte Coop, head of marketing, Abingdon Flooring, says: “We need to find ways to help customers make more sustainable choices in the carpets they choose and strengthening our Wilton Royal range is one way to do this. The new styles help retailers to answer style demands and budget restraints, while letting consumers pick a carpet made from natural and renewable materials."

So that retailers can offer a full range of natural wool carpets, Abingdon Flooring has a limited time promotion on Wilton Royal lecterns, with all four new and updated styles available for just £149.

T 01274 655 694 www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Easy under pressure

Showtime Check out what was hot in Harrogate pages 34-42

Star achievers

The 2022 winners shine out for innovation pages 48-71

matters

Wool warms up for winter pages 72 -76

When the pressure is on to recommend a floor that can withstand extreme interior environments, BerryAlloc’s High Pressure Floors has the answer. Proven in everywhere from international airports to homes, High Pressure Floors are the world’s toughest.

Made in Norway, High Pressure Floors feature an AC6 scratch-resistant wear layer for the highest protection in class with a thick, super-strong protection layer that withstands serious impact, and a robust water-resistant top layer to protect from spills. It is this combination of premium performance features that make HPF a long-lasting choice that’s easy to maintain, whether it’s dealing with high traffic in a commercial space or spending time with family, friends and pets.

Original is the collection that started High Pressure Floors and it’s now available in a choice of 44 unique decors in a versatile plank size for a range of room sizes.

With planks of 2.4 m in length, Grand Avenue is the HPF for open spaces. Its 22 looks take inspiration from the world’s iconic promenades and the collection’s wood looks set a refined ambience well suited for elegant interiors. Measuring 2.4m long and 30cm wide, Grand Majestic is BerryAlloc’s biggest ever floor and comes in a size only made possible by the strength of HPF technology and its AluLoc joint. Grand Majestic’s eight wood decors capture the calming influence of nature in realistic structures.

Both Grand Majestic and Grand Avenue use the patented aluminium AluLoc locking system so that large areas (15m x 15m) can be installed without an expansion gap for a better-looking floor. Despite its strength, the lock is easy to install – simply push down to click the floor into place. And with the inbuilt SilentSystem sound-absorbing underlay, every HPF style is not only easier to install, but up to 19dB quieter too.

Rigorously tested for strength, these floors come with a lifetime warranty for residential use and a 10-year commercial warranty.

www.berryalloc.com

"Giving customers more sustainable flooring options is going to be really important. We’re seeing consumers become increasingly aware about the origin and impact of the choices they make."

“Thanks to an extremely durable surface, BerryAlloc High Pressure Floors (HPF) can withstand use in the most intensive indoor environments.”

Creative colours of coral

Echoing the labyrinthian networks of coral reefs in a relief pattern of structured high and low yarns, The Meditation Coral Collection is readily available from Louis de Poortere.

Louis de Poortere’s Rugs 2022 Collection continues to deliver with Coral, coming in seven vibrant colourways and a brand-new circular shape. Including the azure-like blue lagoon, high-contrast black gold, expressive tropical green, calming oyster white and fiery volcano; Coral is a design that uses its multi-tonal base and a single colour high pile to mesmerising and unexpected effect. The rug appears as if its pattern was seen through the shades of rippling coastal water, its polyester yarn adding depth and intensity of colour.

Answering the trend for bolder palettes in the home, Coral’s rich colours feel distinctly fresh and ready to add a layer of comfort to any home. Just one of the many rugs from the Belgian manufacturer that blends traditional weaving craft with an appetite for contemporary design, Coral makes a stunning centrepiece that celebrates rich and fabulous interiors.

“Coral is another example of how we’re bringing the country’s best home and flooring retailers imaginative and unique rugs that bring life and colour to residential interiors,” says Alan Russell, sales director, Louis de Poortere.

In six Louis de Poortere standard sizes ranging from 80cm x 150cm up to an impressive 280cm x 390cm, as well as the new 240cm round option, Coral’s colourful designs can be enjoyed in all types of homes. The rug is available for delivery and can be viewed in the Rugs 2022 Collection catalogue at louisdepoortere.com.

T +3256 393 393 www.louisdepoortere.com

Vinyl flooring’s recyclability

Durable, robust and recyclable, PVC is a versatile material used in countless long-life and low-maintenance building products, from window frames to pipes and vinyl flooring. Given the existence of collection schemes and recycling infrastructure for the material, Recofloor Scheme Manager Carla Eslava (pictured below) argues there is no excuse for it to go to landfill.

PVC, or vinyl, is the most widely used polymer in building and construction applications with up to 70% of global annual PVC production used in this sector.

First produced commercially in the late 1920s, this plastic quickly became popular for its flexible, durable and cost-effective qualities. Today, about 37 million tonnes of PVC are produced worldwide, of which around 5.5 million tonnes are made in Europe.

Whether it is rigid or flexible, PVC is used in a range of long-life applications with lifespans ranging from 30 to 100 years in construction products. In the flooring sector, PVC is used to make various types of vinyl flooring for the commercial and residential sectors, from rigid tile and plank formats to more flexible and semi-flexible options. Low-maintenance and easy to clean, vinyl flooring is ideal for education, healthcare, hospitality and public buildings.

When it reaches its end of life, PVC can be recycled up to seven times without any loss of performance. Recycled PVC can be reused in many diverse new products, such as windows, facias, electrical components, as well as flooring and traffic management products.

In recent decades there has been significant investment in recycling technologies and infrastructure to recycle PVC, both in the UK and across Europe. In 2021, despite the contraction of economic activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 810,775 tonnes of PVC waste were recycled through VinylPlus, the voluntary commitment to sustainable development of the European PVC industry. Here in the UK, the Recofloor commercial waste vinyl flooring take-back scheme collects the vast majority of vinyl flooring for recycling.

Set up in 2009 by flooring manufacturers Altro and Polyflor, Recofloor has diverted a total of more than 6,300 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring from landfill.

Read the full article online at: www.thestocklists.com/recyclePVC

T 0161 355 7618 www.recofloor.orgw

Hot summer for store installations

It’s been an exceptionally busy summer for ADP, installing a number of impressive carpet and flooring retail installations.

One of the largest projects was for Everyroom, a Headlam group brand with their display lecterns. ADP project managed installing eight stands altogether at the Suffolk Carpet Weavers in Martlesham, ensuring every stand was fitted to perfection and on time.

As every company’s needs are different, ADP pride themselves on tailoring their installation service to each individual client, whether it is for a single or multiple location installation projects, even accommodating working outside of store hours. ADP’s focus is always on delivering expertise and achieving customer satisfaction with everything they do.

Aside from an expert retail and commercial installation service, ADP also provide distribution, carpet distribution, merchandising, project management, overnight and international parcel deliveries, sample production and fulfilment

T 0121 559 6783

www.adp-distribution.co.uk

Andrew Stevens

- J All Floors Cornwall

Safer way to spray

floorwise has announced the launch of its new F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive. This new product eliminates dichloromethane from its formulation making it both safer to use and kinder to the environment. This means that floorwise F597 requires just one warning symbol on the can for flammability.

Andrew Gill, group product manager, floorwise said: “Some years ago, we launched our F599 spray adhesive which has become a gold standard for the industry. Our objectives for developing F597 were to remove the health risk from dichloromethane and make it kinder to the environment without losing the fabled performance of F599. We’re really excited with the launch of F597 as it achieves all these objectives.”

F597 removes the hazards associated with many spray adhesives of being potentially carcinogenic and harmful to the environment. The other significant benefit of F597 is that, unlike dichloromethane, the solvent used is lighter than air and so will disperse faster into the atmosphere, rather than remaining trapped at ground level. The layer of invisible, odourless gas left at ground level by dichloromethane has been proven to create a significant risk of asphyxiation for installers working on their knees in poorly ventilated spaces.

Better still, these gains have not come at the expense of product performance as floorwise F597 still has the same high adhesive solids content of F599. The result is a spray adhesive with excellent bond strength and unrivalled coverage in every can delivering a strong, fast hold across a wide range of floor coverings and accessories.

“The introduction of floorwise F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive represents a safer and healthier working future for installers without any compromises in usability or performance. We’re delighted to add it to our line-up of spray adhesives,” says Andrew Gill.

T 01509 673974 www.floorwise.co.uk

Growing in excellence

Ready to meet the peak

As peak flooring season kicks off, can you afford to be let down by poor supply and inferior quality? With the ready availability and quality of Lion Floor, you can ensure every vinyl floor installation starts without a hitch.

Made in Finland from locally sourced wood by-products, Lion Floor is the sustainable engineered hardboard alternative to BS 8203 compliant plywood. Giving you the quality and ease you need to ensure that every vinyl floor installation runs smooth and trouble-free, Lion Floor is quickly becoming the substrate of choice for flooring professionals.

Yet, Lion Floor’s Nordic origin brings more benefits than just sustainable sourcing and faultless quality. Compared to plywood made in the Far East, every board comes with far less shipping miles to reach your project, so it carries a lower carbon footprint. As Lion Floor is also manufactured within the same continent, even the largest order can also be readily available. Lion Floor is the perfect answer to a reliable vinyl flooring installation when sustainability and availability is on the list.

Peter Jones, Finnish Fibreboard, says: “Lion Floor is certainly a costeffective and more sustainable alternative to flooring grade plywood, but thanks to our rapidly growing network of stockists and distributors, it’s also a choice that’s readily available. We’ve worked hard over the last year to make Lion Floor easy to get hold of so that it’s benefits can be enjoyed by more installers. News of Lion Floor is spreading fast and we’re ready to make sure that no matter where you are in the UK, you can lay your hands on it. After all, shouldn’t everyone have easy access to a reliable solution for the installation of vinyl floors?”

The first hardboard panel to be designed and manufactured specifically for flooring, Lion Floor overcomes many of the reliability issues commonplace with plywood, such as core gaps, delamination and veneer overlaps. The pre-conditioned boards are suitable for use in residential and commercial environments and come in various sheet sizes, including convenient and easy to handle 8’x4’ and 4’x2’ ideal for domestic installation.

As it continues to grow, The Academy for Excellence in Flooring has relocated to a new purpose-built training centre with improved facilities.

Since its opening, the Academy for Excellence in Flooring has become one of the UK’s foremost training centres. The first manufacturer-backed facility of its kind in the UK, it is the home of the Quick-Step Master Installer programme, as well as a range of foundation courses in flooring installation.

Now in a new warehouse and training centre in Knowsley, Liverpool, installers improving their skills at the Academy can enjoy even better facilities thanks to a completely bespoke fit-out.

Six training bays, each 13m2, feature brand new challenges as well as some of the Academy’s most familiar obstacles including curved walls and toilets. Alongside, there’s a state-of-the-art cutting room to minimise dust, automatic heating and cooling and high levels of natural light.

The training centre is part of a new 110,220ft2 warehouse facility for Quick-Step that also incorporates distribution, office space and showrooms.

Lee Thompson, Academy for Excellence in Flooring, says: “We’re delighted to open this new centre and to be able to offer installers world-class facilities. Even in such a large purpose-built area, we’re still making sure that we provide the very best in teaching and support for all our course attendees by restricting the number of training bays.”

The Academy for Excellence in Flooring is now accepting new applications for training courses:

www.quick-step-academy.co.uk

IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO MAKE IT MODULEO ®

The a ordable choice in luxury vinyl flooring, Moduleo ® o er an impressive and inspiring choice of designs and colours. Providing the style, durability and ease of maintenance customers want plus the extensive support retailers value and appreciate, choosing Moduleo ® makes a lot of sense all round.

29THE STOCKLISTS October 2022 want retailers value

Discover more at moduleo.co.uk

FLOORINGNEWS

Out of this world

Established in 1945 by the University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank in Cheshire is a deep-space observatory at the cutting-edge of radio astronomy, and is home to the iconic Lovell Telescope.

To welcome its 150,000 annual visitors and help inspire the next generation of astronomers, the UNESCO World Heritage Site was recently looking to open a new discovery centre. It appointed Kier to build the one-storey First Light Pavilion venue, and Kier enlisted WJD Flooring Specialists to install the floor coverings.

The flooring contractor then approached long-term supplier Bostik for its subfloor preparation products and technical advice, before the Bostik technical team visited the site to inspect the subfloor and advise on the best preparation methods ahead of installation.

The first step was to apply Bostik Hytec E570 One Coat to suppress the high levels of moisture in the subfloor and with the DPM left to cure into a glossy and tack-free film overnight, it was then time to prime the subfloor using Bostik GRIP A526 Universal Primer, the company’s solvent-free, acrylic dispersion primer.

The installers then applied SL C500 Ultimate, Bostik’s two-part smoothing compound that incorporates a blend of cements and aggregates combined with special additives. Its unique formulation means SL C500 Ultimate delivers excellent workability and flow, is self-smoothing, and can be trowelled to a feather edge.

Then, with the smoothing compound dry, the floor coverings were ready to be laid. This was achieved using Bostik STIX A740 Multi Best, a resin-modified, solvent-free adhesive that offers extremely strong wet bonding and a long open time for greater convenience on site.

James Harford, Director at WJD Flooring Specialists, comments: “We’ve worked with Bostik over many years, and they are always there when we need their support, from the start to the finish of every project. Their expertise is invaluable because it helps us give our clients an understanding of the requirements we need to achieve the perfect finish. This job was no different, and we couldn’t have done the job we did without Bostik.” www.bostik.com

GROWING WITH GREENDALE

Greendale Carpets & Flooring celebrated their Diamond anniversary this year. Formed in 1962 by a handful of retailers, they have grown into one of the most respected buying groups in the UK.

In 2000, Greendale moved into their current headquarters, a purpose-built warehouse and office on the edge of Hereford where they can stock up to 2,800 rolls of carpet. Greendale are the only buying group that actually stocks carpets from all of the leading UK and continental manufacturers, which offers their members lower prices, stock availability, dedicated customer service and fully supported merchandising.

Some of the strengths of the group outside of the stock holding are completely rebranded carpets, to ensure protection against local competition and exclusive areas for members.

For more information please visit www.greendalecarpets.co.uk

Follow our story @

Greendale now have opportunities for new members available in the following areas: East Anglia, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Berkshire, Leicestershire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Aberdeen and Wales. Other areas may be available.

For more information on joining the group, please contact Eamonn Prescott at eamonn@greendalecarpets.co.uk or call 01432 852000.

that is a ‘not for profit’ which has a goal to achieve the very best deals for its members”

stand out from the crowd

The NICF offers something for all levels of floorlayers, from Apprentice level all the way through to Master Fitter

It not only helps me gain work, but gives my customers the assurance that their flooring will be fitted to the highest of standards

Making the most of the benefits on offer from the NICF has helped to enhance my fitting and my business to make me stand out from the crowd

Give us a try or you will never know if the NICF is right for you!

Dan Evans Master Fitter

Joining the NICF is the best thingI did since deciding to be a fitter!

Tel: 0115 958 3077 www.nicfltd.org.uk Email: info@nicfltd.org.uk

TRAINING COURSES

CARPET

Harrogate REVIEW

The show must go on

THANK YOU MA'AM

Tributes to the duty, service and constancy of HM The Queen's reign were all about at the show but two fine examples we noted were the hand-made carpet cameos made by Hugh Mackay (left) and Adam Carpets (right).

