The Stocklists - October 2011 by David Spragg

Stocklists The

3 October 2011

with

FlooringNews

BRITAIN’S No. 1 FLOORCOVERING MAGAZINE FOR THE RETAIL AND CONTRACT MARKET

elégance is the show-stopper The affordable luxury of Carefree Elegance was the star of the show on our stand at Harrogate - pictured above. This rich and opulent pile with an unrivalled natural look and feel is made from superb 2-ply yarn in 30 colours at 4 & 5m widths. With a 10-year wear and stain warranty, this is the industry’s most compelling proposition for consumers this year. Now add merchandising of uncompromising quality, including a state-of-the-art illuminated lectern, and get ready to sell at higher margins with total confidence.

See page 24 for the contact details of your local representative for the full story and samples.

Stocklists The

Published by Mayville Publishing Co Ltd 219 West Ella Road, West Ella, Hull HU10 7SD Tel: 01482 659396 Fax: 01482 659397 www.thestocklists.com Sales Director: Diane Martin. diane@mayvillepublishing.co.uk Publication Director: David Spragg. Founded by Roy Spragg in 1973.

FIRST FOR FLOORING NEwS AND DATA

3 OCTOBER 2011

UK manufactured Carpet Cutting Machines

WWW.CARPETCUTTINGMACHINES.CO.UK Advertisers

FlooringNews starts on page 31

Monthly ‘Stocklisters’ shown in BOLD

A smarter show

Index

Harrogate hailed as ‘best show for years’ pages 31-48

The wool pretenders

—

01675 433075

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AFS ...................................................................18

020 8805 8620 Sep/Oct 2011

BONDWORTH ..........................................19

01562 745000

Top retailers join Royal promotion page 61

Brintons is back from the brink MD tells The Stocklists about their new future page 63 Cormar in TV warning on wool price page 62

Adhesives

4 Underlay

Buying Groups

8 wholesaler Distribution Directory

Carpet Company Directory

16-17 wool Fibre Page

Carpet trouble-shooter

10-11 woolsafe: the carpet care guide

— Mar 2010

01457 861141

— —

CAVALIO ............................................................—

01782 569840

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COLUMBIA FLOORING

.....................21

0208 443 3322

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.......................................22

01422 374417

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FITA......................................................................64

01159 506836

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FLOORING

—

& FLOORING..................................45

GUILD.........................................59

0845 3081400

FLOORWISE ...............................................15

01509 673974

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FURLONG FLOORING .................24,25

01772 696787

Nov 2010 —

.......................................................39

01827 831430

INTERFLOOR..............................................50,51

01706 213131

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KINGSMEAD .....................................................—

01827 831424

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MAYFIELD...........................................................23

01706 639866

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MANX .................................................................35

01827 831434

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MERRYFIELD

GROUP .......................................3

01422 373799

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MELROSE ............................................................47

01274 491277

— —

............................................26,33

01480 479830

NICF.................................................................64

0115 958 3077

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RACKHAMS................................................27

020 85319225

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SOLENT WHOLESALE CARPET .......28

01243 774623 Sep/Oct 2011

STS FLOORING DISTRIBUTORS........29

0845 341000

TARKETT............................................................49

01892 752303

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T & E DISPLAY GROUP ....................59

0121 585 7600

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TRIPLE

KING ....................................................—

01274 582056

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WESTON HAMMER .............................30

0845 644 9090

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CARPET .....................................................43

July 2011

Classified advertising........................................ page 67

12 6-7

carpets/rugs/tiles woods/laminates/smooths accessories/services/organisations fibres underlay wholesalers/distributors adhesives

ISSN 2046-7338 © Mayville Publishing Co. Ltd. 2011 Issue: 439 Every care is taken in compiling this magazine, but the proprietors assume no responsibility in the effects arising therefrom.

In an independent survey which asked 450 retailers this year which of the nine trade titles they actually read, our magazine came top of the pile. Thank you!

01562 828200

01527 511 860

TAT

13-15

.........20

CARPET

MOHAWK

”

June 2011

CARPENTER .............................................BC

GEORGIAN

Wool Week

Carpet Types

0800 862 0251

ADORE................................................................37

EDEL TELENZO

The UK’s newest carpet company is ready to roll in Kidderminster page 52

FlooringFactsheets

Price List Date

ACCU-CUT .....................................................IFC

BROCKWAY CARPETS LTD.

Master Weaver

We want to support British wool but we’ve had to look at alternative products”

Contact No

BRITISH WOOL .......................................61 01274 688 666

New fibres line up at Harrogate to steal wool’s crown page 40

“

Page No

Flooring Factsheet Adhesives

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Flooring factsheet Carpet types TUFTED

WOVEN

With advances in manufacturing technology, 95% of all carpet produced today is tufted. It takes about an hour to make a roll of carpet that might take eight hours to weave. To make tufted carpet, hundreds of yarn-threaded needles are pushed through the primary backing fabric to form loops or tufts, which may be left as is or cut. A heavy adhesive coating is applied to hold the tufts in place and a secondary backing is usually glued on for strength and stability. A wide variety of styles and textures can then be created using various techniques.

Woven carpet may be in a tiny minority of today’s production but still produces some of the finest carpets which are used for prestigious installations. Axminster • The pile of the carpet is inserted into the backing as it is woven and cut to length, creating U-shaped tufts to give a velvety surface. The process locks in the fibre to create a carpet of high durability and performance retention as well as a luxury feel. The process allows for intricate designs and colours to be used – although modern trends mean that the traditional patterned axminster has given way to current fashion trends for plain carpets.

LOOP PILE Berber • Berber carpets look like and are named after a handmade, bulky wool carpet made by the Berber tribes of North Africa and Asia. The loops are made from thick or bulky yarns of wool, nylon, polypropylene or a blend of these fibres to give a cushioned effect underfoot. These carpets are available in an assortment of colours and may be flecked and can be either level loop or multilevel loop.

Wilton • Wilton woven carpets are produced in a similar way to axminsters – the principal difference being that a continuous fibre is woven all the way through. The carpet can be sheared to create a range of cut and loop textured effects. The result is a high quality carpet of unrivalled durability.

Level loop • When all the loops are of the same height, a highly flexible and durable carpet is created which has a natural, casual appearance even when (commonly) it is made from synthetic fibres. The tight loop texture tends to hide marks so it’s a good blend between luxury and practicality.

Flat weave • Manufactured in the same way as wilton, flat weave is a loop pile which allows the yarn to be woven across a wider area to created a flatter, more textured effect.

Multi-level loop • The loops vary to two or sometimes three loop heights to create informal, random textures which are very forgiving for marks and stains and therefore very suitable for high traffic areas and busy family rooms.

ends blend together which then further enhances the overall finish. These carpets tend to ‘shade’ with heavy use. Footprints show easily and the colour looks different from place to place because fibres lying in different directions reflect the light differently. A luxury for occasional rooms.

CUT PILE Freize • Frieze (pronounced free-say) carpets are similar to saxony, but the yarns are more tightly twisted and should always be heat set. They have a dense, low pile surface which creates a coarse, pebbly texture. Frieze carpets are very durable and hide footprints, dust and dirt, which makes them suitable for heavy traffic areas.

CUT AND LOOP When some of the pile is cut and other left as loop, a variety of surface textures and patterns can be created (in a variety of colours). The multi-level surface is excellent for hiding footprints and stains so cut and loop is good for high traffic areas and general purpose rooms in the home.

Saxony • Saxony textures are made of twisted yarns, which should be heat set. The tips remain very distinct, rather than blending together to form a very elegant finish. Saxony textures show footprints and vacuum marks so are suitable for more occasional rooms in the home. More textured variations improve the practicality of saxonies.

Shag pile • Shag pile has varied in popularity. The pile is up to 50mm long and the texture is casual and loose but the surface flattens easily and lacks durability.

Twist • The popular twist carpet is the cut-pile standard. The yarn is tightly twisted and often heatset to retain this feature and the result is a versatile, textured finish that is ideal for plain colours.

BONDED Bonded carpets (sometimes called ‘fibre-bonded’ or ‘fusion bonded’) are created by firing fibres into an adhesive material – the fibres are not stitched into the backing in any way. The technique is principally used for commercial carpet tiles.

Velvet • Velvet textures (sometimes called ‘velour’ or ‘plush’) all have a level surface pile of approx 5mm to 10mm height, which is then sheared to give a smooth finish. With very little twist in the yarn, the

Tip Sheared

Level Loop

Random Sheared

Multi-Level Loop

Saxony

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Sha

Velvet/Plush

Frieze

Twist

Berber

S Shag

Flooring factsheet Carpet care guide from WOOLSAFE Housekeeping Tips for Carpets and Rugs Entrance or walk-off mats The use of entrance mats at all outside entrances to the house is highly recommended, as they will significantly reduce the rate at which the carpet will soil. They should be of adequate size to allow street dirt to be removed from shoe soles and must be cleaned regularly themselves.

Services for Retailers Customer carpet care HELPLINE If you have trouble dealing with customer queries like “How do I get red wine stains out of my carpet?” Just give them our HELPLINE 01943 850 817 and we’ll give them the correct advice. Simple. Certified Operator Network For experienced, specialist wool carpet cleaners you can trust visit: www.woolsafe.org/find/aregistered-carpet-cleaner. WOOLSAFE Registered Inspectors Solve disputes with customers with our independent carpet complaint Investigators. Just visit: www.woolsafe.org/find/a-registered-carpetinspector and call your nearest inspector. WOOLSAFE Approved Products Have confidence in the cleaning product you recommend, use the WOOLSAFE Approved Products Directory it contains only safe and effective carpet cleaning products. For spot removers visit: www.woolsafe.org/spotremovers Carpet Care Leaflets We offer to help you develop custom carpet care literature and we also offer generic carpet care leaflets designed to be given away with each cut of carpet. Correct carpet maintenance should start from day one. Web pages and Links We offer to help you develop custom carpet care pages for your website or you can link to our website’s carpet care pages for up-to-date and accurate advice. Contact us by email, telephone or post to: The WOOLSAFE Organisation 49 Boroughgate, Otley, LS29 8NR Tel: 01943 850817 E-mail: office@woolsafe.org or visit www.woolsafe.org The WOOLSAFE Organisation – promoting quality carpet and rug care since 1991.

Regular Maintenance Regular cleaning will extend the life of a carpet and maintain its appearance. Vacuum clean regularly and thoroughly, which removes gritty dirt that can damage the fibres. Deal with spillages as soon as possible, preferably the moment they occur. Beware of products claiming to be safe on all fibres, including wool. It might be true, but if it does not have the WOOLSAFE Mark, it is not endorsed by most carpet manufacturers! Never use any detergents such as dishwashing liquids, soaps or other cleaners recommended for general household use. Although they may clean the carpet satisfactorily they will almost certainly cause problems such as rapid re-soiling, colour bleeding or other damage to the pile or backing of the carpet. Use only WOOLSAFE approved products WOOLSAFE-approved carpet care products have been independently and scientifically tested and are safe and effective for cleaning and maintaining all types of carpets and rugs.