The show must go on – and whether it’s Covid or the so sad passing of Her Majesty, not to mention the rollercoaster of consumer confidence and the costof-living crisis – Harrogate is still the place where it happens and where flooring people show their flexibility to make the best out of the market.

While the stands respectfully fell silent for the funeral on the Monday, exhibitors benefited from busy days on both Sunday and Tuesday with a high standard of presentation from leading companies, and there was a reassuring degree of new product development on show.

After the bonus for many of the pandemic pent-up demand, clearly there is nervousness about the weeks and months ahead. Flooring companies can’t control the size of the market – but they’re pushing hard to secure the biggest possible share of whatever is available. And that’s good for retailers.

And a key theme in an encouragingly large presentation of new products, is a move up market – recognising that even if sales are fewer, they need to be worth more to both retailers and suppliers. And also, there needs to be more reasons to persuade consumers in the middle market to purchase.

See pages 36 and 38 for the top launches and some key trends revealed at Harrogate.

The business snapshot is that summer trading has taken a serious hit at 20 to 25% down but this masks the huge impact on entry-level and lower cost trading, down as much as 50% say some with faint hope of recovery this year, while the middle market is holding up much better. There is a hope that the energy price freeze (not yet fully appreciated due to the Royal funeral) is going to go some way to support sales from now until Christmas.

While no one wants to predict how 2023 will turn out, let’s not be too downbeat – it’s highly likely that almost everyone in the industry will be ahead of the numbers when you take both 2021 and 2022 into account.

Manufacturers, however, wait to see how energy costs – and government support for industry – impacts their margins. Making carpet and LVT is a hungry business for energy –and more than one manufacturer told us that the summer downturn was not unhelpful, allowing production to be scaled back while costs were at their highest.

LOTS MORE NEXT MONTH BUT NOW TURN TO PAGES 36 + 38 FOR SNAPSHOTS

LAUNCH PAD

Product development is all about making sales more valuable and enticing cautious consumers to spend.

See page 36

TRENDS

Here's some insight of the flooring trends that will be leading the market in the months ahead.

See page 38

Flooring shows its fortitude as Harrogate rises to the occasion of unprecented, challenging times

LAUNCH PAD

Added value is the agenda of product development as every sale needs to generate optimum revenue.

1 Axminster Carpets Modern Classics are woven-to-order to offer unique, contemporary designs in quality carpet

2 Victoria's new Strathmore Berber is a quality, rustic carpet with an open, deeper pile that delivers cosy comfort

3 Pembroke from Cormar is a quailty wool carpet for people who didn't think they could afford a quality wool carpet

4 It's all about colour with Abingdon's 20 contemorary shades in Stainfree Caress and Finesse

5 The award-winning Gaia collection from Associated Weavers adds the Oshun range for a luxurious matt finish

6 Cavalier's award-wiining new Snowden is a smart heathered carpet with crisp modern colours

7 Deco Designs from Adam Carpets is a smart, small geometric with an unusual, shimmering 3D effect

8 The bio-based Aware Edition LVT from Kahrs sets a new course in sustainability

9 F Ball launches a next generation water-mix smoothing underlayment with Stopgap 1500 AquaPro

Deco Designs from Adam Carpets

Strathmore Berber from Victoria

Oshun in Gaia from Associated Weavers

Caress and Finesse from Abingdon

Pembroke from Cormar

Axminster Carpets Modern Classics

Cavalier's new Snowdon

WHAT'S NEW

Harrogate is a great chance to check out the direction of tastes and trends in the flooring sector to see what you should be asking your reps about in the next few months.

Much more detail in our next issue - but here are some snapshots to whet your appetite...

NOT GREY

You heard it here first! Grey is still the best selling colour - but only just. Cosy naturals are increasingly in fashion and real colour is coming back. in force.

Harrogate

GEOMETRICS

Plain is a problem for some consumers and there's a big push on small patterns and geometric designs.

WHAT'S OLD

Congratulations to The Flooring Show which celebrated its 60th anniversary of events in Harrogate this year and we all indulged in a little nostalgia for all those gatherings that keep the family of flooring together in it's favourite town!

FLECKS

And if your customers don't like plains or patterns, fear not! Many manufacturers are increasing their portfolios of subtle flecked, berber and textured carpets.

PREMIUM

Whatever the product class, suppliers are producing premium ranges to help get a better sale (and entry-level lines are too expensive to make or ship right now! )

WOOL

If you thought some mainstream manufacturers had neglected wool you'd be right - but not any more. Consumers are looking for natural reassurance and more wool is on its way.

TECH

Marketing is traditionally about removing obstacles to the sale and increasingly technology is riding to the rescueboth B2B and B2C.

Flooring inflation surging again

Last month's easing of retail inflation in the carpets and rugs sector has been turned on its head in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The inflation rate rose from 4.9% for carpets in July to 7% for August.

However there was a small moderation in the high inflation figures for smooth flooring which were running at 16.9% in July and have come off almost 2% to 15.1%.

Smooth flooring has been excessively affected by increases in raw material costs and logistics issues for imports so the small downward trend will be welcomed as a sign that part of that situation is easing for suppliers.

Overall retail inflation in the flooring sector was up from 6.4% to 8.1% while in the furniture sector overall, inflation is still running very high at 15.6%.

The data is part of today's overall consumer price index which actually fell back for the first time in almost a year from last month high of 10.1% to a figure for August of 9 .9% – reduction due in large part to a fall in fuel prices.

Consumer confidence and sales slide in August

Consumer confidence has suffered its biggest fall since the early days of the pandemic, according to researchers and furnishing sales fell back in August.

The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) fell by 4.2 points in August from 103.0 to 98.8, as inflation, largely driven by energy price rises, piles pressure on people ahead of winter. Benchmarked at 100, above that figure consumers are generally optimistic, below 100 they are pessimistic.

Furniture and lighting retail sales declined by 3.3% year-on-year in August as price inflation failed to keep the value of sales positive in the category, according to data today from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The confidence survey was taken by YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) between 1 and 31 August, before Prime Minister Liz Truss announced the energy price freeze deal which may help support confidence in the months ahead.

Kay Neufeld, head of forecasting at Cebr, said: "Following a short-lived improvement in July, the 4.2-point fall in the Consumer Confidence Index in August represents the steepest decline since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and drags the headline index into overall pessimistic territory.

Carpet imports track slow-down

Carpet imports continue to track a slowdown in the floorcovering market with volumes down 17% in July compared to June - the sixth straight monthly fall in the figures.

Shipping into the UK from Belgium – our largest Continental trading partner – declined by a fifth and imports from Turkey were down a quarter. However, the Netherlands offset those figures with a 23% rise in volumes.

The effect of continuing high levels of inflation meant that the overall value of carpet imports in July declined by only 4.2%.

The total value of carpets imported into the UK this year so far is £575m which is almost exactly in line with the same, much disrupted, period in 2021.

Carpet Foundation pushing promotion

The last six weeks has seen a lot of exposure for carpet, both in print and online, with the Carpet Foundation very much at the forefront of it all.

The September issue of Ideal Home, the UK’s best-selling home interest magazine, bought by 125,000 consumers every month, ran a superb fourpage feature on carpets and rugs.

The Foundation was one of just three experts (the others were the buyer from John Lewis and an interior designer) to give its views on trends, the benefits of carpet and style and design. "It was an excellent article with strong pro-carpet messages and even included a bit that carpet is not bad for those with asthma – a first editorially by a journalist. An image was also used from Ulster," says the Foundation.

The October issue, on sale right now, of Real Homes has a two-page feature on carpets and we are ‘the expert’ giving advice on how to choose a carpet. The feature also contains images from Abingdon, Brintons and Cormar.

CLICK CAMPAIGNING TO BOOST RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS

Following the success of the Fondation's first two bursts of online advertising, it plans to return with another campaign starting in October.

As before, the objective of the campaign will be to promote Carpet Foundation independent retailers as the people to buy carpet from. Four different advertisements will be used, across four websites, all with the call to action to ‘buy from one of our experts’ and direct consumers to the Carpet Foundation website.

Belgium's Balta becomes Belysse

The parts of the Belgium Bolta group not acquired by Victoria plc this year will be changing its name to Belysse.

Victoria acquired the €300m Balta Rugs business in April as well as the UK polypropylene and non-woven carpet businesses and the Balta brand name.

That leaves the remaining Balta busineess focussed on its commercial businesses in Europe and the United States and its European Residential PA business. This operation will change its corporate name to Belysse Groupreflecting the group's origins near the river Lys, in the heart of the famous Flanders' textile industry.

"The renaming of our company into Belysse embodies the transformation of our company into a more agile and resilient business," said CEO Cyrille Ragoucy. "Belysse is a team of 1,300 proud and dedicated soft flooring experts on both sides of the Atlantic who are passionate about design, quality and innovation."

FLOORINGNEWS

• FITTER OF THE YEAR

The fittest fitter!

Dan Evans of Cambridge beat a team of the U.K.'s most talented flooring fitters to take the first prize in the Carpet Fitter of the Year Competition at The Flooring Show, Harrogate 2022. Congratulations!

The competition, organised by the National Institute of Carpet and Floor layers (NICF) Is the country's most vigourous challenge for the trade and the pressure was really on this year as the finalists had to demonstrate their excellence in just one day after the event was curtailed in respect of the funeral of her Majesty the Queen.

"I have worked in the flooring trade for over 18 years. I started out working alongside family members and soon realised that this was what I wanted to pursue as my career.

"I now run my own successful business where I install and restore all different kinds of floor coverings, especially enjoying the challenge of bespoke designs, ensuring that customer specifications are met and fitted to the very highest level.

Top left and left Dan's installation demonstrates intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Above Dan is presented with his award by Flooring Show director Alex Butler.

Below left

The event attracts big crowds as the clock ticks towards the judges final decision.

Below

There was also an award for a cleverly sculptured anniversary carpet cake, celebrating the Shows 60th anniversary, won by finalist Sam Sanders.

"I attended my first FITA Course in 2008 where I then got a taste for further training. It opened my mind to new and different ways of accomplishing my trade in the best way possible. I pride myself on keeping up to date with current standards with ongoing training.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity, competing against like-minded, highly skilled fitters."

...with a difference you can

Tredaire

Add order value, add underlay

If economic pressures mean that the order books are thinner than usual, then the importance of adding value to every order becomes even more imperative.

Underlay provides that opportunity – maybe not on every sale where budgets are tight, but for those consumers who are buying in the middle market and above, there is often a good story to tell why underlay will not only add comfort and performance, but protect their investment – especially under carpets –in terms of longevity.

Combining comfort, insulation and noise reduction, industry experts Interfloor say the importance of underlay should never be overlooked.

cushioning, durability, as well as outstanding sound insulation.

Another important factor for consumers when selecting underlay is environmental impact. For the energy-conscious individual, selecting an underlay is essential to making a home more thermally efficient. Products like Interfloor’s renu, which use 98% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable in itself, also helps consumers select eco-friendly options that benefit both their home and the planet.

Consumers need to be persuaded that underlay is a must-have component and Interfloor can provide solutions for all flooring projects, commercial and domestic.

Yorkshire-based Wilson Underlays is a highly regarded manufacturer of bespoke underlay products with a wide portfolio of residential and commercial products with high comfort credentials and optimal performance.

Product development is key to Wilson’s success and initiatives include the use of memory foam, eco-options for recycled and recyclable underlays and effective noise reduction technology.

Most recently, the company is getting attention for its ThermalStream underlay – the recipient this year of a Flooring Innovation Gold Award. Most underlays for underfloor heating are thin and sacrifice on comfort but ThermalStream is a 10mm luxury carpet underlay which incorporates flame retardant foam for improved safety

and features punched holes allowing a quicker heat transfer between the underfloor heating pad and the carpet.

Alongside is Plushwalk underlays which incorporate memory foam providing faster fitting times, quality and consistency.

“Product development is key to Wilson’s success and initiatives include the use of memory foam, eco-options for recycled and recyclable underlays and effective noise reduction technology.”

That environmental agenda is building strongly now and even if some retailers are shy of that conversation, they shouldn’t be –consumers are already ahead of them and asking questions of the products they buy for flooring.

This is a key issue. Andrew Gill, group product manager at floorwise, says the current move towards more sustainable carpet underlays presents an opportunity for retailers.

“As making sustainable choices continues to influence the purchasing of most products, here at floorwise we’re moving towards even more sustainable underlays so that retailers can offer customers a wider range of options,” says Andrew. “These products will also answer some of the challenges presented to the industry when it comes to ‘greener’ products, such as just how to recycle ‘recyclable’ products and how to improve the amount of post-consumer recycled content.”

“Consumers

Underlay is well-known for its ability to minimise the effects of wear and tear, extending carpet lifespan up to 50%. However, the primary reason to use underlay is for the superior underfoot feel. Luxury underlays such as Interfloor’s Tredaire Premier range offer exceptional underfoot

Post-industrial recycled PU foam has been used in underlay for many years and is a popular choice for its comfort, excellent acoustic and thermal insulation properties but it’s relevance as an environmental choice is only really coming to the fore in recent times, But floorwise is already developing for the next generation. “There is a dwindling supply of post-industrial recycled PU foam as improved manufacturing techniques have significantly reduced waste,” says Andrew.

The floorwise underlay collection

fact, enhancing comfort and performance, safety and sustainability are benefits they are prepared to pay extra for. SpringBond delivers on all these credentials.

having the opportunity to have a positive conversation with their customers about sustainable products which ultimately allows the consumer to make an educated and informed decision.

“As making sustainable choices continues to influence the purchasing of most products, here at floorwise we’re moving towards even more sustainable underlays so that retailers can offer customers a wider range of options,”

“These factors help us drive floorwise product development to ensure that our range is in line with market demands. We’re already in the late stages of development of these new-wave sustainable underlays, with the first products expected before the end of the year.

“It’s also worth noting that our portfolio of high-performance underlays are able to offer consumers similarly environmentally conscious choices outside of PU. For example, our wool and felt underlays typically use recycled content and are made in part with natural and renewable material. Our heavyweight rubber crumb underlays are also made from recycled car tyres, helping to reduce waste going to landfill or incineration,” he said.

Springbond carpet underlay from Texfelt can certainly offer an opportunity for any retailer as an added-value sale with an impressive story on sustainability.

Carpet underlay is often an overlooked accessory when it comes to consumers choosing new flooring. Some retailers base their recommendations on how much the underlays cost, rather than considering what consumers are concerned about, when in

Springbond is a highperformance carpet underlay providing added comfort, as well as insulation against impact sound, and heat loss. Add in the fact that it is chemical free, hypoallergenic and the only underlay to be approved by allergy UK, and has an impressive array of sustainable credentials, Springbond has become the conscious consumer underlay with a great story, finding that retailers appreciate

Ball & Young has totally embraced sustainability as a primary consideration in their product development for the market leading Cloud 9 range of underlays. This British company has been championing sustainability for over 25 years and its many green initiatives have helped its parent company The Vita Group achieve a

“Ball & Young has totally embraced sustainability as a primary consideration in their product development for the market leading Cloud 9 range of underlays.”

Silver rating in 2022 from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, in recognition of its advanced sustainability credentials. The Vita Group is the first foam manufacturer to have received this accolade. This achievement won Ball & Young a Gold Flooring Innovation Award in September.

“Springbond carpet underlay can certainly offer an opportunity for any retailer as an added-value sale with an impressive story on sustainability.”

Consumers need to know that sustainability is not a premium add-on to underlay says Ball & Young. It’s quality portfolio of underlay options come with those environmental credentials built-in, at no charge.

Marketing insights Commercial opportunities for retailers

Adam Carpets is a great example of a manufacturing business geared to provide fast turnaround on contract specification carpet with the support of their local retailers. The design team at Adam Carpets responded quickly to the brief to replace flood-damaged carpet for The Bay Hotel in Kinghorn, Scotland. The bespoke design was made using their ICN overtuft technology, resulting in the new carpet being made within a 4 week window.

Any design featured in Adam Carpets ICN overtuft brochure or on their commercial website can be produced to a client's choice of colour and pattern combination, in a specification to suit their end use. The minimum order quantity of 150 square metres, makes this a viable choice for independent hotels and commercial businesses. The carpet can be manufactured in either 4 metre or 5 metre widths, to reduce waste.

In addition to their commercial design library, Adam Carpets also provide a bespoke design and manufacturing service. Designs and colour palettes are developed to meet their clients interior design brief and suitability requirement. Indeed, proposed design images in JPEG or PDF format and accompanying hand trial can be produced within 5 working days, and carpet can be manufactured within 4 working weeks, on receipt of a cleared deposit. All elements of design and production takes place in Adam Carpets own manufacturing facility in Kidderminster, ensuring clients can be confident at every stage from design, through to dyeing, tufting, backing and despatch.

The innovative Colour Foundation Tile range achieves 64% overall recycled content. It utilises the same back2back waste process for the secondary backing, and the same recycled limestone waste product for the backing filler but is manufactured using Econyl regenerated solution dyed nylon yarn. Made wholly from post-industrial and post-consumer Polyamide 6 waste, Colour Foundation is available in 36 vibrant colours, ensuring exceptional versatility for this exciting new range.

Associated Weavers (AW) is an ideal flooring partner for hospitality, office, care, retail, education, and housing. AW Commercial Flooring say they leave no design wish unanswered, as their carpet ranges offer a variety of neutral, pastel, and bright options. Products are designed to withstand even the heaviest commercial use – such as care, hospitality, office and retail environments. If you are looking for a carpet design to enhance your working environment, you can choose from an array of discreet classic prints and bold contemporary motifs. For a true-to-life natural stone or wood design, their luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent choice.

In addition, AW’s Commercial Flooring portfolio, a tailor-made solution is always within reach, fulfilling all requirements of the moderate, general and heavy commercial use categories. Both their broadloom and tile carpet collections are made with solution dyed nylon, the best-in-class yarn when it comes to resilience, durability and cleanability.

As part of the push towards achieving a more circular economy, Joseph, Hamilton and Seaton (JHS) are proud to have recently launched four new commercial carpet tile products with enhanced recycled content.

The Wave Length, Overlay and Outline ranges all contain 50% overall recycled content. Manufactured using 100% PA6 Solution Dyed Nylon yarn, these options provide integral colour combined with the chemical resistance, excellent abrasion resistance, strength and durability that is associated with this proven polyamide material. The secondary backings are manufactured using ‘back2back’ waste from the tile cutting process – waste that is shredded and then added into the secondary backing, providing 10% post-industrial recycled content. The filler used in the backing is wholly sourced from a limestone mining waste stream, diverting this waste from landfill, and providing 100% post-industrial recycled content.

Wave Length is available in 11 different colours and offers a gradient-like barcode effect that would be at home in any commercial space. Overlay, also available in 11 colours presents a palette ranging from subtle tones of grey and black, to bright and bold reds and greens. Meanwhile, a combination of contrasting tones in 16 colourways creates a washed effect that balances out the pattern seen in Outline.

AW clients can make their project come to life with the help of the AW Commercial room visualiser. Simply take a photo with your phone or upload your 3D render to discover the many flooring options they have to offer... it’s a quick and fun-to-do tool to visualise your favourite carpet and flooring in your interior scheme.

This feature takes a closer look at contract specification flooring. Many flooring brands supply products for both the residential and contract sector, and many retailers supply and fit commercial projects which range from hotels, guest houses, pubs, restaurants, holiday lets, and even schools.

Overlay Collection by Joseph, Hamilton and Seaton

Commercial Flooring by Associated Weavers

The Bay Hotel in Kinghorn, by Adam Carpets

Success is all about dedication and attention to detail, AW appreciate that whilst the floor may not be at the core of their client’s business, it literally is the foundation for success. And with AW Commercial Flooring, clients have access to a complete collection of luxury vinyl flooring, broadloom carpet, and carpet tiles, so there’s always a solution tailor-made to your needs.

Made in Britain, Abingdon Flooring’s carpet tiles are a great option for schools and colleges, public buildings, offices, leisure projects and communal areas. Bringing comfort and hardwearing performance to any commercial project, the range includes value polypropylene options as well as sustainable products using regenerated nylon yarn derived from fishing nets.

Charlotte Coop, head of marketing, Abingdon Flooring, says: “Our carpet tiles range has been developed to make sure we’ve something suitable for all budgets and locations. So, whether it’s a local primary school looking to refurbish a classroom or a large office needing a premium carpet plank, you can provide a stylish solution from right here in the UK.

“There’s a great assortment of colours and patterns too. From plain tiles like Unity in practical colours such as ink blue and coal, through to the designer look of Mayfair’s geometric pattern and Infinite’s 22 strong colour bank that’s available in a coordinating pinstripe; it includes more than 90 different options.”

Infinite is a highlight of Abingdon Flooring’s carpet tile range. Using Econyl, a nylon yarn made from old fishing nets and waste, this premium carpet tile can be chosen with a 100% recycled comfort backing that helps to improve underfoot comfort and reduce impact noise by 26dB. It is available in a standard 50 x 50cm tile and a 25 x 100cm plank and is Class 33 and BREEAM rated.

Using 100% solution-dyed PP for stain-resistance in a classic 1/10th gauge tufted loop-pile construction, Unity offers superb all-round

strong

housing and

Cavalier

Quality carpets, from our family to yours

meet Ian ... warehouse manager, here for twenty six years, you can count on him to find ‘that’ roll !

Rita is Director of Bancmarketing Ltd and has over 30 years of marketing experience with a proven track record in both business to business and business to consumer multi-channel marketing.

by Abingdon

The culmination of the 2022 awards scheme to celebrate the ideas, imagination and innovation that drive forward the UK flooring industry.

The star achievers: 2022 winners announced

After more than 100 top quality submissions and the first round of judging, the “stars” of the Flooring Innovation Awards have been announced.

The judges selected the winners (shown on page 50) across nine categories for the distinction of the prestigious awards, covering all flooring types, design, accessories, installation products, environmental, marketing and technology.

“This award scheme has become hugely popular since we launched it in 2018 and despite the turmoil in the market, the industry has risen to the occasion again in grand style,” said organiser Bridgette Kelly.”

The National Flooring Innovation Awards are designed to be different to the usual ranked prizes given out across the industry and instead sets out to identify products and services that are genuinely new and exceptional in the sector.

“The winners demonstrate exceptional initiative in making a difference in difficult times,” said awards judge David Spragg, of the scheme’s sponsors, The Stocklists magazine.

“In the challenging conditions we face, those products that can set themselves apart and give consumers new reasons to buy are going to be the ones that prosper,” he said.

"In an increasingly competitive consumer market, it is interesting and encouraging to see so many entries to this year's Awards featuring the various environmental issues in their product development and marketing strategies. Whether it be centred on the use of recycled or environment friendly materials, or simply spreading the general 'Green Issue' message, it can only be good for the future image of the Flooring Industry."

judges

The “star” judges line-up (l to r): Chris Moffat, Wendy Adams, Laurance Bird,

Chris Moffat, chairman of the judges

WINNER

CATEGORY: NATURAL

A high-tone heather with sophisticated style

Taking pride of place at Harrogate was the award-winning ‘Snowdon’, a British-made 55oz, 90% wool, 10% polyester and refined 8th gauge heather twist. It is made using clean white base yarns which means we have been able to create a sophisticated colour palette not usually seen in heathers.

Available in sixteen shades, four and five metre widths, it has an extra heavy domestic rating. This carpet is flame retardant, moth resistant and the yarn is sustainable and hypoallergenic. It carries a fifteen-year wear warranty.

T 01254 268000 www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk

Snowdon by Cavalier Carpets

The worthy winners of 2022

CATEGORY 1

CARPETS, NATURAL

Snowdon by Cavalier Carpets

Open Spaces, Raglan & Napier by Ulster Carpets

Habberley by Victoria Carpets

Perfect Home with Wool Britannia by Kingsmead

CATEGORY 2

CARPETS, MAN-MADE

Wild Silk by Abingdon Flooring

Riva by Cormar Carpet Company

Henley Marlow by Furlong Flooring

Aura 2022 by Victoria Carpets

CATEGORY 3

SMOOTHS

Bio Composite Wood by Adore

Les Iconics by BerryAlloc

Seta Grip by Oneflor UK

Invictus Parquet Click by Associated Weavers

CATEGORY 4

DESIGN, CARPETS

Rugs 2022 Collection by Louis de Poortere

Wool Iconic Herringstripe by Alternative

Diamond Art Tiles by Tapibel

Monkey Business by Asiatic Carpets

CATEGORY 5

DESIGN, SMOOTHS

Parquet 2.0 Collection by Harvey Maria

LayRed Stone Designs by Moduleo

Knight Tile Collection by Karndean Designflooring

Kraus Herringbone from QEP

CATEGORY 6

UNDERLAY

RR 620 LVT Underlay by Uzin

Tredaire Premier by Interfloor

Vitrex Premium Underlay from QEP

ThermalStream by Wilson Underlays

CATEGORY 7 INSTALLATION PRODUCTS

Engineered Fibreboard by Lion Floor

F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive by Floorwise

TrimAce by Floor Trim Systems Stopgap 1500 AquaPro by F Ball

CATEGORY 8 ENVIRONMENTAL

Looperback by Balta

NextGen Collection by Betap Ecovadis Accreditation for Ball & Young

Relay Rugs & Takeback Scheme by Melrose Interiors

Circular Economy Achievements by Carpet Recycling UK

CATEGORY 9 • MARKETING

Smart Brand Display Unitary from ACG Floorlink by Kellars

Play Studio by Alternative Gaia launch by Associated Weavers

In next month's issue...

Look out for our full showcase feature on the GOLD winners! Published on October 24.

@flooring_awards

flooringinnovationawards

WINNER • CATEGORY: NATURAL CARPETS

Making a house home

Perfect Home is a stunning wool carpet where traditional meets modern. Bringing a sense of familiarity and fashion to create a stylish blend of past and present.

Comprised of the exclusive 100% British Wool Britannia yarn, Perfect Home is not only dirt-repellent, but also resistant to oil-based soiling, making it easier to keep clean. This makes it well suited for family homes with pets and young children.

This yarn is also treated with Ecolan, a noninsecticide which makes it moth resistant. In addition, the 100% British wool ensures support for our farmers!

With 20 incredible colours: whether it’s the cool green Limestone, the deep blue Bloomsbury or the inviting grey Heirloom, there’s a perfect colour for everyone!

Wool Britannia is a yarn which has been developed by the Headlam Group Plc in partnership with British Wool and with the support of Campaign for Wool. Every linear metre of the yarn includes Wool sourced from farms situated in each of our four nations – England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales, making it a truly British wool. The aim of this yarn is to increase the usage of British wool in carpets and, in turn, help local farmers and the planet.

www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk

Perfect Home with Wool Britannia by Kingsmead

Perfect Home Chesterfield with Wool Britannia

Ulster Carpets • Open Spaces, Raglan & Napier

Raglan and Napier are the latest two additions to the highly successful Open Spaces Laneve range from Ulster Carpets.

With four natural tones and four modern greys, Raglan and Napier are both made from 100% Laneve New Zealand wool that is suitable for heavy residential applications.

WINNERS • CATEGORY: NATURAL

Cavalier Carpets • Snowdon

Snowdon, as its name suggests, uses clean white New Zealand yarns to take heather blends to new heights

This impressive new collection sets itself apart with crisp, modern colours in a 55oz construction.

Natureborn Habberley by Victoria Carpets

Loop on the bright side

Launched in 2017, Habberley has quickly cemented itself as one of Victoria’s most popular loop pile ranges. A colour pallet refresh plus the introduction of two new designs (a ridge and a herringbone) will ensure that Habberley continues to be everyone’s favourite.

Kingsmead • Perfect Home with Wool Britannia

Perfect Home is a showcase range for Wool Britannia, a yarn which has been developed by the Headlam Group in partnership with British Wool & with the support of Campaign for Wool.

Every linear metre of the yarn contains Wool sourced from farms situated in each of our four nations – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales, making it a truly British wool. The aim of this yarn is to increase the usage of British wool in carpets and, in turn, help local farmers and the planet.

Known for its texture and softness, Habberley is made using 70% wool and 30% Tencel, and is one of their most environmentally friendly ranges. The Tencel fibres provide a brightness to the appearance of the carpet as well as being soft to the touch, meaning you get the best of both worlds – a contemporary yet rustic style loop with a modern pallet people will want in their homes.

Point of sale available to order now.

sales@myvictoria.co.uk • 01562 749300 www.myvictoria.co.uk

Riva by

Soft deep pile, bleach cleanable carpet in a range of 16 plain shades. Cosy and luxuriously soft, Riva is made from 100% Excellon – a polypropylene fibre renowned for its stain resistance and hardwearing properties.

Cormar • Riva

Riva is a brand new, sumptuously soft, deep-pile carpet made from 100% Excellon polypropylene.

It is available in 16 stylish plain shades including a strong collection of popular greys and warm neutrals, alongside some bolder colour choices; providing outstanding choice to complement any interior design.

WINNERS • CATEGORY: MAN-MADE CARPETS

Abingdon • Wild Silk Wild Silk is a new cut pile saxony carpet in Abingdon’s Love Story Collection that’s created using 100% bleach-cleanable polyester.

While the manmade process ensures consistency, Abingdon Flooring adapted its manufacturing process to incorporate a unique fleck detail that doesn’t repeat. This perfectly recreates the natural variations found in Berber styles to provide a one-ofa-kind look.

EasiCare Aura by Victoria Carpets

Inspiring Aura

Furlong • Henley Marlow

Henley Marlow builds upon the success of Furlong’s Elegance to offer an affordable alternative to wool. It has the look, feel and design of a luxury wool carpet but with the added benefits of being a long-lasting loop carpet – moth proof, easy to clean and it doesn’t pill.

Henley Marlow is made from long lasting fibres, ensuring the carpet will look great for years and is also available in a range of contemporary organic colours

First launched in 2015, Aura recently underwent a palette refresh. This hardwearing, bleach cleanable polyprop has been updated to include an exciting colour bank, including a yellow, blues, greens and a deep, rich purple.