The Green WOOLSAFE Mark identifies those products that not only are the most suitable for wool and other quality carpets, but also have the right environmental characteristics.

Periodic Cleaning When the carpet or rug reaches a stage where it could do with a really good clean, you can either do the job yourself, or you can call in a specialist carpet cleaning company. If you are considering cleaning the carpet or rug yourself make sure to use only WOOLSAFE approved products. Look for the WOOLSAFE Mark on the bottle or package. It is best to engage the services of a professional carpet & upholstery cleaning company. To get a really expert job done entrust the work to a WOOLSAFE accredited carpet cleaning company. These companies are fully trained, have been in business for a considerable length of time, are members of one or more recognised professional trade associations related to the cleaning industry and have a reputation for top quality service. And they use only WOOLSAFE-approved cleaning agents on your wool carpets and rugs!

If you have a problem with a carpet or rug that requires an independent inspector, a network of carpet complaint investigators, trained and registered by The WOOLSAFE Organisation is available throughout the UK and Ireland. WOOLSAFE Registered Inspectors have extensive experience in investigating the causes for carpet complaints based on their practical involvement with carpets and rugs over many years. They are fully qualified to investigate carpet and rug complaints on-site on behalf of carpet manufacturers, retailers, cleaning companies and carpet owners. They can carry out or commission tests where required, and will provide comprehensive reports. To contact an inspector in your area call 01943 462127, email: inspector@woolsafe.org, or visit: www.woolsafe.org / Private Householder / Registered Inspectors

WOOLSAFE The Retailer's single source solution for carpet care advice and services. THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

maintenance • cleaning • spot removal • protection • inspection

General Rules for Spot Removal

WOOLSAFE Approved Carpet Cleaning Products www.prochem.co.uk

Treatments 1.

Blot with white kitchen roll or paper tissues

Vacuum clean

Cold water

Home of the Legendary Cleaning Product - Carpet Power www.ozkleen.co.uk

• Soak up liquids with white kitchen roll, tissues, toilet roll or clean cloth

Warm water

• Scoop up or scrape off solids

• Try to identify unknown spots prior to treatment – if unsure, use solvent first

WOOLSAFE-approved carpet shampoo solution (diluted)

WOOLSAFE-approved spot remover for water-based stains

WOOLSAFE-approved spot remover for greasy/oily stains

• Always work from the edge of the spot inwards • BLOT, do NOT rub • Use small quantities of spot remover at a time, applied to a cloth, NOT directly to the spot; work into the spot with a small, soft brush or sponge • Take care with applying solvents to bitumen-backed carpet tiles

Absorbent paper or paper tissue and hot iron

Chewing gum remover (solvent or freeze type)

Life inspired cleaning innovations www.bissell.com

10. Nail varnish remover or acetone 11. White spirit or turpentine substitute 12. Surgical spirit (ethyl alcohol or ethanol)

• When using solvents always ensure there is plenty of fresh air ventilation

14. Rub gently with coarse sand paper

• Always thoroughly rinse out water-based spotters with clean water

15. WOOLSAFE-approved disinfectant or deodorizer

• Dry the spot, if possible, with a hair dryer

16. Rust remover

13. Rub with a coin

17. Carpet re-colouring kit

The Clean Carpet you Expect... the Service you Deserve www.servicemasterclean.co.uk

(Treatments used by professional carpet cleaners)

More Difficult Spots Spot or stain

Easy Spots

Try 1st Try 2nd Try 3rd

Artificially coloured drinks 3

Bleach

C/heating radiator fluid

Coffee

Spot or stain

Try 1st Try 2nd Try 3rd

Blood

Felt-tip pen

7 or 11 12

Burn/scorch marks

Furniture polish

Butter

Glue/adhesive (plastic base)10

Candle wax

Chewing gum

5 15

Ink (fountain)

Ink (ballpoint pen)

Lipstick

Cola

Milk

Cream

Nail varnish

Egg

Paint (oil)

Rust

Soot

Tar (asphalt)

Urine (fresh stain)

Urine (old stain)

Fruit juice

Gravy and sauces

Herbal tea

Metal polish

Mustard

Oil and grease

Paint (emulsion)

Shoe polish

Tea

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Chocolate/cocoa

Floor wax

Environmentally Aware for Superior Carpet Care www.envirodri.com

Vomit

Red wine

These may require repeated attempts with stronger spot removers. Some stains you may find impossible to remove completely in which case the assistance of a professional carpet cleaner is required.

Vacuum Cleaners the Choice of Cleaning Professionals www.sebo.co.uk

British Wool makes a Better Carpet... Naturally www.britishwool.org.uk

This information is provided with the support of WOOLSAFE members for the benefit of all carpet retailers and fitters.

Flooring factsheet Buying Groups Why join? Metro Group www.carpet1st.co.uk Contact: David Kipping Tel: 01204 393539 dek@carpet1st.co.uk

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.

www.smg-group.co.uk Contact: David Lewis Tel: 0118 932 3832 info@smg-group.co.uk

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...

Associated Carpet Group www.smartercarpets.co.uk Contact: Richard Moore Tel: 01942 825520 rjmoore65@googlemail.com rmoore@smartercarpets.com

www.beautifulflooring.co.uk Contact: Paul Phillips Tel: 01892 549050 paul@atbrm.com

Pick the right one How to decide whether to join a buying group – and which one…

of the committee

•

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

www.greendalecarpets.co.uk Contact: Rob Harding Tel: 01432 852000 Fax: 01432 852005 rharding@greendalecarpets.co.uk

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. 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 point-of-sale, merchandising and displays. Central stockholding may also be on offer. Access professional services

• Evaluate all buying groups as they all work differently • Talk to the main marketing contact and/or a member

www.flooringone.co.uk Contact: Glenn Harding Tel: 0121 683 1426 glenn.harding@flooringone.co.uk

Key benefits

• 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

• Business services • 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. Network with other independents

• Members-only exhibitions with preferred manufacturers

• Regular meetings • Regional workshops • Supplier presentations • 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.

flexibility to run your business the way you want

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Flooring factsheet Underlay In a tight market for margins, underlay for carpet and laminate 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 satisfaction levels with customers.

www.floorwise.co.uk

But 50% of carpet is still sold without new underlay! Retailers should create an assumption that new underlay is always required, the only decision is which type. It’s also a good target-setter for sales staff. 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.

www.numa-online.co.uk

Benefits

Types

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 • Last the lifetime of the carpet

Sponge rubber The market’s most popular underlay is 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. PU (polyurethane) foam PU foam is a relative newcomer to the market, typically made from recycled foam offcuts. The foam provides excellent comfort and performance levels with lots of thickness options – and its light weight helps handling. The product can be re-cycled again after use. 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-surface. 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 up to 2.5 can be used – which means the underlay would normally have a tog rating of 1.0. Felt This traditional (but environmentally friendly) underlay 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.

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

Combination

Crumb

PU foam

www.carpenter.limited.uk

www.interfloor.com

Specialists in pre-tacked underlays, soft fibre boards & Roberts Tools. www.estillon.co.uk

www.underlay.com THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Flooring factsheet Carpet trouble-shooter COLOUR MATCHING

SPROUTING

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SHEDDING The original carpet tile

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.

PULLED LOOPS

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

• shedding • pulled 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.

SHADING

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.

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).

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

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

PILE REVERSAL

FLATTENING

(SEE SHADING)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Flooring factsheet Wool fibre THE BEST CARPET WOOL Wool carpets have a historic reputation for quality because as a fibre it is known to withstand pressure and have excellent appearance retention properties. The best wool for carpet production is ‘strong’ wool and this is grown on sheep breeds found in Britain and New Zealand. Most carpets will contain both British Wool and New Zealand Wool because British Wool is more bulky and resilient and offers texture and unique heathery shades to carpet, whilst New Zealand wool is softer and whiter and particularly good for plain, lighter shaded ranges. Combining the two within a blend for carpet yarn gives manufacturers the perfect qualities for carpet. 100% wool or 80/20 – 80/10/10 wool rich Wool has yet to be matched by any man-made fibre; it has superior strength and does not need other fibres to improve its performance. However manufacturers choose to use synthetic fibres within the yarn blend for a number of reasons. These include fibre flexibility, dyeing, heat setting, stain resistance, durability and cost. These wool rich compositions offer industry standard carpets which will perform well in the home. THE BENEFITS OF WOOL CARPET Practical Strong and Resilient – Wool carpet will provide superior performance over many years as it can offer unique resilience and long lasting durability. The natural crimp of wool offers valuable ‘bounce-back’ so that pile compression is resisted and the effects of tracking and shading are reduced – maintaining good appearance over many years. Easy care – Wool is a natural fibre that has an inbuilt resistance to soiling due to its natural oils and its outer surface of microscopic scales and as a result additional anti-soil treatments are not necessary. Simply vacuuming the carpet will keep it looking good and whilst wool initially repels spills, prompt and complete blotting with white paper towels or an absorbent cloth is advised and will address many household spillages.

SAFE

DURABLE

Comfort Soft and warm – Wool carpet adds luxurious underfoot comfort and warmth to the home and acts as an insulator improving heat retention and energy efficiency. Peace and Quiet – Wool carpet absorbs sound and cushions the home against echo and room to room noise transfer. Safety Fire Retardant – Wool is naturally fire resistant, has a slow ignition rate and tests show that it is self extinguishing within seconds. It meets many safety regulations without additional treatments and is favoured in contract locations for this reason. Fall Friendly – Carpet cushions and so provides a softer floor which protects against serious injury in falls by the very young or the elderly. Internal Environment Indoor Environment – As a natural ‘smart’ fibre with a complex physical and chemical structure, wool helps to create a balanced atmosphere in the home. It breathes and absorbs humidity in the air, releasing it when the atmosphere becomes dry and helps improve air quality by absorbing airborne toxins in indoor air. Anti–allergy – The minute scales on the fibre’s surface will hold fine dust until vacuumed which helps to reduce floating particulate in the atmosphere. Wool does not give off harmful emissions or promote the growth of bacteria and wool is not a food source for dust mites. Eco/Environmental Natural and Sustainable – Grown on sheep, which graze freely, wool is both 100% natural and fully sustainable. As shearing is a necessary part of animal husbandry this means that every year there is a fresh supply of wool available for the carpet manufacturing industry. Energy Efficient – Wool is energy efficient in the home and also in carpet production. Biodegradable – Wool fibre is biodegradable in soil and will produce nitrogen, sulphur, carbon dioxide and water which are all plant nutrients. Environmentally Assessed – Wool is an environmentally responsible fibre that has been measured in terms of its ecological impact. A Life Cycle Analysis study carried out by Leeds University to ISO 14040 standard for British Wool concludes that it compares favourably when measured against man-made fibres.