The campaign graphics of the little girl blowing bubbles radiates the essence of the word ‘Aura’ and was the inspiration for the carpet names such as ‘sports day, temper tantrum and blackcurrant squash’.

With a 12-year wear warranty, EasiCare Aura really is a range that has everything to offer, from comfort to bold and bright colours that would give any home that pop of style.

Point of sale available to order now.

sales@myvictoria.co.uk • 01562 749300 www.myvictoria.co.uk

WINNER • CATEGORY: MAN-MADE CARPETS

Wild Silk by Abingdon Flooring

High tech fleck

For the second year in a row, Abingdon have gratefully received the Flooring Innovation Award. This year we’re celebrating ‘Wild Wilk’, a stunning new range that joins our Lovestory collection. Wild Silk takes on a modern twist compared to the usual neutral tones and uses a high tech unrepeating fleck design to give any room life.

Wild Silk is a British made, cut pile Saxony carpet, that is also 100% bleach cleanable. The fleck detail is also resourceful and gives way to a ‘dirty defying’ quality – pairing perfectly with its 15year wear warranty. The heavy weight of Wild Silk means that it is extremely versatile and can take on all foot traffic, giving power and comfort to consumers.

Closely following contemporary design trends and colour analysis, we designed the perfect 12-colour range to suit all atmospheres. Abingdon have worked hard to keep our ranges fresh, modern, and well loved, and we’re honoured to have received the Flooring Innovation award for Wild Silk.

655662 www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Top: Wild Silk Silver Spoon Above: Wild Silk Treasure Island

WINNER • CATEGORY: SMOOTHS

Bio Composite Wood by Adore

Real natural beauty

Noble is the Bio Composite Wood flooring innovation from Adore Floors Europe. This beautiful product combines the natural beauty of a real wood veneer with a PVC-free and FSC certified bio composite core. The bio-based core is a patented technology that eliminates PVC and VOCs from its construction, while retaining excellent strength and stability.

In fitting and use, Noble is just like a rigid SPC floor – water and heat resistant, dimensionally stable, rigid and with 5G click fitting, installation could not be any easier. But Noble also offers a more sustainable construction from its wood-based core (Noble is also available with a rigid SPC core). Enhancing its green credentials, the floor comes with a 1mm underlay made from natural and renewable cork. The underlay has the benefit of improving acoustics and warmth and also helps to speed up installation. It also provides a further barrier to prevent moisture ingress from the subfloor.

By using a decorative veneer as opposed to the 3.5-6mm layer used in most engineered wood floors, Noble cuts down on timber use per plank. Using veneer also maximises use from each tree that’s felled and helps to offset the rising cost of timber.

The decorative wood veneer, protected with UV oil or UV Lacquer coatings depending on the specification, is offered in a choice of attractive natural woods. Oak, hickory and walnut all bring the originality of genuine materials. Every Noble floor is unique and it can also be supplied in customised finishes including maple, teak and eucalyptus as well as wire brushed oak, walnut and hickory.

Innovating in design and colour

Noble is exclusively available from Adore Floors, one of Europe’s leading wholesale flooring companies, specialising in pallet and container deliveries. A growing company that’s headquartered in Dublin. Adore Floors Europe has warehousing in Belgium, Italy and France. With over 50 years of internal sales experience in its team, Adore Floors Europe understands the unique needs of the UK and European flooring sectors. Adore Floors Europe has also developed SPC and LVT ranges and display material specifically for the UK and European market, so that customers can benefit from a highly sought-after collection of floors.

The Adore product range includes Monarch, Majestic and Sovereign. The company has already built a reputation for excellent customer service and fast delivery across a wide range of LVT and SPC flooring. Alongside Noble, this year Adore Floors has also introduced a wide format SPC floor in Imperial, a herringbone LVT and Adore 6mm tile for the rigours of high-traffic locations. Adore Floors Europe is constantly developing its ranges and innovating with product, design and colour.

Paul Brady, CEO, Adore Floors Europe, says; “The development of the Bio Composite Wood technology used in Noble marks a significant point in the evolution of flooring. We’ve been able to take all the performance and stability advantages offered by the latest SPC floors and recreate this in a wood-based core that’s free from PVC and VOCs. By adding a wood veneer for the decorative finish, we’ve created a highperformance floor that keeps the natural beauty of wood flooring and is more sustainable than PVC-based rigid and SPC products.”

For more information and to order samples of the new Noble BIO Composite Wood, visit www.adorefloors.eu

Cork backing for warmth and better acoustics

WINNERS • SMOOTHS

Adore • Bio Composite Wood

Combining the natural beauty of a real wood veneer with a PVC free composite core, Adore BIO Composite Wood is a 100% waterresistant floor. One of the world’s first water-resistant floors to use real wood, BIO Composite Wood is a ground-breaking innovation. Also its BIO composite core is a patented technology that eliminates PVC and harmful VOCs, while retaining excellent stability under thermal and atmospheric changes.

WINNERS • DESIGN, SMOOTHS

Harvey Maria

• Parquet 2.0 Collection

Harvey Maria Parquet 2.0. Designed in collaboration with Neisha Crosland, the award-winning Parquet design was Neisha’s first collaboration with Harvey Maria, and is now a favourite with interior designers and architects worldwide. This brand new series of fresh colourways celebrate the stylish geometric design, and introduces a contemporary palette with a reversed pattern.

BerryAlloc • Les Iconics

Les Iconics is the latest parquet collection from BerryAlloc, capturing the soul of aged parquet in an engineered wood floor with modern performance. Aged surface floors give the appearance of an old wood plank floor that’s been renovated by hand. The surface features slight traces of sawing and is hand-scraped for a crafted feel and uses a natural oil finish that develops character with time.

Oneflor UK • Seta Grip

Seta Grip is a loose lay LVT with a patented micro suction adhesion technology that uses a negative fluid, vacuum pressure with millions of microscopic suction cups to securely adhere to flat, non-porous surfaces. Flooring can be installed directly on top of any subfloor without the need for additional adhesive and its attendant environmental impact. It can be removed easily leaving no residue, and can be replaced without having to redo the whole floor.

Moduleo • LayRed stone Moduleo, has launched a new generation of stone designs as part of its established Moduleo LayRed engineered vinyl flooring range. The eight new options stone tiles have been inspired by biophilic design, a concept based on bringing the outside in and focussing on the connection between our natural environment and our home. Each of the eight floors are cut-in-register (CIR), a technique used to augment the realism of the floor.

Karndean Designflooring • Knight Tile Collection

Karndean Designflooring is expanding its popular Knight Tile range with a new collection of contemporary wood and stone designs, including timeless herringbone. With a refreshed and updated collection of calm, nurturing designs, the new Knight Tile range offers the flexibility to create unique interiors that express individuality. The range presents ten new wood and 11 new stone designs, as well as six wood and two stone herringbone designs.

Associated Weavers • Invictus Parquet Click

Invictus Parquet Click sets itself apart with its unique one plank click system. Regular parquet click products come with a 2-plank system (A-plank & B-plank) which means double stock keeping (2 SKU's) and slower installation. This innovation has been launched in one design and three colourways in 2022 but the portfolio will be expanded in 2023.

QEP • Kraus Herringbone

The latest Kraus Herringbone LVT comprises of 8 stunning designs featuring 4 greys and 4 browns. Varying from rustic and washed-out complexions to high grain contrasts the range has been carefully selected to suit all interior needs. Features an easy click system, is 100% waterproof, includes integrated underlay, cuts easily with a knife, is dust free & hypoallergenic during installation and is easy to clean and maintain.

WINNER • CATEGORY: SMOOTHS

Invictus Parquet Click by Associated Weavers

Super smart parquet, made easy

Invictus Parquet Click is at the height of style to meet consumers highest expectations in the fashionable market for parquet.

The collection sets itself apart with its unique one-plank click system compared to regular parquet click products which come with a 2-plank system (A-plank & B-plank) which means double stock keeping (2 SKU's) and slower installation.

Innovative Invictus Parquet Click has been launched in 2 designs (Highland Oak & Divine Oak), each in three colourways for 2022 – Classic, Roasted and Chocolate. – and the portfolio will be expanded in 2023.

This parquet is packed with performance credentials with the Invictus Scratchmaster 0.55mm top layer protecting the floor from the rigours of family life for the busiest rooms in the house – all backed by a 25-year wear warranty.

Invictus Divine Oak

Invictus Highland Oak

WINNER • CATEGORY: SMOOTHS

Les Iconics by BerryAlloc

The look of age-old parquet for today’s homes

For the new Les Iconics collection of wood floors, BerryAlloc has taken traditional hand-applied aging techniques and translated them into modern machine production. Bringing the character of aged oak to a standard collection, Les Iconics makes its mark with more accessible pricing than bespoke finishing.

Available in Aged and Rustic, as well as Herringbone and Chevron laying patterns, and featuring traces of traditional craftmanship with hand-scraping and sawing effects, this new collection captures the timeworn look of age-old parquet flooring in a wood floor made for today’s homes.

For those that want a classic laying pattern, Herringbone and Chevron bring the 19th century back into fashion in two parquet laying patterns. Both are available in a natural oil finish in the warm tone of Lutece with large knots and discreet irregularities.

Aged floors give the appearance of an old wood plank floor that’s been renovated by hand, using slight traces of sawing and handscraping for a crafted feel. Using a natural oil finish that develops character with time, it comes in colours of Neroli, Badiane, Galanga and Massala in an elegant 1900 x 190mm plank.

To create the character of an old parquet floor, Rustic has a deep brushed finish. In shades of Sylva and Bosco, it sees a brushed and hand-scraped oak in a natural oil finish. Altis and Hortus combine the brushed finish with hand-scraping and sawing effects. Altis also uses three different thickness of oak top layer to imitate the irregular effect of old flooring. It also comes in mixed assortments of 1900, 1200, 680mm lengths to make its ‘old floor’ feel even more authentic.

Les Iconics is supported by a range of marketing materials, including two impressive stand options that can be used on their own, or to sit alongside other BerryAlloc wood, laminate, high pressure floors or vinyl planks & tiles.

National Key Account Manager: Richard Comboy

T + 44 7496 293150 richard.comboy@berryalloc.com www.berryalloc.com

Les Iconics Lutece Herringbone

Les Iconics Altis

Les Iconics Hortus

For those

‘iconic living’ moments.

les iconics.

Now, more than ever, the spirit of aged parquet brings an extra level of depth to a modern interior. Created from oak, Les Iconics echoes the parquet floors in grand manor houses of old. Beneath the genuine charm lies a prowess that leaves nothing to chance. Appearance, colour and texture have all been taken care of in order to lay the very best, ultra-resistant, aged parquet at your feet. Les Iconics fulfills your greatest wood floor desires, a floor with true soul.

rustic oak historic and timeless parquet

oiled authentic and traditional charm

aged parquet distinct character and craftsmanship

Get in touch with us

National Key Account Manager: Richard Comboy

T + 44 7496 293150 richard.comboy@berryalloc.com

North: Stuart Turner T + 44 7535 479610 stuart.turner@berryalloc.com

South: Guy Ferguson T + 44 7940 455917 guy.ferguson@berryalloc.com

WINNERS

Wool Iconic Herringstripe

Alternative’s Wool Iconic Herringstripe is an inventive play on two classics. It combines a handsome herringbone with a stylish stripe making a fine wool flatweave. This timeless pattern is perfect as luxurious wall-to-wall carpet and well as rugs and runners. Recalling ballerinas, the graceful palette comprises six natural combinations offset by colour - Fonteyn pink, Behrs green, Arova lilac, Mamaki grey, Nerina ecru and Devi cream.

Available in 4m width. Composition 100% wool. This product is mothproofed.

Louis de Poortere •

Rugs 2022 Collection

Louis de Poortere has launched its Rugs 2022 Collection, including 47 inspiring and brand-new designs alongside enduring classics and a new circular option. With the new Structures, Meditation and Nuance, as well as additions to the existing Gallery, Mad Men and Atlantic; the new Louis de Poortere Rugs 2022 collection refreshes one of the most popular rug collections in the independent flooring retail sector.

Alternative • Wool Iconic Herringstripe

Alternative’s Wool Iconic Herringstripe is an inventive play on two classics. It combines a handsome herringbone with a stylish stripe making a fine wool flatweave.

Recalling ballerinas, the graceful palette comprises six natural combinations offset by colour - Fonteyn pink, Behrs green, Arova lilac, Mamaki grey, Nerina ecru and Devi cream. Available in 4m width. Composition 100% wool.

Tapibel • Diamond Art Tiles

Diamond Art is a new premium Econyl design carpet tile collection - A diamond design with a concrete look that draws your eye to the floor. Diamond Art is available in 12 different neutral colours. The collection is manufactured from 100% Econyl yarn, a 100% regenerated and regenerable fibre made from pre- and post-consumer Nylon 6 waste materials, further reducing Tapibel’s environmental impact, while still meeting the highest quality, performance and durability standards.

Asiatic Carpets • Monkey Business

Asiatic are always ahead of the fashion curve with creative rug ranges and now the company has signed the first ever rug licence with the exclusive British design house Clarke and Clarke for a range of colourful jungle print rugs. On top of the pile is Monkey Business which demonstrates the playful, cheerful character of these designs. These rugs are intricately hand-tufted in pure wool and viscose, with subtle space-dyed detailing.

Wilsons Underlays is proud to have been awarded Flooring Innovation Winner for 2022 Residential or Commercial

Suitable for stretch fitting

Suitable for stairs

WINNERS • UNDERLAY

Uzin • RR 620 LVT Underlay

Uzin RR 620 is a flexible, self-adhesive underlay that’s 1mm thick. It allows for quick and cost effective LVT installation over flooring grade chipboard as an alternative to plywood, and it’s immediately available for floorcovering installation. Plus Uzin RR 620 helps improve underfoot comfort and acoustic reduction on poorly insulated surfaces.

WINNERS • INSTALLATION PRODUCTS

Lion Floor • Engineered Fibreboard

Interfloor • Tredaire Premier

Interfloor launched a brand-new product collection in May 2022. The Tredaire Premier collection is a range of its bestselling PU foam underlays that have received a significant upgrade to provide superior performance. Made from 100% recycled foam, the new features include a high-specification paper backing, branded in an eye-catching signature style and seven products in the range will feature a scrim layer for improved dimensional stability.

QEP • Vitrex Premium Underlay

Vitrex 5mm Premium Underlay is superior in compression strength, impact sound insulation and moisture resistant. It is also a sustainable underlay choice - made from 100% recycled plastic including contact lenses cases and fridge shelving. Made in the UK using advanced extrusion, thermoforming and recycling processes, it’s suitable for wood and laminate flooring and on all subfloor bases.

Wilson Underlays • ThermalStream

ThermalStream is a new luxury carpet underlay for underfloor heating systems. It incorporates flame retardant foam for improved safety and features punched holes allowing a quicker heat transfer between the underfloor heating pad and the carpet. Most underlays for underfloor heating are thin and sacrifice greatly on comfort underfoot. ThermalStream is 10mm thick and wins the battle using clever technology which gives your carpet the softness it deserves without sacrificing on heat loss.

A leading alternative to flooring grade plywood is Lion Floor - an engineered fibreboard that’s cost-effective and sustainable. It’s made in Finland using locally sourced and highly sustainable wood by-products, so it’s already off to a great start compared to the tropical hardwood used in the majority of flooring grade plywood. The boards are pre-conditioned, so unlike other oil tempered hardboard it doesn’t need wetting before installation and is ready to receive screeds and feather compounds.

floorwise • F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive floorwise has launched its new F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive in 2022 – a new product which eliminates dichloromethane from its formulation making it both safer to use and kinder to the environment. F597 removes the hazards associated with many spray adhesives of being potentially carcinogenic and threatening asphyxiation to ground level installers from dichloromethane. All this without compromising high-strength performance.

Floor Trim Systems • TrimAce Floorwise

TrimAce is a rigid expansion joint insert device which can move with the floor unlike fillers such as mastic, silicone and cork or cover trim/strips. It can be used on interfaces such as timber/stone, timber/vinyl, timber/ carpet and where timber abuts a solid element including walls, mullions and partition glazing. It allows floors to expand and contract without the need for bonding or fixing.

F Ball • Stopgap 1500 AquaPro Stopgap 1500 AquaPro uses the latest technology to create a next generation water-mix smoothing underlayment that can be applied over old adhesive residues where a previous floorcovering has been removed, including bitumen, carpet tile tackifiers and ceramic tile adhesives, eliminating the need for mechanical preparation The product is walk-on hard in as little as 60 minutes after application and ready to receive floorcoverings from just four hours.

Hardboard reinvented

LION Floor™ is a fabricated underlay for resilient flooring that offers the seemingly unachievable, value for money and superior quality. Made in Finland from sustainable timber by-products, LION Floor™ hardboard is a pre-conditioned, fully-engineered, oil-tempered board with no core gaps guaranteed

Pre-conditioned and ready for BS 8203 & BS 5325 installations

Cost-effective alternative to BS 8203 compliant plywood

Made in Finland from highly sustainable timber by-products

Install using the same method as plywood

Higher density than plywood

BS and CFA approved 4.8mm thickness to replace 6mm plywood

WINNERS • CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTAL

Balta • Looperback

Looper back is a brand-new secondary backing from Balta which is constructed from 100% recycled polypropylene, creating a perpetual forward cycle that lets nothing go to waste. The polypropylene material used to produce Looper back is made from 100% locally sourced material coming directly from recycled waste collected in the Belgium Balta factories.

Betap • NextGen Collection

The NextGen Collection is a series of products which have no latex bonding involved in the manufacturing process.The backing and pile content are of the same polymer family – “monomaterial” making the products 100% recyclable. Recycling leads to a pure granulate that almost equals virgin material. The NextGen concept covers carpets and artificial grass.

Carpet Recycling UK • Circular Economy Achievements

Ball & Young • Ecovadis

Ball & Young has been championing sustainability for over 25 years and its many green initiatives have helped its parent company The Vita Group achieve a Silver rating in 2022 from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, in recognition of its advanced sustainability credentials. See page 67 for more details.

Melrose Interiors • Relay Rugs & Takeback Scheme

Relay is an award-winning rug brand offering great value, sustainably focused rugs with extra feel-good factor. Driven to become the leading British brand for environmentally friendly flooring, the range includes rugs and flooring made from recycled & recyclable yarns, natural fibres and excess material that would otherwise go into waste or landfill. Production is partnered with the Relay Takeback scheme – a simple web-based system to collect waste material to be recycled.

Over the last two years, thanks to new research and harnessing better quality data, Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) has identified more volumes of waste, especially within the wider municipal waste sectors. This has led to an increase of 5% landfill diversion taking the total to 70% in 2020 - a record level since the not-for-profit organisation was formed in 2008. CRUK is the unique membership association with 15 core funders and a 119-strong membership, all committed to advancement towards the circular economy. See page 69 for more details.

WINNERS • CATEGORY: INSTALLATION

Ecovadis Accreditation for Ball & Young

Serious about sustainability

Ball & Young take sustainability seriously and are at the vanguard of environmental credentials within the PU underlay market.

“Sustainability is at the top of our agenda,” says Ann Shaw, managing director. “We are demonstrating our long-term commitment to sustainability and our customers are responding strongly, we believe doing

under the prestigious Ecovadis scheme. Ecovadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability

The proven choice for healthy homes

Ann Shaw, MD of Ball & Young (pictured right)

Ball & Young operates as a responsible, resourceful and safe business. are are committed to – and investing in – reducing waste, increasing recycling and the reuse of raw materials, as well as conserving natural resources in pursuit of a net zero footprint.They are proud of their achievements and will continue to push forwards.

The company’s Cloud 9 range, together with all its other PU underlays, are made in the UK to the BS EN 14499 performance standard and is made from repurposed PU from trim, collected from manufacturing sites across the wider The Vita Group of which Ball & Young are part.

"We believe doing the right thing is ethically the right thing to do for everyone and it is good for business.”

premier

comfort underlay...

you can

Growth in sustainability

Carpet Recycling UK: supporting the carpet and textile flooring sector’s advancements towards Circular Economy initiatives.

Carpet Recycling UK are delighted to have won an award in the Environmental category of the National Flooring Innovation Awards 2022

Thanks to new research and harnessing better quality data, CRUK has identified more waste volumes, especially within the wider municipal waste sectors.This has led to an increase of 5% landfill diversion taking the total to 70% in 2020 - a record level since the not-for-profit membership association was formed in 2008.

“The sector is doing some great things and we are pleased to be recognised for our involvement. says Adnan Zeb-Khan. “Congratulations to all involved and thanks to our members for supporting us, we had a great response and turn out at our recent annual conference, and look forward to continuing with our message around the circular economy.

”CRUK continues to focus on market-based solutions and design for circularity and recycling to reduce the waste that ends up in landfill. The emphasis is very much on the supply chain collaboratively working with CRUK to further develop circularity advancements in the carpet and textile flooring sector.

Adnan adds: “For more than a decade we have helped the UK manufacturing and recycling sector to find innovative market-based solutions to moving textile flooring waste up the waste hierarchy. With new technological and recycling developments motivating us to do even more, come and talk to us to discuss your requirements.”

Circular Economy Achievements by Carpet Recycling UK

Spreading the word at the Flooring Show, with (l to r) Adnan Zeb-Khan, Marie Rhodes and Mike Dobson

The highly successful annual conference this year.

WINNER • CATEGORY: MARKETING

Presenting the powerful appeal of polyester

A key event in the last year is the arrival of the Gaia polyester brand in the UK from Associated Weavers. The growing appetite for polyester across the market making this a perfect time to add Gaia to the portfolio.

With its customary marketing excellence, Associated Weavers launched Gaia with exceptional branding and graphics and a clear message: “Brilliant carpet with a natural touch.”

A dedicated website was launched at www.gaia-carpet.co.uk along with a sophisticated two-and-a-half minute video presentation.

Gaia is AW’s flagship polyester collection with all that fibre’s benefits - smooth to the touch, excellent colour fastness, rich lustre and bleach cleanabity. A 20-year stain and wear warranty underwrites the performance credentials.

Four ranges are offered in the UK: Indus, Dorado, Tigris and Ganges. with pile heights from 11.5 to 19.5mm and all in 4 and 5m widths.

To add to the appeal, Gaia carpet has an ECO FusionBac textile backing made from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.

Gaia launch by Associated Weavers

Gaia Tigris Gaia Dorado

Launching Gaia at the Harrogate show

And a presentation at the Flanders Days event

Play Studio

The new Play Studio is the result of years of adventurous brand building, serious product investment and total commitment to independent retail and service culture. The aim is to drive people in store and give them a physical and interactive experience using the latest technology. The QR codes on the stand and on the product labels direct the consumer to view designs online and learn about the provenance of the product.

ACG • Smart Brand Display Unitary

The Associated Carpet Group has pioneered industry-leading point-of-sale unitary for its retail buying group members with a variety of exciting in-store display units which bring an attractive, professionally designed presentation to the retail environment. These displays can carry the popular Smart Choice ACG brand or the retailers’ own label ranges to provide margin protection from high street and internet comparison.

Kellars • Floorlink

2022 saw Kellars re-brand their Floorlink Underlay and Accessories offer, to create an on-trend, eyecatching and unique approach which can be presented coherently across social media, exhibition stands, marketing materials, underlay and accessories sample sheets and packaging. Kellars have used disntinctive shapes to represent underlay, tapes, profiles, tools and screeds & adhesives.

Alternative • Play Studio

The new Play Studio is the result of years of adventurous brand building, serious product investment and total commitment to independent retail and service culture at Alternative. The aim is to drive people in store and give them a physical and interactive experience using the latest technology. Play Studio has two parts: Play Wall with back lit graphics provides more than 40 carpet ranges presented in a tactile, easy to use system. The Play Table provides space to use the Design Workshop for interior schemes.

Associated Weavers • Gaia launch

With its customary marketing excellence, Associated Weavers launched Gaia into the market over the last year with exceptional branding and graphics and a clear message: “Brilliant carpet with a natural touch.” Gaia is AW’s flagship polyester collection with all that fibre’s benefits - smooth to the touch, excellent colour fastness, rich lustre and bleach cleanabity. Additionally, Gaia carpet has an ECO FusionBac textile backing made from 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.

Wool Week - October 2022

WHY WOOL MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER

The Campaign for Wool comes together with its supporters to celebrate Wool Month 2022, highlighting the many natural attributes and benefits of wool and helping spread the word about its unassailable environmental credentials.

Wool is widely recognised as one of the most sustainable and versatile fibres in the world and as relevant to the very fabric of society today as it has ever been - whether for personal attire, in the home, or for its many fascinating 21st Century industrial uses.

For this year’s flagship event, The Campaign for Wool reminds consumers ‘Why Wool Matters’, and encourages us all to ask more questions about the products we buy and, most importantly, where they come from. Putting the focus firmly on wool’s natural attributes, Wool Month highlights wools renewable, biodegradable and natural benefits and why it is one of the most widely reused and upcycled fibres today.

The theme of this current Campaign is significant as the world battles with climate change and issues around over-consumption, emissions and non-biodegradable waste.

Some of the UK’s most important brands and retailers will participate in this year’s Wool Month. From a launch event in Yorkshire for the key wool manufacturing industry on 29 September, and a launch in London on 5 October for leading retailers and brands, to a series of additional events and collaborations across the UK. A host of new cuttingedge wool designs and products will be released and brought together, highlighting wool’s natural and sustainable qualities.

Contact info@campaignforwool.org for further information, to become a Campaign for Wool Supporter or to take part in Wool Week.

LET WOOL BREATHE LIFE INTO INTERIORS

Read the commentary by Martin Curtis on page 76

WOOL WEEK LAUNCHED AT HARROGATE

Wool Month started early for interior companies, with promotional activities taking place during The Flooring Show in Harrogate. A host of new cutting-edge wool designs and products were brought together, highlighting wool’s natural and sustainable qualities.

The Campaign for Wool and The Wool Carpet Focus Group come together to show ‘Why Wool Carpet Matters’ demonstrating why wool is one of the most sustainable, biodegradable and versatile natural fibres on the market today. Over 100 examples of the best and most innovative new products have been brought together as part of a special showcase.

Carpets using British and New Zealand wool will be represented from leading flooring companies, including Abingdon, Alternative Flooring, Axminster Carpets, Brintons, Brockway, Cavalier Carpets, Cormar Carpet Co., Crucial Trading, Hugh Mackay, Kingsmead, Manx Tomkinson, Penthouse Carpets, The Real Shetland Company, Ulster Carpets, Victoria and Westex.

By highlighting some of the most innovative new carpets and rugs as well as new colours, patterns and textures from the leading wool flooring companies, they will show how its use in residential and commercial interiors has never been more prevalent.

In a post-pandemic world, where we have become more aware of the impact interior spaces can have on our wellbeing, and with energy costs rising, wool offers many safety, health and economic benefits. From soft tactile surfaces to acoustic noise reduction, warmth and longevity, wool is an entirely natural product and more relevant to the fabric of society today than it ever has been.

Perfect Home– the new award-winning "Wool Britannia" carpet from Kingsmead

Wool Week - October 2022

Wool is one of the most versatile natural products in existence. Wool provides many natural benefits including sound absorption, controls moisture in the atmosphere, and absorbs Volatile Organic Compounds creating a comfortable and safe environment in the home, office, travel or leisure industries. There’s a reason why people have been making use of this wonder fibre for more than 4,000 years.

Selling the benefits of WOOL IN CARPETS

1

NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL FOR LONGER

Wool fibres have a natural coiled spring structure, this means the carpet pile is hard wearing and will bounce back quickly and keep its surface shape for longer than any other carpet. Ideal for busy areas in the home with high floor-traffic and can withstand the toughest demands, providing longevity when compared with man-made fibres.

2

WOOL CARPET IS NATURALLY SAFE

Wool is not known to cause allergies and does not promote the growth of bacteria. It can even reduce floating dust in the atmosphere as the fibre’s microscopic scales are able to trap and hold dust in the top layers until vacuumed away.

3

WOOL CARPET IS HEALTHY

Wool naturally reduces dust particles, provides thermal insulation allowing the room to remain a comfortable temperature, converts sound energy to heat, therefore dissipating noise, and is comfortable to walk on.

4

NATURALLY EASY TO CLEAN

Wool is shielded from stains like ‘water off a sheep’s back’ due to its protective outer membrane. This natural shield locks out liquid, allowing more time to mop up spills before they go deep into the fibres. Wool carpets natural resistance to spills and stains allows them to be cleaned easily with a natural water solution of mild detergent. Unlike polypropylene carpets which are cleaned with bleach, leaving toxic residues.

NATURALLY FLAME RESISTANT

5

Wool provides peace of mind, because wool won’t melt or burn. A lit match will simply smoulder before being extinguished – nature’s own safety feature.

6

GOOD FOR AIR QUALITY

When used in interior textiles such as carpets and upholstery, Wool absorbs and locks away pollutants such as volatile organic carbons (VOCs) from the air more rapidly than other fibres.

7

WOOL IS GOOD FOR NOISE REDUCTION

Wool carpets and interiors have two distinct advantages to significantly improve the acoustic performance of a room, as it acts as a sound absorber and reduces impact noise. It is a very effective airborne and structure borne acoustic insulator, significantly reducing noises that can be heard throughout a building.

8

NATURAL INSULATION EFFICIENCY

The crimp in a wool fibre provides consistent resilience to ensure insulation efficiency. Used in the home, wool insulation helps to reduce energy costs and prevents the loss of heat energy, thus reducing carbon emissions.

9

SAFE TO TOUCH AND WORK WITH

Wool is perfectly safe to touch and requires no specialised safety clothing or equipment. Wool insulation is easy to install, causes no irritation to the eyes, skin or lungs and wool fibres present no hazard to health.

10

NATURALLY OCEAN-FRIENDLY Because it is biodegradable, wool has less impact on aquatic life and artificial waste build up in oceans. Instead, wool will organically break down, leaving our oceans and waterways safe and clean.