EASY-CARE

COMFORT

British Wool The Planet Friendly Fibre for Carpet aboutwool.com 12

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

floorwise National Network of Floorwise Distributors Acorn Carpet Accessories 16 Bromley, Kent Tel: 020 8462 0422 Fax: 020 8462 0927

Neil Smith Ltd 3 Glasgow Tel: 0141 552 1141 Fax: 0141 552 0623

C. K. Davie Ltd 1 Aberdeen Tel: 01224 820077 Fax: 01224 822344

Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd 4 Belfast Tel: 028 9075 3202 Fax: 028 9075 3901

C. K. Davie Ltd 2 Dundee Tel: 01382 226533 Fax: 01382 226544 Fitwell Flooring Ltd 20 Redruth, Cornwall Tel: 01209 214344 Fax: 01209 261112 Fitwell Flooring Ltd 19 Newton Abbot, Devon Tel: 01626 835935 Fax: 01626 834334 Floorwise D & J Ltd 13 Southam, Warks Tel: 01926 814922 Fax: 01926 817899 Floorwise (North East) 5 Ltd Birtley, County Durham Tel: 0191 410 7070 Fax: 0191 410 6116 Lee Floorstok Ltd 8 Liverpool Tel: 0151 708 7420 Fax: 0151 708 7241 Lee Floorstok Ltd 7 Manchester Tel: 0161 231 8080 Fax: 0161 231 8787 MCA Floorwise Ltd 6 Morecambe, Lancashire Tel: 01524 33517 Fax: 01524 381852 Mytton Flooring 14 Norwich, Norfolk Tel: 01603 624387 Fax: 01603 612888

Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd 9 Dublin 10 Tel: 00353 (0)1 626 3913 Fax: 00353 (0)1 626 3960 LoCall: 1850 445 746 (ROI)

1 2 3

Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd 10 Limerick Tel: 00353 (0)61 227 100 Fax: 00353 (0)61 227 000 LoCall: 1850 445 745 (ROI) Roma Flooring 15 Neath, West Glamorgan Tel: 01639 633001 Fax: 01639 646116 RPS Flooring 11 Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire Tel: 01623 624198 Fax: 01623 620931

7 10

11 12

Salesmark 17 Lancing, West Sussex Tel: 01903 750522 Fax: 01903 851111 Wessex Flooring 18 Amesbury, Wiltshire Tel: 01980 625888 Fax: 01980 676969 Woodall Brothers Ltd 12 Shrewsbury, Shropshire Tel: 01743 441584 Fax: 01743 441629

18 19

16 17

HEAD OFFICE Floorwise Group Limited, Floorwise House, 22 High Street, Kegworth, Derby DE74 2DA, UK. Tel: 0044 (0)1509 673974 Fax: 0044 (0)1509 674841

Award-Winning Flooring Accessories

GRIPPER

UNDERLAY

ADHESIVES & SCREEDS

PROFILES

www.floorwise.co.uk • www.carpetunderlay.net www.floorwise.co.uk • www.carpetunderlay.net www.signaturewoodfloors.com • www.siennawoodfloors.com www.signaturewoodfloors.com • www.siennawoodfloors.com THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Are you a Wholesaler? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not listed here, please call Diane Martin on 01482 659396.

The Stocklists Wholesale Distribution Directory National Fells Carpets Goole 01977 662211 sales@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk

North East Carpet & Flooring Gateshead 0191 482 7373 gateshead@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk Fells Carpets Goole

01977 662211 sales@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk Floorwise (North East) Ltd Birtley - see Floorwise p13 Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

North West A&A Carpets Manchester 01204 701188 sales@aandacarpets.co.uk www.aandacarpets.co.uk D. M. Miller Ltd Manchester 0161 205 9949 dm.miller@btconnect.com www.dmmillerltd.spaces.lives.com

Fells Carpets Goole

Midlands

East

01977 662211

Carpet & Flooring Birmingham 0121 421 9131 birmingham@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk

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

sales@fellscarpets.co.uk www.fellscarpets.co.uk Kellars Ltd Stockport 0161 443 0970 sales@kellars.co.uk Lee Floorstok Ltd Liverpool - see Floorwise p13 Lee Floorstok Ltd Manchester - see Floorwise p13 MCA Floorwise Ltd Morecambe - see Floorwise p13 Mytton Flooring Norwich - see Floorwise p13 Millbrook Carpets Darwen 01254 703999 millbrookcarpets@live.co.uk

DMS Flooring Supplies Northampton 0845 643 5601 dmsnorthampton@ dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk Floorwise D & J Ltd Southam- see Floorwise p13 J J Wholesale & Distribution Ltd Birmingham 0121 765 4994 jjwholesale@gmx.com RPS Flooring Mansfield woodhouse - see Floorwise p13

Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk

STS Flooring Distributors watford

Carpet & Flooring Manchester 0161 786 6800 manchester@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk

Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk

Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

08454 342000 sales@stsflooring.co.uk www.stsflooring.com see page 29 for details

Woodall Brothers Ltd Shrewsbury - see Floorwise p13

Faithfull Floorcovering Suffolk 01473 822341 sales@faithfulls.co.uk www.faithfulls.co.uk STS Flooring Distributors Ltd Cambridge Tel: 01954 781142 sales@stsflooring.co.uk www.stsflooring.com See page 29 for details Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@ carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

South East Acorn Carpet Accessories Bromley, Kent - see Floorwise p13 AFS Middlesex 020 8805 8620 info@afsenfield.co.uk See page 18 for details Ashmount Flooring Supplies Ltd Tottenham 0208 808 2158 sales@ashmountflooring.co.uk www.ashmountflooring.co.uk continued overleaf....

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Are you a Wholesaler? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not listed here, please call Diane Martin on 01482 659396.

The Stocklists Wholesale Distribution Directory Beds Flooring Bedford 01234 341234 sales@bedsflooring.co.uk www.bedsflooring.co.uk

Faithfull Floorcovering Suffolk 01473 822341 sales@faithfulls.co.uk www.faithfulls.co.uk

Carpet & Flooring Bow 020 8525 5691 bow@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk

Kent Flooring Supplies Ltd Chatham 01634 668668 sales@kentflooring.co.uk www.kentflooring.co.uk

Carpet & Flooring Camberley 01276 672100 camberley@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk

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

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

Potts & Ward, Woodcocks Ltd Brighton 01273 557211 pwwflooring@fastnet.co.uk www.pwwflooring.co.uk

Culpeck Strood 01634 299000 sales@culpeck.uk.com Columbia Flooring Middlesex 020 8443 3322 sales@columbiaflooring.co.uk www.columbiaflooring.co.uk See page 21 for details DMS Flooring Supplies Hemel Hempstead 0845 643 5344 dmshemel@dmsflooringsupplies.co.uk DMS Flooring Supplies Milton Keynes 0845 643 5320 dmslaser@dmsflooringsupplies.co.u Faithfulls Service Centre Kent 01322 285001 Faithfulls Service Centre walthamstow 0208 498 3040 sales.walthamstow@faithfulls.co.uk

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Rackhams London 020 8531 9225 sales@rackhamsltd.co.uk www.rackhamsltd.co.uk See page 27 for details

Wessex Flooring Amesbury - see Floorwise p13

C. K. Davie Ltd Aberdeen - see Floorwise p13

Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

C. K. Davie Ltd Dundee - see Floorwise p13

South West Carpet & Flooring Bristol 0117 316 0555 bristol@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk Fitwell Flooring Ltd Redruth - see Floorwise p13 Fitwell Flooring Ltd Newton Abott - see Floorwise p13 Solent Wholesale Carpet west Sussex 01243 774623 sales@solentwholesale.co.uk www.solentwholesale.co.uk See page 28 for details

Salesmark Lancing, - see Floorwise p13

STS Flooring Distributors Thame (Oxford) 01844 213555 sales@stsflooring.co.uk www.stsflooring.com see page 29 for details

Solent Wholesale Carpet west Sussex 01243 774623 sales@solentwholesale.co.uk www.solentwholesale.co.uk See page 28 for details

Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@carpet andflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk

STS Flooring Distributors Orpington/Croydon 0845 434 1000 sales@stsflooring.co.uk www.stsflooring.com see page 29 for details Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@carpet andflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk

Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

Scotland

Headlam Scotland North Lanarkshire 01698 831 000 sales@headlamscotland.co.uk www.headlamscotland.co.uk Neil Smith Ltd Glasgow - see Floorwise p13

Wales Carpet & Flooring Bristol 0117 316 0555 bristol@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk Roma Flooring Neath - see Floorwise p13 Vanguard Carpets Redditch 0845 601 1189 customerservices.redditch@carpet andflooring.co.uk www.vanguardcarpets.co.uk Wood Floor Sales Redditch 01527 511888 help.redditch@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.woodfloorsales.com

Ireland Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Dublin - see Floorwise p13 Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Belfast - see Floorwise p13 Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd Limerick - See Floorwise p13

Carpet & Flooring Glasgow 0141 427 8456 glasgow@carpetandflooring.co.uk www.carpetandflooring.co.uk

The Stocklists Carpet Company Directory Abingdon Flooring Adam Carpets Ltd Be Tu Tw W Ww

01562 829966

Alternative Flooring

01264 335111

Associated Weavers Tw Tu Avena Carpets Ltd Tu Ww Axwoven Carpets Ltd Ax Be Axminster Carpets Ltd Ax Be Tw

Bronte Carpets Ltd 0121 550 5788 01297 32244

Balta Industries NV Tu Tw W Ww

+32 56 62 2211

Beaulieu International Group Be Pr Tu Tw +32 56 67 66 11

Belvedere Carpets Belvedere Carpets

BIC Carpets Be Tw W Bizspoke Custom Carpets Be Tw W Blenheim Carpets Ax Be Tw W Ww BMK Bond Worth Ltd Ax Brintons Ax Tu Tw W Ww

Edel Telenzo’s Bakerloo

01562 828200 www.brockway.co.uk

01422 330261

+32 56783250

Betap Tufting BV Tu Tw W

Tw W sales@brockway.co.uk

020 8800 0740

Be Tu Tw W office@brontecarpets.co.uk www.brontecarpets.co.uk

01294 558400

Creative Carpets Ltd Be Tu Tw W

Brockway Carpets Ltd

01422 431100

Bajong Carpets NV Tu Tw W

Tu W sales@belvederecarpets.co.uk www.belvederecarpets.co.uk

Craigie Carpets Be

01274 655694

01282 862 736

Creatuft Carpets Tu W

0116 284 1455 +32 56 35 4444

Custom Carpet Company Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww

01737 830301

Dan-Floor UK W

01454 858014

Domo International Be Pr Tu Tw W

+32 92 41 4511

Burmatex Tu

01924 262525

Drury Lane Carpets Ltd Be Tu Tw W

01254 296829

Cavalier Carpets Ltd Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww

01254 268000

E & WE Carpets W

01562 825952

Christy Carpets Tu Clarendon Carpets Tw Classis Carpets Tu W Ww Condor Carpets BV Tu

019078 308777 01675 433066 0870 020 1725 +31 38 4778911

Edel Telenzo Carpets Ltd Tu Tw W sales@edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk www.edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk Enterprise Weaving Co Be Ww

01422 374 417

01562 745030

+31 383 861 060

Contemporary Life & Textiles +32 56 23 54 10

Be Tw sales@contemporarylife.co.uk www.contemporarylife.co.uk

01254 296829

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

01924 488882 020 7823 3040

Cormar Carpets Ltd

0113 380 5333

Tu Tw W info@cormarcarpets.co.uk www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

01562 745000

Couristan Carpets Ax Tu W Ww

Fells Carpets

Fetcham Furnishings Ltd Tw 01204 881 234

Fletco Taepper A/S Tu W

01977 662211

020 8944 6220 +45 96 60 3000

800 223 6186

0800 505055

Mohawk’s Cherbourg Check

Brockway’s Vogue

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

If you would like to be included in this section or upgrade your listing, please contact Diane Martin on +44 (0)1482 659396 or email diane@mayvillepublishing.co.uk

Every time you see a web or email address in The Stocklists, you can click straight to it from our online edition at www.thestocklists.com

KEY TO CODES: Be: Bespoke • Pr: Printed • Tu: Tufted • Tw: Twist • W: Wool • Ww: Woven Wilton

Louis de Poortere W Lusotufo Tu

Furlong Flooring Tw W enquiries@furlongcentral.co.uk www.furlongflooring.co.uk

01772 696 787

Gaskell Wool Rich Tu Tw W

01827 831525

Gaskell Mackay Carpets Ltd Ax Tu Tw W Georgian Carpets Tu Tw W Godfrey Hirst (GB) Ltd Tu Halbmond Teppichwerke Be Pr Tu Heckmondwike FB ITC Be Pr Tw

+32 56 393 386

01429 892525 01827 831430

01388 664101

01924 410544 0032 51 424 411

01562 754 382

The Sultana Carpet Co Ax

01299 822300

Mayfield Carpets Tu Tw W

01706 639 866

The Wilton Carpet Co Ax W Ww

0845 296 8850

Thomas Witter UK Ltd Tu Tw

0870 1128318

MID NL Be

+31 38 851 8700

Timzo Tufting Industry BV Tu +31 38 385 4477 Tisca Tiara Tu Ww

Mohawk Europe marinagooch@mohawkeurope.com www.mohawkinternational.com

01480 479830 01480 471304

01675 433031

Penthouse Carpets Tu Tw W

01706 341231

Phoenox Textiles Pr Tu Pownall Carpets Tw W

01827 831 424

Lano NV Ax Pr Tu Tw W Ww marketing@lano.be www.lano.com Le Tissage d'Arcade Ax Ww Lecaflor Ltd Ax Be Pr Tu Tw W Ww Leigh Spinners Ltd Tw

+32 56 65 4300

+32 05685 4747 0800 78 33 712 01942 673232

+32 52 499600 01562 701456

Ossfloor UK

01827 831400

Tasibel NV Tw

Master Weaver W Ww

John Evans Ltd Ax Tu Tw W

Kingsmead Carpets Tu Tw W

01623 481 221

The Grosvenor Wilton Co W Ww

Mr Tomkinson Tw Ww

0161 368 2563

Tapibel NV Pr Tu Tw

01827 831 434

John Lanham Watts Carpets Ax Tw Ww 01937 588511

Joseph Hamilton & Seaton W

07976 607657

Manx Carpets Tw W

0800 526696 +49 037 421 420

TAT Carpet

Roger Vanden Berghe.NV Tu Ww

01827 831 450

Trendy Tuft Designs Be Tu Tw W

01274 855080

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

08700 104484

01484 863227

Westex Carpets Tu

01274 861334

0845 6528811

Weston Hammer W

+32 56 73 57 11

Ryalux Carpets Ltd Be Tu Tw W

0845 652 8811

Sans Frontieres Ltd Be Pr Tu Tw W Ww

0844 5611977

Shaw Home Foundations Tu

+41 71 791 0111

01675 433 501

Whitestone Weavers Ltd Ax Be Tu Tw W Ww Wilkies Carpets Tw Woodward Grosvenor Ax Tu Tw W Ww Wool Classics Tu Ww

0845 644 9090 01429 892555 0113 307 9955 0800 526696 0207 349 1560

Woven Carpets of Kidderminster W 01299 827477

Tollgate stand

Bronte’s stand

Cormar’s Berwick

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

UNDERLAYS

CARPETS NATURAL/LOOPS NOMAD

50/50 Nat Loop Roll Size Full Roll EQ* Description

SAXONY DEVOTION NOBLESQUE SUMPTUOUS SENSATIONAL

30oz PP Saxony 45oz PP Saxony 55oz Saxony 58oz Saxony

80/20 WOOL TWIST NEW KILDARE BELMONT TWIST BELMONT SUPREME

50/50 30oz Twist 80/20 40oz 80/20 50oz

PP TWIST VIVA TWIST SALT N PEPPER

PP Twist PP Twist

LOOP PILE AND CORD PINCH FELT PINCH FOAM ROCKY HB ROCKY FB TITAN CORD

Needle Punch Cord Needle Punch Loop Pile Cord Loop Pile Cord Loop Pile Gel Back

CORMAR STOCKED APOLLO BERWICK 40 BERWICK 50 FOREST HILLS SUPER FOREST HILLS ELITE HOME COUNTIES HOME COUNTIES MALABAR NATURAL BERBER SUPER NATURAL BERBER ELITE NATURAL BERBER DELUXE NEW OAKLANDS NEW OAKLANDS NEW OAKLANDS PRIMO PLUS PRIMO ULTRA PRIMO TWEED PRIMO SAXONY WEST COUNTRY 50

Excellon Twist 80/10/10 40 oz Twist 80/10/10 50 oz Twist 50/40/10 32oz Twist 50/40/10 42oz Twist 42 oz Twist 50 oz Twist 100% Natural 80/10/10 35 oz Twist 80/10/10 45 oz Twist 80/10/10 55 oz Twist 80/10/10 32 oz Twist 80/10/10 42 oz Twist 80/10/10 50 oz Twist Excellon Twist Excellon Twist Excellon Twist Excellon Saxony 80/10/10 50 oz Twist

CORMAR CARPETS AVEBURY LINDISFARNE TOWN AND COUNTRY WEST COUNTRY 60

3/5 DAYS DELIVERY 100% Pure New Wool 100% Pure New Wool 80/10/10 60 oz Twist 80/10/10 60 oz Twist

BRANDED TOP END RUBBER SPONGE RANGE ELITE 11 m2 129lb Textured Rubber Underlay MAJESTIC 11 m2 135lb Waffle Rubber Underlay COLOURS RED 11 m2 135lb Waffle Rubber Underlay WILLOW GREEN 15 m2 90lb Waffle Rubber Underlay CRUSADER SUPREME 15 m2 100lb Waffle Rubber Underlay SUPREME LIGHT 11 m2 101lb Waffle Rubber Underlay UNBRANDED TREDAIRE SPONGE RUBBER AFS CLASSIC GOLD 15 m2 95 lb Rubber Underlay AFS SUPER GOLD 15 m2 80lb Rubber Underlay AFS STANDARD GOLD 15 m2 60lb Rubber Underlay GRAPHITE 15 m2 Light Weight PE WOOD FLOOR UNDERLAYS BOARDWALK (Timbermate) 15 m2 3.75mm ALL IN ONE 10 m2 3mm COMFORT SILVER 15 m2 2.5mm

23dB Moisture Barrier 20dB Self Adhesive Strip 18dB PE Foam + Foil

TREDAIRE PU UNDERLAYS ALPHA 15 m2 OMEGA 15 m2 BRIO 15 m2 ZEST 15 m2 SOFTWALK 15 m2 DREAMWALK 15 m2 CONTRACT 9 15 m2 SENSATION 15 m2

Tredaire PU Tredaire PU Tredaire PU Tredaire PU Tredaire PU Tredaire PU Contract PU Contract PU

8mm 10mm 8mm 10mm 9 mm 11 mm 9 mm 11 mm

DURALAY CONTRACT UNDERLAYS TREADMORE 11 m2 8.0mm SYSTEM 10 11 m2 10mm DURAFIT 650 15 m2 6.5mm DURAFIT 500 15 m2 5.0mm DEFENDER 15 m2 100lb HEATFLOW CARPET 15 m2 6.0mm HEATFLOW WOOD 15 m2 2.75mm TECHNICS 5 15 m2 5.0mm

Crumb Crumb single stick under 40m2 Double stick crumb Double stick crumb Flat sponge 0.80 TOG 0.75 TOG sponge carpet 0.35 TOG sponge laminate U/L Double stick sponge

FELT UNDERLAYS FELT 28 FELT 42 KENSINGTON DELUXE

Wool/jute felt 8mm Contract wool/jute felt 11mm Felt crumb rubber

15 m2 28oz 15 m2 42oz 11 m2 74oz

AFS Unit 4 Baird Road, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 1SJ Tel: 020 8805 8620 Fax: 020 8805 6840 Email: info@afsenfield.co.uk

PLUS A VAST RANGE OF ACCESSORIES AND TOOLS FOR CARPETS AND LAMINATES Contact our sales office or your area representative for prices on any of the above ranges. We also offer a fast service on non stock items. Phone our showroom manager for prices and samples. Our latest price list is dated July 2011. REP DETAILS: Ashley Best Nick Hart Karl Goult Zac Marsh Steve Feher 18

Tel: 07976 916752 Tel: 07771 967609 Tel: 07957 685428 Tel: 07828 663325 Tel: 07771 616018

Surrey , Hampshire, South London Essex, East London North London, West London, North West London, Middlesex, Herts. Kent, South East London Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Townshend Works Puxton Lane Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 5DF Sales: 01562 745000 Fax: 01562 732827 New trade price list effective 1st June 2011

BOND WORTH

NEW ADDITIONS Cornell & Stanford Traditional Quality Stylish Design

Berkeley Axminster 80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 3.66m & 4.57m Range comprises 8 Designs 1-9074- Jade Viceroy 3.66m width stock mid october 2-9086- Red Turkey 3.66m & 4.57m width stock mid November 4-9082- Sofiya 4.57m width end november Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

Variations Axminster

12-9301-Racing Green

80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 3.66m Range comprises 12 Designs 1-9077- Jade Mirage - End of November 4-9058- Sahara - Mid November 4-9079- Mikado - Early December Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

Precious Gems Axminster 80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 3.66m Range comprises 5 Designs 1-3555- Jade - Mid October Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

12-9300-Racing Green

Wensleydale Axminster 80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 3.66m Range comprises 8 Designs 6-3528-Willowdale Corn - Early December 14-3528-Willowdale Beech - Early October Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