EASY-CARE

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

Seasonal Views from Manx Tomkinson

Seasonal Views is the newest 80/20 wool twist carpet range from Manx Tomkinson, featuring an exclusive 100% British yarn – Wool Britannia. Influenced by the great British landscape, the Seasonal Views carpet collection blends outdoor living with home comforts. Celebrating all four corners of the British Isles, this collection is sustainable, natural and resilient. With 16 colours to choose from and now available in two different weights – regular and a new Supreme – you will find a range of organic tones inspired by the landscapes, the people, our towns, cities and countryside.

T 01827 831450 www.manxtomkinson.co.uk

Snowdon by Cavalier Carpets

Taking pride of place at Harrogate was the award-winning ‘Snowdon’, a British-made 55oz, 90% wool, 10% polyester, refined 8th gauge heather twist. It is made using clean white base yarns which means Cavalier has been able to create a sophisticated colour palette not usually seen in heathers. Available in sixteen shades, four and five metre widths and has an extra heavy domestic rating. This carpet is flame retardant, moth resistant and the yarn is sustainable and hypoallergenic. It carries a fifteen-year wear warranty.

T 01254 268000 www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk

Royal Windsor from Abingdon Flooring

As we move toward an eco-friendlier way of living, Abingdon are renewing their classic and most popular wool range ‘Royal Windsor’. A 100% berber loop wool choice with a refreshed colour bank to bring simplicity and purity to your rooms.

The tight twist is practical for all areas of the house and offers a stunning 10-year wear warranty, as well as timeless style.

Available in 2.5m, 4m, 5m.

T 01274 655694 www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Prestige Twist 50 by Balta

Kicking off with the next generation Prestige Twist, Balta launches this quality wool-rich 50oz twist, made of 80% wool, 10% polypropylene and 10% meltbond. Available in a palette of 16 vibrant colours under the revival of the Woolmaster by Balta collection, Prestige Twist 50 assures added durability and performance. This wool flooring is made in the UK and is available in in 4 and 5 metre widths to suit all homes.

T +32 (0)56 622 211 www.baltagroup.com

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

Balance by Crucial Trading

Balance – different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.

Crucial Trading’s newest collection is made from 100% New Zealand Wool, has a textural tip sheared design and a curated palette of seven calm colours to give our homes a sense of grounding whilst creating a backdrop in which we live our lives.

As with all Crucial Trading’s floor coverings, Balance can be ordered as a bespoke rug, runner or a fully fitted product.

T 01562 743 747 www.crucial-trading.com

Pimlico by Cormar Carpets

Cormar Carpet Company’s latest addition to their popular wool loop collection, Pimlico, is available in three distinctive designslevel, texture and stripe, in a premium quality 3-ply yarn. T he new range includes a palette of nine fashionable, neutral shades featuring warm beiges and cool creams, all in line with interior trend forecasts for the coming year.

Designed to offer a fresh, modern look, Pimlico is a contemporary loop pile carpet blended with 50% New Zealand wool and 50% polypropylene for a clean, bright effect and soft 100% wool like handle.

01204 881234 www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

Tudor Twist by Victoria Carpets

Tudor Twist was first introduced by Victoria in 2004 and is one of their most established and well-loved wool twist ranges. Having recently undergone a makeover they have introduced a new colour bank of 36 shades that incorporate neutrals, golds and bronzes alongside delicate pastels, perfectly reflecting current interior trends. With a 10-year wear warranty (Classic) and a 15-year wear warranty (Regal), Tudor Twist is a go to for homeowners looking for a wool blend carpet.

T 01562 749300 www.myvictoria.co.uk

Wool Britannia from Kingsmead

Kingsmead’s stunning wool carpet where traditional meets modern for a luxurious interior.

Made with exclusive 100% British yarn – Wool Britannia – this yarn has been developed by the Headlam Group Plc in partnership with British Wool and with the support of Campaign for Wool.

Every linear metre of the yarn includes Wool sourced from farms situated in each of our four nations, helping our local farmers and the planet.

T 01827 831424 www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

grown

longest,

to

the

mind

Fine

Why

Contact info@campaignforwool.org for further information and for POS posters (above) and brochures, to become a Campaign for Wool Supporter or to take part in Wool Week.

LET WOOL BREATHE LIFE INTO INTERIORS

In the beginning The Campaign for Wool (CFW) created “Wool Week”.The intention was to promote the scientific fact that wool has many unparalleled advantages compared to competing fossil fuel based synthetic fibres that had become the dominant market force in the textile sectors that exist today. Wool was increasingly the “forgotten fibre” as apparently cheaper synthetics swamped the market.

Wool has maintained its image and consumer identity in the clothing sector rather well. Wool is still known to be the fibre of choice for the majority of higher end, sometimes more expensive clothes such as knitwear, suits and jackets, skirts and trousers. A great deal of marketing money from Merino sheep farmers in particular has supported the efforts of the wool marketing bodies in the fashion sector.

All well and good one might say, but what has that got to do with carpets? An awful lot, actually and it is our aim to explain how and why. Although Merino wool (fine and soft, fashion) and wool from a Scottish Blackface sheep (coarse and strong, carpets) look and feel totally different they are actually quite similar and both are full of natural benefits that synthetic (plastic based) fibres do not have!

Wool has the ability to “breathe” regulating moisture in the clothes we wear and indeed, also in your home, office or casino as it has the ability to filter out toxins in the air we breathe and never release them. Wool suits miraculously lose any unwanted creases in them when hung up to relax before using them again - in the same way the pile of a wool carpet will bounce back to its original state after being walked on. In both examples, the garment or the carpet, will look better for longer and actually need replacing less often – simple economics that can save you money. Synthetic carpets tend to flatten unattractively and synthetic suits or knitwear go baggy at the knees and lose shape.

I could go on and on and on but I know space and your time is valuable, so I would just ask you to look a little closer at what you are buying and indeed what you are asking your customers to buy before you decide.

Please do not hesitate to contact The Campaign for Wool or myself for further information.

Fine Worcester Twist by Adam Carpets

Commentary by Martin Curtis, Chairman Wool Carpet Focus Group (curtthesheep@gmail.com)

FLOORING FACTSHEET ADHESIVES

SELECTION CHECKLIST

The criteria to select an adhesive will cover the following points. Larger manufacturers offer detailed guides to select the correct adhesive – even indexing floor manufacturer’s products by name to ensure an accurate match. For accurate and up-to-date information consult the F. Ball Recommended Adhesives Guide.

Open Time:

The time you have to fit the flooring into the adhesive after which the bond will no longer be ideal. The time until the floor may be walked on should be checked.

Odour:

Low odour, solvent-free and low VOC products are increasingly favoured and now have the same performance characteristics of older products.

Coverage:

How thick and how far can the adhesive be spread.

Application Method:

Di erent adhesives may be applied by roller, trowel or spray.

Strength:

Including how quickly the adhesive will “grab” the floor covering and its strength when fully cured.

Underfloor Heating:

A lot of modern adhesives are suitable for use with underfloor heating but this criteria must be checked where appropriate.

Subfloor: What surface will the adhesive stick to most e ectively including concrete, sand cement screeds, levelling compounds, plywood and chipboard.

While there are multi-purpose adhesives, specialist products will be better suited to certain surfaces.

The porosity of the floor is a key determinant of the type of adhesive to be used and its performance during installation.

Special Performance: Certain adhesives are more suitable for damp, humid or high temperature environments.

Air Quality and the Environment: The old wisdom that the more it smells, the better it sticks is no longer acceptable to modern consumers and solvent-based products are increasingly replaced by water-based adhesives.

Acrylic/Resin: Ideal for plasticised PVC and most modern flooring.

Bitumen: A tar-like material, bitumen has a high degree of moisture resistance and is used for damp-proof membranes and installing tiles, wood blocks and mosaics.

Epoxy Resin: A two-part chemical curing system that is used in aggressive environments such as conservatories, wet rooms, commercial kitchens and exterior installations.

Polyurethane: An adhesive with rapid bonding characteristics, typically used for wood floors.

Polyvinyl Acetate: Typically used for close fitting joints in timber, laminate floors and panels.

Tackifier: An adhesive for carpet designed to increase the tackiness – or the tack range –of an adhesive.

Water-based Adhesive: Many different types of adhesives now use water as their carrier to avoid odours and flammability issues which are common with chemical solvents.

To

STYCCOBOND F58 PLUS is a fast-drying, pressure sensitive adhesive that is ideally suited for the installation of LVT floorcoverings.

Fibre-reinforced for quicker installation, -meaning you can get to work faster. Trust the yellow bucket.

Carpet Company Directory

Abingdon Flooring 01274 655694

Adam Carpets Ltd

Be Tu Tw W Ww 01562 829966

Alternative Flooring 01264 335111

Associated Weavers

Tw Tu 01422 431100

Avena Carpets Ltd

Tu Ww 01422 330261

Axwoven Carpets Ltd

Ax Be 0121 550 5788

Axminster Carpets Ltd

Ax Be Tw 01297 32244

Balta Industries

Tu Tw W Ww +32 56 62 2211

Beaulieu International Group

Be Pr Tu Tw +32 56 67 66 11

Carpets

Belvedere Carpets

Tu W 020 8800 0740

sales@belvederecarpets.co.uk www.belvederecarpets.co.uk

Betap Tufting BV

+31 383 861 060

Tu Tw W

BIC Carpets Be Tw W +32 56 23 54 10

Bizspoke Custom Carpets

Be Tw W 01924 488882

Blenheim Carpets

Ax Be Tw W Ww 020 7823 3040 BMK 0113 380 5333

Bond Worth Ltd

Ax 01562 745000

Brintons

Ax Tu Tw W Ww 0800 505055

Brockway Carpets Ltd

Tw W 01562 828200 sales@brockway.co.uk www.brockway.co.uk

Craigie Carpets

Be 01294 558400

Creative Carpets Ltd

Be Tu Tw W 0116 284 1455

Creatuft Carpets

Tu W +32 56 35 4444

Custom Carpet Company

Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww 01737 830301

Bronte Carpets Ltd

Be Tu Tw W 01282 862 736 office@brontecarpets.co.uk www.brontecarpets.co.uk

Burmatex

Tu 01924 262525

Cavalier Carpets Ltd

Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww 01254 268000

Christy Carpets

Tu 019078 308777

Clarendon Carpets

Tw 01827 831480

Classis Carpets

Tu W Ww 0870 020 1725

Condor Carpets BV

Tu +31 38 4778911

Dan-Floor UK W 0844 9151000

Domo Floorcovering

Pr Tu Tw +32 55 335211

E & WE Carpets

Contempo Carpets 0800 689 4741

sales@contempocarpets.co.uk www.contempocarpets.co.uk

Edel Telenzo Carpets Ltd

sales@edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk www.edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk

Enterprise Weaving

01422

Cormar Carpets Ltd

Tu Tw W 01204 881 234 info@cormarcarpets.co.uk www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

Couristan Carpets

Ax Tu W Ww 800 223 6186

Fells Carpets

cummings@btinternet.com www.fellscarpets.co.uk

Fletco

Flock-living Limited

info@flock-living.com

Durham Twist from Hugh Mackay

Brockway’s Vogue

Love Story Deep Feelings by Abingdon

Furlong Flooring

Le Tissage d’Arcade

Ax Ww +32 05685 4747

Lecaflor Ltd

Ax Be Pr Tu Tw W Ww 0800 78 33 712

Leigh Spinners Ltd

Tw 01942 673232

Signature Carpets

Be Tu W 01422 845075

TAT Carpet 07976 607657

Tapibel NV

Pr Tu Tw 01623 481 221

01772 696 787 enquiries@furlongcentral.co.uk www.furlongflooring.com

Tw W

Gaskell Wool Rich

Tu Tw W 01827 831525

Gaskell Mackay Carpets Ltd

Ax Tu Tw W 01429 892525

Georgian Carpets

Tu Tw W 01827 831430

Godfrey Hirst (GB) Ltd

Tu 0800 526696

Halbmond Teppichwerke

Be Pr Tu +49 037 421 420

Louis de Poortere W +32 56 393 386

Lusotufo

Tu +35 12 56 750 500

Manx Carpets

Tw W 01827 831 434

Master Weaver W Ww 01562 754 382

Mayfield Carpets

Tu Tw W 01706 639 866

MID NL Be +31 38 851 8700

Tasibel NV Tw +32 52 499600

The Grosvenor Wilton Co

W Ww 01562 701456

The Sultana Carpet Co Ax 01299 822300

Wilton Carpet Commercial

Ax Tu Tw Ww W Be 01722 746000

Thomas Witter UK Ltd

Tu Tw 0870 1128318

Timzo Tufting Industry BV

Tu +31 38 385 4477

Tisca Tiara

Tu Ww 07860 911748

Trendy Tuft Designs Be Tu Tw W 01274 855080

Hammer Carpets

01473 826870 infouk@hammercarpetsuk.com www.hammercarpets.com

Heckmondwike FB 01924 410544

ITC

Be Pr Tw Tu 0032 51 424 411

John Lanham Watts Carpets

Ax Tw Ww 01937 588511

John Evans Ltd

Ax Tu Tw W 07850 935301

Joseph Hamilton & Seaton W 01827 831400

Kingsmead Carpets

Tu Tw W 01827 831 424

Millennium Weavers Europe

Tu Tw +32 55 50 9050 sales@millenniumweavers.eu www.millenniumweavers.be

Modulyss

Be Tu Tw Pr +32 52 457211

Mr Tomkinson

Tw Ww 01827 831 450

Penthouse Carpets

Tu Tw W 01706 341231

Phoenox Textiles Pr Tu 01484 863227

Pownall Carpets

Tw W 0845 6528811

Roger Vanden Berghe.NV Tu Ww +32 56 73 57 11

Ryalux Carpets Ltd

Be Tu Tw W 0845 652 8811

Ulster Carpets

Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww 02838 334433

United Carpets & Beds

Tw W Ww 01709 732 666

Victoria Carpets

Tu Tw W Ww 01562 749300

Vorwerk Flooring 01282 332025

Westex Carpets

Tu 01274 861334

Weston Hammer W 0845 644 9090

Whitestone Weavers Ltd

Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww 01429 892555

Wilkies Carpets

Tw 0113 307 9955

Woodward Grosvenor

Ax Tu Tw W Ww 0800 526696

Lano NV

Ax Pr Tu Tw W Ww +32 56 65 4300

marketing@lano.be www.lano.com

Sans Frontieres Ltd

Be Pr Tu Tw W Ww 0844 5611977

Shaw Home Foundations

Tu 01675 433 501

Wool Classics Tu Ww 0207 349 1560

Woven Carpets of Kidderminster W 01299 827477

Bronte’s Cream Shagpile

Cormar’s Apollo Plus Meteorite

Wellington Stripe from Ulster

Flooring factsheet

Carpet trouble-shooter

Fading on Wool

Carpets made from wool can and do fade in use. The degree of fade can vary depending on the colour chosen and the local conditions to which the carpet is subjected.

Fading can be caused by exposure to ultra violet light which is found in daylight, but is accelerated when sunlight shines directly onto the carpet. This has the effect of lightening or “Bleaching” the colour just as exposure to sunlight will lighten human hair. Wool is after all animal hair.

Protection should be given to carpets exposed to such conditions just as you would protect other furniture or fabrics.