Cornell & Stanford Axminster

31-9301-Royal Blue

80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 4.00m Range comprises 7 Colourways in 2 Designs All Stocked Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

Camargue Axminster 80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 3.66m Range comprises 10 Designs 2-7103 Ventura - Mid October 4-7049 Cavalcade - End October 4-7056 Charlotte - Early November 1-7051 Alpine Fern - Early October 4-7052 Verona - Mid December Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order

31-9300-Royal Blue

For samples and further information please telephone 01562 745000

New Afghan Axminster

NEW PRICE LIST EFFECTIVE

80% Wool / 20% Nylon available 4.00m

1ST JUNE 2011

Range comprises 5 Designs - All Stock Stocked items Delivery 14 Days from Order THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

PORTOBELLO

Brockway on show again at Grand Designs Live Following our success at Grand Designs Live in 2010, Brockway is taking a stand at this year's show at the NEC from 7th - 9th October. Come along to visit us on stand L430 to see our brand new Jubilee range, along with the eco-friendly Akaroa and the stylish and innovative Designer Collection. We look forward to seeing you there! To find out more visit http://www.granddesignslive.com

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

The Leading Country Wide Carpet & Flooring Suppliers We can supply you with virtually any make of carpet and flooring at GUARANTEED maker’s list price....... Delivered direct to business premises FREE OF CHARGE. For a Speedy and Efficient Service

CALL US NOW!!! 020 8443 3322 Columbia Flooring plc

Trade Show Rooms Available • Specialist advice and terms available on contract enquiries • TRAFALGAR TRADING ESTATE JEFFREYS ROAD ENFIELD MIDDLESEX EN3 7TY

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Tel: 0208 443 3322 Fax: 0208 805 2346 Opening Times: Monday - Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm Saturday 8.30am to 12 noon 21

Tel: 01422 374417 or 01422 371226 Fax: 01422 377452 Email: sales@edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk Edel Telenzo Carpets, 2- 4 Southgate, Elland, West Yorkshire, HX5 0BW.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

We’d like to say a big thank you to all our customers, old and new, who took the time and trouble to visit our stand at Harrogate last month. We can honestly say that we had an excellent show, we were busy right through and as far as we were concerned we had pretty much the same footfall as last year.

We were particularly delighted with the response to our new two-tone and multi-striped collection, Barbican. This classy looking range, in 2-ply 100% wool, available in 4 metre and 5 metre (two-tone only) widths, will be going into production from mid October. And there’s no doubt that our decision to produce our other best-selling striped designs, Piccadilly and Bakerloo, in a 1 metre width has also gone down very well. So well in fact, that we’ll be producing the new Barbican multi-stripe in 1 metre width as well. If you’re interested in ordering any, please contact your agent (minimum quantities apply).

Burford Bridge

OUR SALES TEAM Greater London as far as N. Circular on north side of Thames and as far as M25 on south side, Surrey, Middlesex, Sussex, Kent John A Constable T: 01622 685397 M: 07836 734322 E: john@jcagencies.co.uk Yorkshire & North Lincs John Alsop T: 01904 762471 M: 07860 572220 E: alsopagencies@yahoo.co.uk Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset Brendan Hart M: 07850 130221 E: a.b.hart@btinternet.com Lincs, Leics, Northants, Notts, Derbyshire Jim Osborne M: 07738 642934 E: jim.osborne@sky.com Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Oxfordshire Niall Martin M: 07866 735772 E: niallmartin@msn.com South Wales, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire Andrew Jefferies M: 07831 457102 E: adj.agencies@btinternet.com Lancashire, Cumbria & Isle of Man John Rostron M: 07973 733208 E: johnrostron@aol.com East Anglia, Bedfordshire, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Suffolk Jonathan Hart T: 01621 817992 M: 07889 264466 E: jonathanhart66@hotmail.co.uk West Midlands, South Wales (Wholesalers) Paul Brewer T: 0121 4277117 M: 07798 745181 E: paulbrewer1@hotmail.co.uk Greater Manchester, Cheshire, North Wales Philip Hambleton T: 01925 740050 M: 07966 397676 E: carpetphil@aol.com

Barbican two-tone and stripe range

North East Rebecca Gibbons M: 07970 491215 E: rebann2@btinternet.com Scotland Tim Tindal T: 01436 671421 M: 07836 705620 E: ttcarpetagencies@aol.com Channel Islands, Isle of Wight John Eastlake T: 01323 896141 M: 07885 398858 E: john_eastlake@hotmail.co.uk Northern Ireland Gary O’Boyle M: 07831 220675 E: goboyle@ntlworld.com

Piccadilly

Bakerloo

COMING SOON We’re currently working on a brand new website which will include all our UK ranges and a Stockist Finder facility. We’ll let you know when it goes live but it should be ready in just a few weeks. We can’t wait! 22

YOUR HEAD OFFICE TEAM CONTACTS Operations Manager: Lesley Inman M: 07703 337989 E: l.inman@edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Telephone 01706 639866 www.mayfieldcarpets.co.uk “Creators of the Finest Carpets”

PRISM Classical colour at a competitive price ROLL STOCKISTS SPECIAL DEALS FOR FULL ROLLS - TALK TO YOUR REP

NEW MAYFIELD TOMBOLA 80 individual samples to tempt your customers. 6 ranges featuring NEW Prism and the best selling Quartz. Offering a 40oz, 80% British Wool Twist with a 2 Jute back for under

£10m

Representatives Robin Leiper SOUTH EAST M: 07801 357601 Chris Twinn CAMBS, BEDS, NORFOLK, SUFFOLK M: 07711 353982 Andrew Westwell NORTH WEST M: 07974 141919 Chris Davis W. MIDS, HEREFORD, GLOS, AVON, WORC. & SHROPSHIRE M: 07753 983714

Andrew Davys S. YORKSHIRE, STAFFS, DERBYSHIRE, NOTTS. & LINCS M: 07801 357622 Simon Beeby LEIC’S, NORTHANTS, OXON, WARKS, BUCKS. & BERKS M: 07775 913380 Mark Fletcher N. LONDON, ESSEX & HOME COUNTIES M: 07801 538763

Stephen Cawley SCOTLAND M: 07718 762236 David Bell YORKSHIRE & N. EAST M: 07939 051608 Mike Williams SOUTH WALES M: 07919 047930 Darren Jackson DEVON, CORNWALL & SOMERSET M: 07825 171482

Nigel Woollard DORSET, HANTS, BERKS. & WILTSHIRE M: 07767 213236

AGENT: Peter Steel NORTH WALES M: 07710 443589 Liam Smith NORTHERN IRELAND M: 07719 934019

Mayfield Mayfield House, House, Stonie Stonie Heys Heys Avenue, Avenue, Rochdale, Rochdale, Lancashire. Lancashire. OL12 OL12 9XA 9XA

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

We all try harder. We k Scotland

GEORGE WISELY M: 07967 148665 SCOTTISH SALES DIRECTOR george.wisely@furlongflooring.co.uk

COLIN RICHFORD M: 07970 163372 WEST SCOTLAND colin.richford@furlongflooring.co.uk

ALAN CAIRNIE M: 07976 311434 EAST SCOTLAND alan.cairnie@furlongflooring.co.uk

North West

GEOFF ABERNETHY M: 07970 229717 CUMBRIA, CHESHIRE & FYLDE COAST geoff.abernethy@furlongflooring.co.uk

ALAN CHEETHAM M: 07966 263571 GREATER MANCHESTER alan.cheetham@furlongflooring.co.uk

BOB CHRISTIE M: 07980 786264 MERSEYSIDE, WIRRAL & N. WALES bob.christie@furlongflooring.co.uk

Wales & South West

BEN THOMAS M: 07794 048809 MID & WEST WALES bthomas@furlongflooring.com

JASON BRIMBLE M: 07794 041266 AVON & GLOUCESTERSHIRE jbrimble@furlongflooring.com

TIM BAILEY M: 07794 048414 S.E. WALES & HEREFORDSHIRE tbailey@furlongflooring.com

STEWART WAITHMAN M: 07794 048413 DEVON & CORNWALL swaithman@furlongflooring.com

Wood Floor Specialist

JOHN POWERS M: 07792 477312 SALES MANAGER BEDS, BERKS, BUCKS, HAMPSHIRE, MIDDLESEX, NORTHANTS, OXON, W&S LONDON, SURREY, DORSET johnpowers@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

RICHARD RICHMAN M: 07791 891044 AREA SALES MANAGER NORFOLK, SUFFOLK, CAMBS, N&E LONDON, ESSEX, KENT, SUSSEX & HERTS richardrichman@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

The Regency range of stain-resistant carpets ticks all the boxes:

quality choice availability service price THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

know you have a choice!

CAREFREE Carpets are distributed by

Yorkshire & North East

DES BEST M: 07968 828516 NORTH EAST/EAST COAST des.best@furlongflooring.co.uk

RAY ANDREW M: 07973 719801 EAST LANCS/W.YORKS ray.andrew@furlongflooring.co.uk

REG SYKES M: 07973 403450 SOUTH YORKSHIRE reg.sykes@furlongflooring.co.uk

Midlands

CHRIS ALLCOCK M: 07872 964685 NOTTS, DERBYSHIRE & LINCS chris.allcock@furlongflooring.co.uk

MIKE SHUTT M: 07970 158594 BIRMINGHAM/ STAFFORDSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE mike.shutt@furlongflooring.co.uk

MARTYN REA M: 07968 324598 LEICESTER/WARWICKSHIRE martyn.rea@furlongflooring.co.uk

London

JOHN AKIEN M: 07791 891024 S.W LONDON, SURREY (INS. M25) johnakien@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

IAN COLLACOTT M: 07816 217550 MIDDLESEX, W. LONDON, BERKSHIRE iancollacott@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

DARREN SPENDIFF M: 07791 890861 KENT darrenspendiff@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

RAYMOND SMITH M: 07816 217565 ESSEX raymondsmith@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

DAREN STEDMAN M: 07816 217548 N, N W & E LONDON, HERTFORDSHIRE darenstedman@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

South East

PAUL LOVELL M: 07816 217549 NORFOLK, SUFFOLK & CAMBS paullovell@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

IAN ROBERTSON M: 07816 217563 E & WEST SUSSEX ianrobertson@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

TONY CONWAY M: 07791 891025 BEDS, NORTHANTS, OXON & BUCKS tonyconway@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

Seeing is believing

Central contacts

Customers can buy with confidence when they see the Carefree cleanability in action with the new video units for your existing Regency POS systems. See our range selection in next monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue...

London Sales tel: 01322 628707 fax: 01322 698733

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Preston Sales tel: 01772 696787 fax: 01772 311921

PETER FLETCHER M: 07816 217561 HAMPSHIRE, DORSET & SURREY (OUTSIDE M25) peterfletcher@furlongflooringltd.co.uk

Newport Sales tel: 01633 283959 fax: 01633 275454

Email: enquiries@furlongflooring.co.uk

www.regencycarefree.co.uk 25

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

“Autumn is here, and like all of the seasons it has its own individual appeal. Every one of Rackhams products also has its own individual appeal, but for the whole year round!”

GRAPHICS / CONTRACT GELS

Arena Endurance Sapphire Scala Senator Sentinel

NATURAL EFFECT

Agadir Ancona Autumn Sunset Country Treasure 4&5M Challenger Berber Craftwork Berber 4&5M Delft 4&5M Gold Fields Hopscotch 2012 Ivory Coast 2012 London Life 4&5M Marrakesh Natures Writing Promenade Rustic Treasure San Salvador 4&5M Shetland/Shetland Design 4&5M Town & Country Tweed Woolweave 4&5M

SAXONY / SHAG PILE

Chamonix Cleopatra Eminence Half Century New Century Nobility Supreme Elegance Tennessee

CORD, NEEDLEPUNCH & ENTRANCE MATTING Bedford Gel Bolero Explorer Hippo Mat Gala Magnum Mat Magnus Mat Scorpio Supacord

TWISTS - STAIN RESIST

VINYL / SMOOTH FLOORING

Balmoral Chislehurst Clyde Desert Twist Deluxe 4&5m Dublin Twist 2011 Easy Heathers Fairfield Supreme 4&5M Heathertwist Supreme 4&5m Helmsley Moorland Twist Mystery Twist Pembridge Twist Rhapsody Salt ‘n’ Pepa Startwist / Startwist Supreme 4&5M

Blackjack Casino Royale Chequers Eclipse Medley Mojo Puregrip XL Suregrip XL Thunderball

TWISTS - WOOL Citation Twist Discovery 4&5M Eden Twist 30/40/50 4&5M Iconic Twist 40/50 4&5M Paramount 30/40 4&5M Rosemount Twist 4&5M Super Sixty 4&5M The Berber Twist Collection 40/50 4&5M Ultimate Textures 4&5M Ultimate Berber Twist 4&5M Ultimate Twist 40/50 4&5M Ultimate Luxury 4&5M

VELOUR / VELVET Designers Dream Urban Life

WILTON The Arabica & Ceylon Wilton Collection 4&5M Parallel Lines Renaissance Ultimate Wilton Oakland

CARPET TILES Bedford Cord Capital Plus Magnesium Neutron Positron Proton Quark

Call now to receive a copy of our latest Summer special price guide!

We also stock Ball & Young Underlays, Accessories, Entrance Matting and offer a Special Order Service on products from virtually every flooring manufacturer in existence! 48 hour Delivery Service on all Balterio Laminate Ranges.

Stop preSS – CHeCK oUt oUr NeW CoSI-Step pU UNDerLAY! – Stop preSS All the quality you expect from rackhams, all the style you expect from rackhams, and just check out the price! Area Sales Executives Ian Pullinger London N, EC & E postals, Essex & Middx (within M25) 07881-502506 Simon Brenner London SE & SW postals, Kent, Surrey & Sussex 07881-502507

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Mark Euesden London W & NW postals, South Middx, Western Surrey, Berks & Bucks 07875-714269 James White Herts, Beds, Essex (west of M11) & North West Middx 07881-502508

Paul Henson Essex (Outside M25), Cambs & Suffolk 07837-295379 Antony Stapleton Sales Director 07881-502505/020-8498-2845

Solent Wholesale Carpet Company Ltd CARPET, FLOORCOVERING & ACCESSORY WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS Telephone: 01243 774623 Fax: 01243 533636 E-mail: sales@solentwholesale.co.uk Website: www.solentwholesale.com Zola Park, Barnfield Drive, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6UX.

CHECK STOCK, PLACE ORDERS AND MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT 24/7 ALL THROUGH OUR WEBSITE Oxford, Berks, Bucks, Beds, Hants, Middlesex & Herts . . . . Ian Cardrick, i.cardrick@solentwholesale.co.uk, Sussex E & W, Surrey, South London & Kent. . . . . . . . . . . . John Robson, j.robson@solentwholesale.co.uk, Hants, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucs, & I.O.W.. . . . . . . . . . . Adam Ayling, a.ayling@solentwholesale.co.uk, Accessary Sales and IT Specialist (All Areas). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luke Crooks, luke@solentwholesale.co.uk, VICTORIA Berber Stripe Castillion Celtic Heathers Crown Twist Duchess Elite EasiCare - Full Collection Gaelic Heathers Imperial Velvet Kelso Natural Accents Natural Companions (Sisal, Chenille, Ridge) Regal Twist Rustic Jewels Tudor Twist Coll Tudor Manor LANO Bolero - new colours Campus X-treme Chiselhurst Heathertwist Coll Pembridge Twist - New Colours Scala Scala Tonals Sentinel Startwist Coll Wilton Naturals BALTA Berga Colorado Springs Desert Twist Deluxe Diva Fiesta Fusion Happy Days High Flyers Gala Cord-all options in stock Moorland Twist Nobility Rosemount Shetland Shepherd Twist Stainsafe Favourite Super Wiltax Techno Twisty LUSOTUFO Celtic Horizon Mandaly Tangier Titan Diagonal Unique

CORMAR Apollo Berwick 40/50 Home Counties 42/50 Malabar Oaklands 32 Oaklands 42 Oaklands 50 Primo Plus - New Colours West Country BROCKWAY Amore Stripe Collection Avanti Cavendish Craftsman Elite Cresta 40/Cresta 50 Montrose Orion/Orion Major Radnor 30/Radnor 40 DOMO Absolute Luxury Auvergne Cabaret Festival Twist Heather Twist Mountain Peaks Legacy Playground Portofino Scorpio ITC Belgravia Concerto Consul Heritage Collection Kreta Palace Ultimate Oak QUICKSTEP Solent Wholesale now a Quickstep stockist. 5 day delivery service on all ranges, very keen prices. TAPIBEL Cachet Melody Nevada Reeds Sysoltex Homested/Aran/Crofter Toscana

mobile: 07973 406329 mobile: 07973 898453 mobile: 07973 406799 mobile: 07966 664379

BEAULIEU carpets Adventure Twist Athena Dublin Durham Twist Explorer Endurance Fashion/Gallery Grass Collection Heavy Tread Mars Motor Car Pronto Selections Sweet Homes Yucatan vinyls Arte Del Ceramic Celtic Stone - New Colours Chess Comfort Grip Jazz Sherwood Oak Studio Sonata Texalino Supreme Urban laminates Essentials (previously Casa) Cottage IVC Comfylux Extra Expressions Fantasy Fusion Master Grip Planet Precious Metals Presto Ultimate Oak Victoria MOHAWK CARPETS Century Collection - Century - Half Century Presidential Collection - Independence - Liberty - Freedom (4&5M) - Splendor MISCELLANEOUS CAVALIER Country Collection Hamlet Parish and Village LEIGH SPINNERS Atlas Velour THOMAS WITTER Innovations C&H Homestyle LVT - planks and tiles PARAGON Toccarre Carpet Tiles

We carry other products not listed above, and can also provide a swift special order service on non stock lines. Our reps and sales office would be pleased to answer all enquiries. Our last Price List is dated September/October 2011. 28

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

DID YOU KNOW? STS Flooring Distributors Ltd stock a large range of carpets and carpet tiles via our 5 depots ORPINGTON • CROYDON • WATFORD • CAMBRIDGE • OXFORD (THAME) 08454 341000 08454 342000 01954 781142 01844 213555

NEXT DAY DELIVERY STS GOLDLINE STOCK CARPETS Abbey Twist 30/40 Aston Twist Bernwood Twist Bernwood Supreme Bernwood Heather Supreme Blenheim Twist 40 Blenheim Twist 50 Cherwell Cord Chislehurst Fairfield Supreme Gladiator Supreme Harrier Felt Harrier Gel Heathdale Magnum Gel Medicare Multicare Classic New Valley Twist Orinoco Opus Twist Ravensbury Twist 32/40/50 Scala Supersava Elite BALTA STOCK CARPETS Gala Cord New Shepherd Twist EDEL TELENZO Fleur Hercules Orinoco Puma

PRICE LIST DATE JULY 2011 LANO STOCK CARPETS Bolero Chislehurst Fairfield Supreme Heather Twist Supreme Pembridge Twist Sapphire Scala Startwist Startwist Supreme CORMAR STOCK CARPETS Apollo Berwick 40/50 Forest Hills Malabar Textures Natural Berber Twist New Oaklands 32/42/50 Primo Delight Primo Plus Primo Tweeds Primo Ultra Town & Country BEAULIEU INTERNATIONAL Bellini Dublin Elite Ranger FIBRE BONDED Ecocord Supacord

CARPET STOCK TILES Ascot Beckenham Cheltenham Clipper II Croydon Croydon Stripe Heuga 727 Keston Latour Saturn Selsdon STOCK UNDERLAYS Blue Heaven Cirrus Cloud Nine Contract Cloud Nine Super Contract Cosi 8mm & 10mm Cumulus Durafit 500 Durafit 650 Goldtred Collection Heatflow Collection Nimbus Willow Green Roma Silver Lining STS Express 8mm Tredaire Elite Treadmore

STS Area Managers Regional Manager Rachel Sherwood 07801 762724 Area Manager Dave Lowman 07500 847758 Area Manager - Retail Phaedra Duncan 07738 329714 North/East London, Berkshire, Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middlesex, Northants, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

Steve Osman 07919 128401 Essex, Cambs, Suffolk, Norfolk

Paul Jones 07801 762719 Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bristol & Birmingham

Paul Jeffery 07717 218024 South/East London, Kent, E Sussex

Sales Area Managers Dana Baldock 07801 762725 South/East London, Kent, E Sussex, Part Essex

Mirka Mihulcova 07500 847566 South/West London, W Sussex, Berks, Hants, Surrey

Vicky Langley 07962 646847 Surrey, W Sussex, Hants, Berks, South/West London

Weston Hammer UK 16/17 Byford Court Hadleigh IP7 6RD Tel: +44 (0)845 644 9090 Fax:+44 (0)845 644 9191 info@westonhammer.com www.weston-carpets.co.uk

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our latest display stand showing all our collection on one compact unit. If you are interested in having one of our free stands please contact our Sales Office or your local Sales Agent. Jacs Designer tonal loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths. Natural Lines Super luxurious 100% Wool loop pile available in 4m and 5m widths. Tunis A heavy domestic berber loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths. Queen Tweed A fine heavy domestic berber loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths. Denver A stylish heavy domestic tonal loop pile in 100% Wool, available in 4m and 5m widths. Oklahoma A heavy domestic berber loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths.

Supreme Stripe A heavy domestic tonal stripe in 100% Wool loop pile. Supreme Boucle Our best selling level loop 100% Wool product available in 12 up to the minute colours in both 4m and 5m widths.

Imperial Boucle A heavy domestic loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths.