A complaint on fading would be considered justified if it failed to meet the required shade standard when tested to the British Standard BS1006 (1990).

Soiling

Soiling is usually the result of some local condition to which the carpet has been subjected to, or maintenance, or lack of maintenance programme. There is nothing we as manufacturers can do to prevent soiling in use. There are several types of soiling which are quite common: Spillages - Liquids such as soft drinks, cordials or any drink which contains sugar, particularly hot drinks, is likely to leave a stain. In such instances, professional help should be sought.

Colour matching

Carpets are produced in batches - known as creels - and usually each batch produces between 500m2 - 3000m2 in a single width, depending on the creel size. Whilst the recipe used by the dyer remains constant, and is followed to the letter, in each separate production the colour reproduction will vary from batch to batch. However production is matched back to the original or master sample to ensure that the colour remains ‘within a commercial tolerance’.

This process if not an exact science and a commercial tolerance is subjective but nevertheless is usually the professional judgement of the head dyer based on his/her experience.

A greater level of tolerance is required on blended colours (Heathers etc). To ensure perfect colour matching it is advisable that a single width be used in any installation requiring exact colour matching.

N.B. Carpets which are laid with the pile travelling in different directions, even though they be from the same batch will appear not to match. For further information please check with the manufacturers recommendations.

Sprouting

Occasionally an odd tuft or two can work its way to the surface and stand proud of the rest of the pile. This is probably due to one end of the tuft being longer than the other i.e. J shaped tuft instead of V shaped. Remedial action merely requires that the offending tufts be scissor trimmed level with the rest of the pile. They should never be pulled out.

Shampoo - if incorrectly applied, can leave sticky soap residues in the fibres which can result in the soiling reappearing quite rapidly.

Dust - which is carried on draughts can soil carpets in various ways, apart from the obvious soiled edges, at gaping skirting boards for instance, dark lines appearing on surface might suggest airborne dust vacuum-drawn through poorly fitted floorboards. Sometimes the shape of floorboards can be seen quite clearly. Air borne dust sometimes shows itself as spots on the carpet, this is due to the air carried on a draught under the carpet escaping through minute holes both in the underlay and the carpet, leaving dust deposited on the pile much like a filter action. In such installations, the use of a lining paper is essential as a preventative measure.

It is the responsibility of the retailer to advise the consumer when the carpet is measured of any poorly fitting doors, skirtings, or floorboards and the consumers responsibility to ensure any remedial work to seal draughts, is carried out before the carpet is fitted, if a resulting complaint is to be avoided.

Static

Carpets do not produce static but like other household fabrics and objects have the capacity to store it. Static is caused by the build up of static electricity upon personnel in a dry environment and is discharged when a person makes contact with an object which can conduct electricity (i.e. door handle or filing cabinets, etc).

The static charges will vary in intensity depending upon the individual, air humidity and the contact materials. Static is more usually associated with synthetic materials as they do not retain moisture very well but it can and does occur with wool in very dry room conditions.

Preventative measures include the introduction of moisture into the room or in situ carpet treatment.

shedding • pulled loops

Flattening

Flattening will occur as a result of traffic which eventually flattens the pile particularly in the main areas of use.

All pile fabrics will flatten to greater or lesser degree dependant on the amount of traffic to which it is subjected and the construction (tuft density/pile fibre/height/weight) of the product concerned.

Shading

Shading occurs because the pile of the carpet has become crushed, flattened or brushed in a different direction to the natural lie of the pile whilst in situ. This causes light reflection at differing angles resulting in the creation of light and dark patches on the carpet. This will occur on all pile fabrics but can be more noticeable on plainer carpets because the shadows created by pile pressure will not be disguised by a heavy pattern or design.

Pile Reversal

Like shading, this occurs when the pile or nap of the carpet changes direction and thus reflects light at different angles showing the effects of shading which can become permanent. It is also described as ‘watermarking’. This can happen to every carpet construction be it Axminster, Wilton, Tufted, Hand Woven, Persian, Chinese, Indian or even Coir Matting. Like shading it can be more apparent on plain carpet because heavy patterns can disguise the effects. It can occur quite quickly after installation. A tremendous amount of research has been carried out over many years by many institutes to determine the cause of this phenomenon but none of it has proved conclusive. There is no commonly known manufacturing process which can cause or cure this phenomenon and therefore it is not a manufacturing fault. For further information please check with individual manufacturers recommendations.

Shedding

All cut pile carpets will lose short fibre, which is created during production when spun yarn is cut for tuft formation. These fibres fall onto the surface of the pile and appear as ‘fluff’. The effect varies with yarn type and may be removed without detrimental effect upon the carpet by vacuum cleaning. This excess fibre is only a small fraction of the total fibre contained in the carpet.

Indentations

When a carpet is subjected to a heavy point load, such as under the legs of furniture, it is unreasonable to expect the carpet not to indent. Usually, the longer the load is in place, the longer will be the time for the pile to recover. In the case of very heavy loads in place for a considerable time, the recovery time can be very considerable.

It must be remembered that it is not only the pile of the carpet that becomes indented. The underlay will also indent and the backing of the carpet may also distort into the indentation in the underlay. Some underlay’s will recover well and some less well depending upon their composition, thickness, density etc. The use of cups below furniture legs can spread the load and the net result is a larger area of less deeply indented carpet.

The ability of a carpet to recover from a heavy static load can be measured in the laboratory, using the test method described in BS 4939 and many manufacturers will have data on this aspect of carpet performance. In this test the carpet is loaded for 24 hours and the degree of recovery is measured after 1 hour and 24 hours. Since there are so many different underlay’s however, it is very rare for the recovery from a heavy static load to be evaluated on carpet and underlay.

Often normal maintenance (vacuum cleaning with a rotating brush machine) will speed up recovery but in the case of serious indentations the use of an iron and damp cloth or a steam iron together with a blunt darning needle to carefully tease up the pile can be beneficial. Care must be take not to over wet the carpet, of course.

Pulling Loops

Pulled loops occur only in looped pile carpet where one or more loops in the continuous pile is pulled through the primary backing of the carpet. This is usually due to some local condition, possibly some sharp object which has caught in a loop in situ and has resulted in a pull. Pulled loops are easily dealt with by trimming the offending end level with the rest of the pile. They should not be left as this could result in further loops being pulled and developing into a ladder.

Samples

The samples held by individual retailers may not be from the same batch as current production and therefore should be used as a guide and not an exact colour match.

Installation

Telephone National Institute of Carpet Fitters (NICF) for further information – 0115 958 3077.

The original carpet tile

• sprouting • shading • static • fading • pile reversal • shedding • flattening • soiling

This information is given by responsible manufacturers to help you help your customer to make an informed choice.

Flooring factsheet

LVT Supplier Directory

g.folkes@alsapan.com

enquiries@altro.com 01462 489

info@amtico.com 0121

www.altro.co.uk

Forbo Flooring info.flooring.uk@forbo.com 01773 744 121 www.forbo.com

Furlong enquiries@furlongflooring.com 01772 316155 www.furlongflooring.co.uk

Harvey Maria info@harveymaria.com 0330 330 1231 www.harveymaria.com

Interface interface.uk@interface.com 0800 313 4465 www.interface.com

Martin

(0)1482

www.amtico.com

Invictus Info@invictus.co.uk 01422 431100 www.invictus.co.uk/lvt

IVC – Moduleo + Leoline www.ivcgroup.com

Kährs UK sales@kahrs.com 023 9245 3045 www.kahrs.com

Karndean Designflooring 01386 820100 www.karndean.com

Kellars sales@kellars.co.uk 0161 443 0970 www.kellars.co.uk

sales@qep.com

245430 www.krausflooring.co.uk

Lifestyle Floors info@lifestyle-floors.co.uk 01827 831448 www.lifestyle-floors.co.uk

Leoline info@leoline.co.uk 0800 032 3970 www.leoline.co.uk

Moduleo salesuk@moduleo.com 01332 851500 www.moduleo.co.uk

Polyflor info@polyflor.com 0161 767 1111 www.polyflor.com

Tarkett communication@tarkett.com 01622 854040 www.tarkett.com

Quick-Step 08448 118 288 www.quick-step.co.uk

Victoria Design Floors (Distinctive Flooring/Universal Flooring) info@myvictoria.co.uk 01562 749300 www.myvictoria.co.uk

Wineo info@wineo.de +49 (0) 5237 6090 www.en.wineo.de

Westex info@westexflooring.co.uk 01274 861334 www.westexflooring.com

Landscape Parquet by Victoria Design Floors

Victorian Treasure by Invictus

Van Gogh Classic Oak by Karndean Designflooring Studio Designs by Brampton Chase

Flooring factsheet

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is a fast growing sector of the flooring market due to its durability at relatively low cost and huge range of designs available. Sheet vinyl and cushion floor by the roll are popular but the sector is dominated by LVT. In reality, most of the products sold today are “LVP”, Luxury Vinyl Planks, as wood decors are more popular than ceramics and stone but the term LVT is still used to cover the whole non-sheet market.

Benefits

• Huge choice in terms of decors across wood, ceramic, stone and geometric designs

• Impressive realism – not just in the design but infinishing techniques that allow for wood knots you can feel, tiles you can grout, etc. See appearance options.

• Excellent performance in durability for high traffic areas, scratch resistance and cleanability. Vinyl also tends to be much more nonslip than natural materials. Some products are water resistant for bathrooms and kitchens.

• Warm and soft to touch compared to ceramic and stone floors - and a good heat insulator anyhow, and suitable for use with underfloor heating systems.

• Sound reduction – vinyl has neglible impact sound compared to the tap/click of laminate and transmits less sound and vibration compared to solid floor.

• Considerably cheaper than the ‘real’ thing – both to buy and to fit – and tile/plank approach minimises wastage.

Installation

Installation preparation

Vinyl requires a dry, sound, level subfloor as the relative thinness of vinyl and its light reflection performance will quickly reveal imperfections after installation as well as cause potential wear issues.

Exisitng wooden/MDF floors may need a plywood underlay up to 6mm thick and then the joints will need to be skimmed or taped. Non-wood sub-floors will need a self-levelling screed to be laid to ensure a suitable base for the floor. A damp-proof membrane may be required depending on sub-floor moisture levels.

However, new rigid core products are less flexible and can be laid more easily over existing floors – see Construction.

Product options

• Dry back – a sheet or tile that needs to be fixed to the sub-floor using an adhesive.

• Self-adhesive – tiles with a peel-off backing paper to stick to the sub-floor. Some tiles have adhesive overlaps to stick to each other rather than the sub-floor.

• Loose lay vinyl – tiles that simply drop onto the floor and rely on a high friction backing to keep them in place – they demand a very sound, level sub-floor but are the easiset type of tile to lay or replace.

• Click – tiles that have a mechanical jointing system to attach to one another (like a locked tongue and groove system) and ‘float’ on the sub-floor without being glued down. There are many proprietary versions of the click system which offer fast, clean installation and stability.

Appearance options

Vinyl tiles and planks cover a hugh variety of sizes and shapes and can be mix-and-matched to achieve an infinite number of designs. Current fashions include extra wide and long planks for wood through to very small planks for wood. Border effects can be easy to achieve in LVT.

Other notable options include:

• Embossed – this is where the top clear layer of the tile has been embossed to create a realistic texture that matches the style of the stone of wood decor. Registered embossed is the most authentic –the texture matches the design so that, for example, a wood knot or hand-scraped element in the wood design can be felt on the surface of the flooring.

• Grouting and grooving – vinyl tiles can be laid with grouting inlay strips or beads of vinyl for addewd realism – and there are acrylic grouts that can be applied. In wood decors, planks are available with v-grooves or bevelled edges between planks for added realism.

LVT construction

www.bramptonchase.co.uk

www.invictus.co.uk

www.karndean.com

www.krausflooring.co.uk

www.myvictoria.co.uk

Top coating – A polyurethane or aluminium oxide coating provides protection against scratches and stains and gives enhances anti-slip.

Wear layer – This is a key layer - determining the performance and resilience of the product. A 0.3mm (12 mil) wear layer is a good for heavy wear areas. Commercial installations need 0.5mm wear layers or above with 0.7mm at the top end. The wear warranties and guarantees carried by products will be based on this thickness.

Decor layer – This is the decor itself - in essence it is a paper- or filmbased photographic inkjet print. (A few LVT floors have the image printed directly to the surface of the floor but this implies less image definition and different wear characteristics.)

PVC and fibre glass layers – The construction ‘sandwich’ can vary between products but a combination of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) layers for strength and flexibility and fibre glass layers for structural stability may be used. Any click-system profile will be incorporated into these layers. Products often use a combination of recycled vinyl which is cheaper and virgin PVC which lasts longer and is more stable.

Rigid core LVT has a solid, less flexible PVC layer with maximum stability which means it can be laid over exisiting, less even flooring without showing imperfections and therefore avoiding wear problems.

Base (or backing) layer – The final high density PVC layer varies according to the installation requirement and is designed for taking adhesive or as an ‘underlay’ for loose-lay and click installations.

Stocklists:

Fact Sheet from

Sustainable underlay Flooring factsheet

Interfloor ‘Says NO to Waste’ Eco-friendly underlay

renu® is a game changer. Interfloor’s new underlay meets the concerns of our modern world in reducing waste and being environmentally sustainable.

It’s made by bringing together raw materials that we save from going to landfill with some that have a positive effect on the environment.

renu® is a sustainable, recycled carpet underlay and is without question the most sustainable underlay in Interfloor’s long history.

We have used post-consumer waste, car tyres and plastic bottles in the manufacture of our underlay for many years. But with renu® we have gone even further responding to the aspiration for a fully sustainable product. It’s made from 98% recycled materials, using ethically sourced and genuinely recycled materials, which means keeping waste from going to landfill and is 100% recyclable itself!

The main body of the underlay is made of foam reclaimed from recycled soft furnishings, this foam is them mixed with a binding agent and subjected to high temperature steam under high pressure. The backing is made from 100% recycled and unbleached paper and we use vegetable-based inks for printing. The facing film is made from an ethically produced, carbonnegative bio-based film made from sugar cane. The sugar cane actively captures CO2 from the atmosphere whilst at the same time releasing oxygen – making this material not just green, but proactively green.

Let’s not forget, the point of underlay is that it feels great and prolongs the life of a new carpet and renu®, being made from highdensity foam and with a thickness of 9mm, is suitable for all areas of the home.

renu® stockists will be included in the online stockist locator on the Interfloor website.

For more information visit www.interfloor.com/renu

The in-store sales support available to renu® stockists

Flooring factsheet

Underlay

In a tight market for margins, underlay for carpet and hard flooring offers retailers one of the best opportunities to add value to every sale – with good profitability, trade-up potential once benefits are understood and high customer satisfaction levels.

The Carpet Foundation and its Consumer Code of Practice approved by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) recommend that new carpet underlay is bought with every new carpet.

Many consumers are now aware of the benefits of underlay but more needs to be done to provide information about the different types available and their suitability for different areas of the home.

Setting up in-store demonstrations so customers can walk on samples with different grades of underlay and feel the difference has shown excellent results. Some manufacturers offer point-of-sale units and foot testers.

Benefits

Good underlay will...