Las Vegas A chunky luxurious loop pile in 100% Wool available in 4m and 5m widths. Royal Velour A luxurious velour in 80% Wool/20% Nylon in 5m wide. Sisal Boucle and Sisal Berber Natural fibre textured loop pile ranges in two styles. The Stone Fibre Collection Our unique flat woven quality in many fashion styles and colours available in 4m and 5m widths. Orlando A chunky loop quality with a thick latex backing for a luxurious feel.

Bespoke Design carpet from Hammer Carpets You may not have heard of them but Hammer Carpets in Denmark are the worlds largest manufacturer of Colortec bespoke design carpets in the world. Colortec is a state of the art tufting machine that uses computer controlled technology to manufacture any design in a maximum of 8 colours. This tried and tested manufacturing method is up to 10 times faster than Axminster and exactly replicates the appearance, unlike a printed design carpet. If you would like more details of this type of carpet and to find out how competitive and easy to use it can be then please call your Sales Agent or our Sales office who will be happy to help.

OUR UK SALES TEAM Mr Ron Fewery Tel: 07976 244892 London, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire. Mr Steve Acton Tel: 07957 836207 Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset. Mrs Jac Hayman Tel: 07815 785801 Contract Sales East Anglia. Mr Gary Foster Tel: 07515 283872 East Anglia, Northamptonshire.

Mr John Hinchliffe Tel: 07774 990359 North Wales, Cumbria, Manchester, Liverpool. Mr Derek Boyd Tel: 07940 320708 Scotland. Mr Lee Palmer Tel: 07774 101640 Channel Islands. Mr Jonathan Gorman Tel: 07815 121660 Northern Ireland.

Mr Mark Garbett Tel: 07840 664757 Bristol & the West Country. Mr Steve Fletcher Tel: 07831 818989 Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Tyneside. Mr Keith Stevens Tel: 07710 160166 Midlands & South Wales.

Please visit our website at www.weston-carpets.co.uk for online cutting requests and more information on our products, or telephone 0845 644 9090 (local rate) to speak to one of our telephone sales team

THE STOCKLISTS October 2011

FlooringNews

3 October 2011

& HARROGATE REPORT

You had to be there! The Harrogate show brought out the best in our business this year – innovation, flair and determination to succeed in a challenging market. After one of the most exciting events for years, it continues to baffle me and, many others, why every retailer with legs doesn’t make it a priority to turn up. Fortunately for the organisers and exhibitors, the audience was up a little up on last year with more than 3,000 visitors. Their attendance was amply rewarded with a superbly presented show brimming with interest and ideas. The event marked a new maturity in ‘intelligent marketing’ for the flooring sector with carefully considered product launches, smart branding and a focus on a few, stronger propositions rather than the blitz of range re-vamps that were a feature of happier times (not that those times were necessarily recognised as such back then!) continued overleaf

Show commentary by David Spragg

The complete Harrogate news service • Harrogate Flooring Show Report . . . . . . . . . . . 31 - 32 • Feature: The new wool pretenders . . . . . . . . . 41 - 42 • Company reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 - 49 MORE NEXT MONTH

• Colour and design trends at Harrogate • More company reports

from The Stocklists

October 2011 31

Show report The show was remarkable for its professionalism, its breadth and for the quality of its highlights. The roll forward of Regency’s Carefree range was secured with the launch of Elegance, taking polypropylene to new levels of sophistication. Abingdon impressed with a new 3-ply Stainfree Twist and Saxony and Associated Weavers responded with Stainguard Saxony with a quality and density that looks like a best seller. Kingsmead and Georgian launched a whole new product group with their innovation of the man-made Wolltec fibre using a “can’t believe it’s not butter” style of campaign that is going to be the talk of the trade while real wool prices remain sky-high (see also page 40). Then there was the first chance to see what all the fuss was about when Crown, the UK’s newest carpet company, launched into the market in a major initiative by the Balta Broadloom group.

“e show was remarkable for its professionalism, its breadth and for the quality of its highlights”

Some other newcomers were also worth a closer look as they are on track to become significant names in the industry in the near future. TAT carpets from Turkey and F&X from China both have the ambition and resources to become major players. In the vinyl sector, adore and Super-click are ready to make serious impacts with their competing easy-lay, click technologies while newcomer J2 Flooring is keeping it simple with s smart range of hand-scraped and aged wood decors.

Carpets & Flooring unveiled one of the best - and certainly most integrated - POS systems the market has seen with their store-in-store stands. And for something completely different, was Vorwerk’s UK debut of their Esprit Home Islands - the clingy freeform carpet tile system that is a real in-store eye-catcher. “I think this show will go down as a tremendous success,” says Peter Kimmins of Georgian Carpets. “The level of interest all around and the quality of leads for exhibitors has been exceptional this year.” With considerable justification, organiser David Wildman was delighted with the event after he re-launched the show in 2010. “This second year has really reflected the breadth and diversity that is the modern flooring industry. “Exhibitors had invested more than ever in making their presentations to visitors as exciting and interesting as possible and it has paid off with good business and a great time for everyone,” he said. Sales reps will spend the months ahead showing retailers their new products in the comfort of their own stores, but being at Harrogate to talk to the top people, compare the products side-by-side, see the POS laid out and feel the buzz of a business that is weathering the storm is well worth the fuel or fare to get to Harrogate. Next month, we report on colour and design trends at Harrogate.

32 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 33

Show report An indication of the value placed on the new Harrogate Flooring Show is shown by the increasing quality of the stands that exhibitors invest in. This year’s event had some of the best displays visitors can remember and organisers were more challenged than usual to present their awards. The stunning Mohawk stand (pictured left) was the worthy winner in the over 50m2 category while Ball & Young’s new showcase stand (below) was the winner in the under 50m2 class. Distinctive Flooring (bottom left) won the best shell scheme award.

Making a stand! Exhibitionists! David Wildman (left) and Wendy Adams (2nd rright) of the Harrogate Flooring show are pictured with the Mohawk team: Howard Lindsay, Beth Chandler and Michel Vermette. David and Wendy are pictured below with Ann Shaw of Ball & Young.

Such was the quality of the exhibition stands this year that the organisers also awarded ‘Highly Commended’ to Whitestone Weavers (below) and to Cavalio (bottom).

“We could have given a dozen awards this year so can I at least offer a massive thank you to all the exhibitors who made this such a good looking show” David Wildman, organiser

34 October 2011

FlooringNews

carpet with a twist

Castle Twist Essence 40 & 50oz, 4 & 5m widths.

T 01827 831434 F 01827 831435 sales@manxcarpets.co.uk

14 restful shades that is the essence of fashionable carpet. A restful and contemporary look can easily be created using any of the colour palette, which makes up this range and will complement any of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modern interiors.

For more range information, visit www.manxcarpets.co.uk from The Stocklists

October 2011 35

Show reviews Abingdon Abingdon are on a roll with their major consumer campaign now launched and TV ads due to start next month, the company went one better at Harrogate with the launch of a superb Stainfree Twist and Saxony in 3-ply. “This is a major first for polypropylene,” said Martin Peace of Abingdon. “It is very different – not only do you get more performance, you get more texture and colour. People still want beige and they’re reluctant to buy pattern,” said Martin. “The 3-ply yarn gives us the opportunity to use more colour in each carpet.” The British-made range received a hugely positive response from retailers to make Abingdon one of the busiest stands at the show. Abingdon’s Jane Ashton is pictured left showing the new product to a visitor. T 01274 655662 www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Associated Weavers Associated Weavers has a well structured portfolio of products for the current market conditions and aims to offer retailers products they can really sell well. Their focus at Harrogate was on the new Stainguard Saxony, a tighter, denser pile in 14 colours and multi-widths that comes with a 10-year wear guarantee and 10-year Stainaway warranty. “This has been a real winner,” said AW’s Steve Elliott. Always full of ideas, AW also gave a sneak preview of their major initiative in retail store dressing with stunning showcase images on mounted on canvas up to 5.5 metres wide (pictured right). The company has already piloted the idea with a few selected retailers and received a fantastic response. The display can be customised for individual retailers with local branding. They’ll be a full report in the next issue of The Stocklists. T 01422 431100 www.associatedweavers.net

“In these gloomy days, we wanted the industry to feel good about itself” F Ball F Ball celebrated in style at Harrogate to mark their 125-year anniversary. A champagne reception in the sumptuous Royal Hall received a massive attendance of over 300 guests – a tribute to the esteem in which the company is held, as well as the fine quality of the champagne. “We were delighted with the response,” said Richard Harris. “In these gloomy times, we wanted the industry to feel good about itself and I think we succeeded. Of course, there’s nothing old fashioned about a 125-year-old company! F Ball took the opportunity to launch their smart phone app which has put their acclaimed Recommended Adhesives Guide in the palm of the hand of installers to check out 5000 products from 200 flooring companies onsite (pictured right with Richard). The company also launched StopGap Fast Track 30 – a smoothing underlayment that allows foot traffic in just 30 minutes and floor bonding in 45. T 01538 361633 www.f-ball.co.uk

36 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 37

News Show reviews Carpenter Carpenter, one of the world’s largest producers of PU underlay, added a little bit of magic to the event. Magic is a new entry level product - a no-frills unbranded line allows stockists to market the underlay as their own and, with it being British made, reduces delivery time and costs. Suitable for general domestic, Magic is a polyurethane underlay with plain black laminate on both sides and is a 9mm 85kg/m3 density product. Said Helen Rowberry, national sales manager: “Magic represents terrific value-for-money as a budget line that comes with all the benefits of a Carpenter product.” Like all PU underlay, Magic, is lightweight making it much easier than rubber to carry – a growing appeal with fitters. It offers good heat insulation properties, is highly resilient, flame retardant and is suitable for stretch fit applications. T 01457 861141 www.carpenter.ltd.uk

Edel Telenzo Edel Telenzo is always innovating and with a new look stand at the show they came up with a new look product. The launch of Barbican generated a lot of attention – a tufted carpet with a distinctly woven feel. The carpet is a 2-ply 100% wool range that cleverly combines two-tone designs with stripes – a departure from the more common plains and stripes approach. “We were looking for something with a different feel and I think we have created something that is going to be a good seller,” said Lesley Inman (pictured left). The company also announced the addition of a 1m width to the 4 and 5m available in its highly popular Piccadilly and Bakerloo ranges of stripes. T 01422 374417 www.edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk

Lano Lano welcomed visitors to Harrogate with a stand delivering an impressive portfolio of products and many new innovations. “Our portfolio is becoming a broader proposition for retailers providing more depth and choice without compromising on value and quality,” commented Birger Karlsson, UK and Ireland sales manager. “The products on display at Harrogate just go to underline this and we have been delighted with the positive response we have received from retailers throughout the show.” With the Easy Care collection becoming established as a key range for the manufacturer, Lano Carpets introduced Heathertwist Design and Linea Deluxe using patterned designs to increase diversity of the popular collection. Heathertwist Design is based on the existing Heathertwist Supreme quality offering 10 colours with a graphic design in a Supreme 40oz cloth, while Linea Deluxe comes in six colours, available in a stripe design with matching plain colourways. Based on the successful Fairfield yarn, the carpet is available in a 35oz cloth. T 0032 5665 4000 www.lano.be

“e show has been a tremendous success this year with exceptional levels of quality all round” 38 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 39

News Show feature - the wool pretenders

Unnaturally good Necessity is the mother of invention and the current price chaos in the wool sector has led manufacturers to consider alternatives to wool as being absolutely necessary to encourage hard-pressed consumers to keep buying. With wool prices at a 25-year high and no signs of reduction or even stability in the near future, the carpet market is characterised by a glut of new 50/50 wool blends, a dearth of product launches in 100% wool and 80/20s and, now, the advance of specialised man-made fibres that seek to steal wool’s crown. Salesman are telling carpet retailers and consumers they can have their cake and eat it – wool look and feel with stain-free performance at a lower price. Harrogate was dominated by three such fibres – SmartStrand from Mohawk, new Elegance from Regency and Wolltec from Georgian and Kingsmead. And when a wool house like Georgian takes on a synthetic product with this much enthusiasm, you know that the market has undergone a structural change.