• Improve underfoot comfort

• Increase appearance retention, reducing flattening

• Absorb the pressure of foot traffic and reduce wear

• Improve thermal insulation and warmth

• Increase sound insulation

• Smooth out sub-floor imperfections

Types

PU (polyurethane) foam • This is now the market’s most popular underlay and is typically made from recycled foam offcuts. The foam provides excellent comfort and performance levels with lots of thickness options and densities and provides great insulation – and its light weight helps handling.

www.interfloor.com

www.floorwise.co.uk

www.carpenterunderlay.co.uk

CLASSIC

• Last the lifetime of the carpet

Poor or old underlay will...

• Feel hard and unwelcoming

• Reduce carpet life

• Cause wrinkling and premature wear spots

• Cause carpet fibres to break down more quickly

• Not meet British Standards

How thick?

A maximum of 12mm is recommended (working with gripper will be difficult thereafter) but rooms with heavy traffic will need a thinner, denser pad. The combination of thickness and density is all important as a thick underlay with low density may not perform well. Typically, the thicker the underlay, the better quality it will need to be – 11mm is often used for luxury installations with 9mm and 7mm the common domestic thickness.

Sponge rubber • A more traditionally manufactured underlay available in flat or waffle patterns in a wide range of weights for different applications. It performs well for comfort and has a durable spring retention.

Crumb rubber • Flat and dense, crumb rubber is good for heavy footfall – offering maximum protection but a little less comfort (and very good over stair nosings).

Laminate underlay • There’s still an opportunity to sell underlay with laminate flooring, improving the acoustic performance of the floor and helping the boards float above any imperfections in the sub-floor.

Combination • A rubber crumb base with a felt top layer offers a good combination of protection, durability and comfort. It also allows carpet with seaming to bed into the top felt.

Underfloor heating underlay • Always ask if there is underfloor heating. Most manufacturers offer specialised products. Underlay and carpet with a combined tog rating of 2.5 can be used – which means the underlay would normally have a tog rating of 1.0.

Felt • This traditional (but environmentally friendly) undelay is made from recycled fibres – wool, jute and synthetic – to create a firm, dense pad with excellent thermal insulation. Still a very popular choice among contractors when stretch fitting woven carpets.

Pre-tackified underlay • A self-adhesive single stick underlay in both needlefelt and PU. A removable system for heavy use when comfort is desired.

Underlayment for LVT • This provides a smooth surface on which you can glue down immediately. If there is a time or acoustic issue or a problematic underfloor, a stable, smooth dual underlay system will provide the best solution.

www.underlay.com

85THE STOCKLISTS October 2022 www.interfloor.com www.unifloor.nl

www.wilsons-carpet-underlays.co.uk

Sponge rubber Crumb

Combination

PU foam

WoolSafe

Caring for carpet the right way

The WoolSafe Organisation is the UK’s leading authority for the correct care and maintenance of carpet and offers a range of services empowering retailers to build a reputation for great service and consumers to get the most out of their investment.

Approved

The clean carpet you expect... the service you deserve www.servicemasterclean.co.uk

Stain Removal Guides

Free

Care

British Wool makes a better carpet... naturally www.britishwool.org.uk

Registered Inspectors Network

Registered Inspectors Network

oolSafe Approved Products

WoolSafe Approved Products

The WoolSafe Academy

Academy

Environmentally aware for superior carpet care www.cleantecinnovation.com

Wool Owners Warranty

Wool Owners Warranty

Vacuum cleaners - the choice of cleaning professionals www.sebo.co.uk

The

The Stocklists

Are you a Wholesaler?

If you’re not listed here, please call Diane Martin on 01482 659396

Wholesale Distribution Directory

NATIONAL

Fells Carpets

Leeds 0113 3071900 carl.cummings@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk

TCS “The Carpet Specialists” Morecambe 01524 840177 info@tcsthecarpetspecialists.com www.tcsthecarpetspecialists.com

Xylo Wood Flooring

London 020 8368 8122 infouk@xyloflooring.com www.xyloflooring.com

NORTH WEST

A&A Carpets

Manchester 01204 701188 sales@aandacarpets.co.uk www.aandacarpets.co.uk

Hathaway Flooring Manchester - see page 18 and Floorwise page 89

Fells Carpets

Goole 0113 3071900 carl.cummings@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk

Kellars Limited Manchester 0161 443 0970 sales@kellars.co.uk

Lakes Flooring Supplies Kendal - see Floorwise page 89

Millbrook Carpets Darwen 01254 703999 millbrookcarpets@live.co.uk

Preston Underlay Centre Ltd Preston/Lancashire - see Floorwise page 89

EAST

Beds Flooring Bedford 01234 341234 sales@bedsflooring.co.uk www.bedsflooring.co.uk

Salesmark Ltd St Neots Tel: 01480 212888 sales@salesmark.co.uk www.salesmark.co.uk

STS Flooring Distributors Cambridge - see page 22 and Floorwise page 89

NORTH EAST

Fells Carpets

Leeds 0113 3071900 carl.cummings@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk

Kellars Limited Darlington 0161 443 0970 sales@kellars.co.uk

MIDLANDS

Birch Distribution Sheffield - see Floorwise page 89

Birch Distribution Leeds - see Floorwise page 89

Birch Distribution Hull - see Floorwise page 89

Cornerstone Flooring Supplies

Doncaster - see Floorwise page 89

Cornerstone Flooring East Midlands and Warwickshire 01159 444711 sales@cornerstoneflooring.co.uk www.cornerstoneflooring.co.uk

DMS Flooring Supplies

Northampton - see page 13 01604 664850 sales@dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk

Floorwise D & J Ltd Southam - see Floorwise page 89

Matty’s Wholesale Carpets Birmingham 01675 433072 sales@mattys.co.uk

STS Flooring Distributors

Hemel Hempstead - see page 22 and Floorwise page 89

Trade Counter Carpets Leicester 0845 604 3055 tradecountercarpets@gmail.com

Woodall Brothers Ltd Shrewsbury - see Floorwise page 89

SOUTH WEST

BL Flooring Supplies Bristol - see Floorwise page 89

BL Flooring Supplies Gloucester - see Floorwise page 89

Fitwell Flooring Ltd Redruth - see Floorwise page 89

Fitwell Flooring Ltd Newton Abott - see Floorwise page 89

Flooring Supplies (Wessex)

Amesbury 01980 625888 orders@flooringsupplieswessex.co.uk

R & M Wholesale

Bristol 01179 531222 Tiverton 01884 258266 sales@rmwholesale.co.uk

Salesmark West Ltd

Amesbury - see Floorwise page 89 Tel: 01980 880933 sales@salesmark-west.co.uk www.salesmark.co.uk

Solent Wholesale Carpet

West Sussex 01243 774623 sales@solentwholesale.co.uk www.solentwholesale.co.uk

SOUTH EAST

Ashmount Flooring Supplies Tottenham 0208 808 2158 sales@ashmountflooring.co.uk www.ashmountflooringsupplies.co.uk

Ballister London 020 8570 1668 london@ballister.co.uk www.ballister.co.uk

Ballister

Reading 0118 931 3535 reading@ballister.co.uk www.ballister.co.uk

Beds Flooring

Bedford 01234 341234 sales@bedsflooring.co.uk www.bedsflooring.co.uk

Clifford Floors Strood 01634 285900 sales@clifford.uk.com

Culpeck Strood 01634 299000 sales@culpeck.uk.com

Columbia Flooring Middlesex 020 8443 3322 sales@columbiaflooring.co.uk www.columbiaflooring.co.uk see page 12 for details

DMS Flooring Supplies

Hemel Hempstead - see page 13 01442 502562 sales@dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk

DMS Flooring Supplies Milton Keynes - see page 13 01908 049006 sales@dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk

DMS Flooring Supplies Colindale, North London 0208 036 9945 - see page 13 colindale@dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk

Flooring Storage UK Potters Bar 01707 245999 sales@flooringstorage.com www.flooringstorage.com

Littner Hampton London 020 8520 8474 littnerhampton@aol.com www.littnerhamptoncarpets.co.uk

John Palmer Carpets Fareham 01329 221933 sales@johnpalmercarpets.uk.net

Potts & Ward, Woodcocks Ltd Brighton 01273 557211 sales@pwwflooring.com www.pwwflooring.com

Salesmark Lancing - see Floorwise page 89 Tel: 01903 750522 sales@salesmark.co.uk www.salesmark.co.uk

Solent Wholesale Carpet

West Sussex 01243 774623 sales@solentwholesale.co.uk www.solentwholesale.co.uk

STS Flooring Distributors Basildon - see p22 & Floorwise p89

STS Flooring Distributors Croydon - see p22 & Floorwise p89

STS Flooring Distributors Orpington/Croydon - see p22 & Floorwise p89

Trade Carpet London Wimbledon 0208 247 3891 sales@tradecarpet.com www.tradecarpet.com

IRELAND

Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Dublin - see Floorwise page 89 Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Belfast - see Floorwise page 89 Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Limerick - see Floorwise page 89

TCS “The Carpet Specialists” Co. Louth 00353 429 351 351 info@tcsthecarpetspecialists.com www.tcsthecarpetspecialists.com

SCOTLAND

Kellars Limited Glasgow 0141 647 7685 sales@kellars.co.uk

MCD Scotland Uddingston Glasgow 01698 808000 mcdscotland@mcd.co.uk www.mcdscotland.co.uk

Neil Smith Ltd Glasgow - see Floorwise page 89

WALES

Matty’s Wholesale Carpets Birmingham 01675 433072 sales@mattys.co.uk

Floorwise Wales Merthyr Tydfil - see Floorwise page 89

Smith Ltd Glasgow, G4 0TX

Tel: 0141 552 1141 sales@neilsmithltd.co.uk

Provincial Floorcoverings

Belfast, BT15 3GU

Tel: 028 9075 3202 Fax: 028 9075 3901 salesbelfast@pfl.ie

Provincial Floorcoverings

Dublin, D12 E540

Tel: 00353 (0)1 626 3913 Fax: 00353 (0)1 460 4669 salesdublin@pfl.ie

Provincial Floorcoverings

Limerick, V94 W863

Tel: 00353 (0)61 227

Fax: 00353 (0)61 227

sales@pfl.ie

Flooring Supplies Kendal. LA9 5RR Tel: 01539 726500 sales@pucflooring.co.uk

Preston Underlay

Preston, PR1 1PN Tel: 01772 556345 sales@pucflooring.co.uk

Leeds, LS10 1AG

Tel: 0113 244 4363 Fax: 0113 244 8665 l.sales@birchdistribution.co.uk

Birch

Hull, HU7 0XD

Tel: 01482 826654 Fax: 01482 878693

Hathaway

Manchester, M17 1EB

Tel: 0161

Flooring factsheet

Buying Groups

Pick the right one

How to decide whether to join a buying group

– and which one…

• Evaluate all buying groups as they all work differently

• Talk to the main marketing contact and/or a member of the committee

Why join?

Buying groups have been a highly successful feature of the floor retailing scene in the last decade or so, giving independents the extra edge they need to compete effectively with the retail park chains.

More than 1000 retailers are now members of one of the several buying groups which operate in our sector and the numbers are slowly, but steadily growing.

While the benefits of bulk buying power are self-evident, the resistance to the buying group concept among nonmembers appears to be centred on fears of surrendering some control to a committee – and most particularly compromising long-established relationships and negotiated terms with current suppliers.

The bottom line is the bottom line. A retailer selling across a broad range of products is likely to improve margins within a buying group – but you don’t need a leap of faith to join up. Ask the buying groups for answers...

Key benefits

Increase margins

• Group purchases to get beneficial rates

• Rebates

• Exclusive higher-margin products

• Special promotions

One of the key reasons to join a buying group is to benefit from the discounts they negotiate as a bulk buyer from manufacturers. The way discounts and rebates are passed on to members varies between groups so make sure it’s absolutely clear how this will be done. You’ll need to work out how this compares with discounts you have already negotiated locally with preferred suppliers.

Access professional services

• Business and financial services

• IT and internet support

• Training and workshops

• Professional bodies

Some buying groups offer an excellent range of other services which may be valuable to your business.

Financial services include invoice factoring, credit, loans and insurance. Some of the more sophisticated groups offering marketing packages, software systems to help you run your business operations and customised websites ready to use. Relationships with professional and training organisations can also offer discounts.

• Get a list of members and call up two or three for a ‘real-world’ view

• Establish your territorial exclusivity – where’s the next nearest member of each buying group

• Ensure you understand the financial arrangements, any fees that would relate to your membership, how the bills are paid and whether your fees are refundable if it doesn’t work out. Ask the buying group for a consultation to estimate your potential savings

• Review all the extra benefits and services to see what you would actually use

• Check out the product ranges offered including the own-label options and the UK/European mix

• Ensure you understand any rules that may limit your flexibility to run your business the way you want

Metro Group www.carpet1st.co.uk

Contact: Jill Coward Tel: 01204 393539 jillcoward@carpet1st.co.uk

Increase sales

• Best of both worlds’ proposition

• Wider ranges and exclusive products

• POS, displays and merchandising support

Your customers will like the proposition that you are independent but with the buying power of a group –this gives them (and you) the ‘best of both worlds’ with personal service and competitive pricing. Most groups will also offer you ‘own label’ ranges and support with pointof-sale, merchandising and displays. Central stockholding may also be on offer.

Network with other independents

• Members-only exhibitions with preferred manufacturers

• Regular meetings and supplier presentations

• Regional workshops

• Helpline

A lot of retailers enjoy the buying group environment of being independent but not alone out there on the High Street. Groups hold regular meetings and some have their own trade shows, regional meetings and workshops to help you develop your business. The network gives you someone to call when you need advice on, for example, an unusual installation, a technical consumer complaint, legal issue or business dilemma.

www.smg-group.co.uk

Contact: Mike Reed Tel: 0118 932 3832 info@smg-group.co.uk

Associated Carpet Group www.acgcarpets.com

Contact: Jon Richardson Tel: 01942 825520 jon@acgcarpets.com

www.beautifulflooring.co.uk

Contact: Carl Harris Tel: 01892 549050 charris31@sky.com

www.flooringone.co.uk

Peter Karra Tel: 0121 683 1426 peter.karra@flooringone.co.uk

www.greendalecarpets.co.uk

Contact: Rob Harding Tel: 01432 852000 Fax: 01432 852005

rharding@greendalecarpets.co.uk

Hiring...

Territory Manager

South Herts and Bucks

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.

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 is required as applicants must be able to demonstrate a proven successful sales record.

The ideal candidate would live within the counties described, although the defined territory will be subject to the successful candidates location.

Previous applicants may apply.

Tamer!

COMBINATION UNDERLAYS NEEDLEFELT UNDERLAYS

For orders and further information, please ring P&R Ratcliffe (Underlays) Ltd. Burnley, Lancashire BB10 3BH Tel: 01282 421026, Fax: 01282 412321 www.foxirugtamer.co.uk

an independent survey which asked 450 retailers which of the nine trade titles they actually read,

magazine came top of the pile.

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

91THE STOCKLISTS October 2022 Stocklists The Classified SITUATIONS VACANTBUSINESS FOR SALE In OTE of £55,000