Mohawk Mohawk’s ground-breaking fibre SmartStrand is starting to be a major talking point in the carpet market. The bio-based content of the carpet reduces reliance on petrochemicals without adversely affecting its performance and as retailers discovered at this year’s show, compared to some alternatives, SmartStrand can improve softness, durability and ease of maintenance. “SmartStrand is proving itself as a carpet that offers a powerful blend of story, performance and value, and in a particularly tough market we are delighted with its reception and growing sales,” said Howard Lindsay. “SmartStrand is not only technically brilliant, it is also easy to live with and supremely soft making it a natural choice for consumers and hence an obvious one for retailers.” The carpet retails below 100% wool prices while still be able to make its claim as a ‘natural’ fibre. T 01480 479830 www.mohawkinternational.com

SmartStrand has been reported on extensively in recent months but only now is the full range of products coming to the UK market and the timing could not be more perfect for Mohawk. Unique amongst the wool alternatives, SmartStrand can actually claim to be a “natural” fibre as it is manufactured from DuPont’s Sorona renewably sourced polymer derived from corn sugar. The new Carefree Elegance range from Regency Carpets has been micro-engineered to show just how far a 2-ply polypropylene carpet can go to give a superb natural look and feel at a competitive price point and all with a 10-year wear and stand guarantee. Retailers were queuing up at Harrogate to take a look – and feel. “There is no better carpet at this show at this price,” says Neil Valentine of distributors Furlong to general agreement all round. Wolltec is the other new kid on the block and was launched with a major fanfare at the show by the two companies that have been given the fibre so far, Georgian and Kingsmead. “The scale of price increases in wool have been too great to absorb,” says Martin West of Kingsmead. “A vacuum has been created in the market between the price of a decent wool carpet and the price a consumer is willing to pay in this economy. “The retailer has the opportunity to trade customers up from a standard synthetic product or sell it on its benefits. Either way, we are seeking to help make sales that may otherwise have been lost,” says Martin who describes Wolltec as a new product group, not just a new product.

Georgian Georgian Carpets is buzzing with excitement over their involvement with the new Wolltec fibre (see panel) – a significant step for a business that is best known as a wool house and hasn’t had a synthetic fibre on the books for nearly ten years! “With our reputation, this fibre has to be very good indeed for us to get involved,” says Peter Kimmins (pictured left). “It is – and you’d have to be a real connoisseur to know the difference. I have never been so enthusiastic about a product launch.” Georgian is offering three ranges in Wolltec – a plains, a heather and a berber. The berber is a real breakthrough in PP and the company had a phenomenal reaction to the range at the show. But the company has not forgotten its roots and has revamped one of its 25 wool ranges, 80/20 Cathedral Twist with six new upmarket colours and added Rainbow Stripes, another 80/20, in eight colours. T 01827 831430 www.georgiancarpetsuk.co.uk 40 October 2011

FlooringNews

The wool challengers Four top companies take on wool with high-performance look-alike ranges Kingsmead Kingsmead joins Georgian in marketing new products with the Wolltec fibre and their man Martin West came up with the clever name for the product which he insists is pronounced “Woll” as in ‘troll” – but won’t be too surprised if the market gets used to a pronunciation closer to its natural rival! “The reaction we have had has been very, very enthusiastic,” says Martin. “This is a product that is not sold on price, it is sold on innovation – and this is a product retailers know they can sell.” Kingsmead are offering the three styles in Wolltec – Zephyr as the plain, Fremantle as the heather and Sirocco as the berber and all will be marketed at the same price. Each range has three weights with the top one equivalent to a 60 oz and there will be 12 colours in each – six unique to Kingsmead compared to the Georgian Wolltec offering. T 01827 831424 www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk

Wolltec is a patented process offered to the industry by a yarn spinner who saw his business declining as wool priced itself out of part of the market. The fibre blend is a closely guarded secret but it is spun in exactly the same manufacturing process as wool. The result is the visual appearance of a woollen twist pile carpet and the natural look of heather and berber twists – a first for man-made fibre.

Carefree from Regency Carefree Carpets from Regency focused on a single showstopper product to make an impact at Harrogate and they succeeded in style with the launch of Elegance. This range takes polypropylene to a new level with a luxurious 50oz 2-ply yarn which is carefully engineered to give an authentic natural look and feel. “As fibre costs rise elsewhere, we believe we have identified a gap in the market for affordable luxury. There is no better carpet than this at the show,” said Neil Valentine of distributors, Furlong (pictured above).

The Carefree stand was extremely busy throughout the 3-day exhibition with innovative new POS for the Elegance range catching the eye with its cleverly illuminated lecterns and strong graphics. Elegance is bleach cleanable and comes in 30 contemporary colours with non-fade technology and a free 10 year wear and stain warranty. T 01772 696787 www.carefreeElegance.co.uk

“We would rather be doing this than selling 50/50 blends,” said Peter Kimmins of Georgian Carpets. “There is no point coming in at the bottom end of the wool market – some of the current wool qualities are not good quality. “We are known for our wool blends but you have to be a connoisseur to tell the difference – it’s that good. Do you put this product in your wool department or with the synthetics – I’m not sure!” The economics are compelling. Take £10 of the price of a square metre of comparable wool carpet at the various weights and see if UK consumers can put aside their love affair with wool.

from The Stocklists

October 2011 41

Show report

News Kersaint Cobb The tropical beach bar built by Kersaint Cobb in the heart of the Harrogate exhibition had a full set of bongos out front. “We are banging the drum for natural flooring,” said Mike Richardson, a man to be taken seriously despite his loud Hawaiin shirt! The reason for the noise was the launch of the DuoLiving Collection, a European engineering oak plank in eight colours which has the extra appeal of being available in two widths to allow more interesting assymetric installations. While Kersaint Cobb is also known for their sisal, jute, coir and wool products, wood is 60% of their business and is gaining momentum. “We are getting more serious about wood and offering a full service including care products,” says Mike. T 01675 430 430 www.kersaintcobb.co.uk

Novostrat Novostrat is going for gold with the introduction of a lighter weight option alongside its class-leading Sonic Gold brand – underlay products for wood and laminate floors with a gold vapour control barrier. The new product is Comfort Gold, an economical product that is half the weight of Sonic Gold but with the same 200mm film overlap making it ideal for new concrete floors. Novostrat’s Tony Taibi commented: “We are completing the portfolio with options that suit all budgets but having said that, we have seen the market performing more strongly this year.” The products are all manufactured in Limerick, Ireland, using polyethylene foam for excellent noise reduction and impact resistance. T 0035 361 339287 www.novostrat-insulation.com

Vorwerk Vorwerk attracted lots of interest with Esprit Home Islands – a concept that breaks boundaries in how consumers interact with the floor through interlocking tiles that can be lifted and moved at whim. It also raises the bar in terms of in-store presentation, using the brand recognition of of Esprit to full effect. On view for the first time at Harrogate, the POS display houses ‘carry home’ packs of Home Islands with each box containing eight tiles, enough to cover 1.5m2 of floor. “Esprit Home Islands is new to the industry and the concept certainly takes an adjustment in the way we think about flooring,” commented Ian Hammond, sales director UK Vorwerk, “but Harrogate underlined to us that retailers are looking for fresh inputs into the positioning of their store and aligning themselves with a premium lifestyle brand is an obvious way of appealing to a new market of style conscious purchasers.” T 0207 096 5090 www.vorwerk-carpets.com

Ecovise Ecovise is launching later this year an exceptional and unique range of 100% natural wool woven BioCarpets that are likely to make a major impact at the top end of the market for their beauty, quality and uncompromising environmental credentials. The impressive range of Natural Plains, Bio Stripes and contemporary axminster Eco Designs are created from a palette of six natural wool colours – no dyes are used. Also the BioCarpet has 100% woollen yarn woven with back yarn of cotton and jute and secured with natural rubber latex. It is a natural advantage as the beautiful designs in subtle neutral tone colours are created with a conscience that it has minimal impact on the environment. “These are very special BioCarpets and they have a strong story to tell,” says Kamran Saeed of Ecovise. “We have been delighted with the high level of interest in them at the show.” T 07766 49 40 60 www.ecovise.co.uk 42 October 2011

FlooringNews

News Show report Ball & Young Ball & Young’s elegant new stand deservedly won one of Harrogate’s coveted awards and is a sign of the enthusiasm for progress at the underlay market leader. The company took the opportunity to launch Cloud 9 with felt. “This is a first for us,” said Ann Shaw. “We have been looking for new products with innovation and this is an excellent, lightweight alternative over comparable crumbbased products.” This “best-of-both-worlds product offers high performance noise reduction and thermal insulation. Another launch for Ball & Young is Acoustic Barrier – a response to the growing market for noise reduction layers, especially where wooden flooring is used in apartments. T 01536 200502 www.underlay.com

Tat Carpet Tat Carpet is a new force in the UK, offering seven ranges which are manufactured in Turkey in major production plants that have been growing rapidly since the launch of Tat Textile in 2007. Their star of the show at Harrogate was the striking hand carved designs which have become a strong seller since its launch. Each roll of carpet contains 1600 floral designs which have to be hand carved by Tat’s team of 60 specialists. The commitment to quality is total with one error in a flower causing the whole role to be discarded. T 07976 607657 www.tatcarpets.com

“is year’s show has demonstrated the breadth and diversity that is the modern flooring industry”

adore adore flooring is ready to roll-out one of the market’s most eagerly awaited new products – the adore touch system of glueless luxury vinyl tiles and planks with its unique click technology. “It has been a long wait but it will be worth it,” says adore’s Paul Brady. “This product will be a market leader and we have invested heavily in what we believe will be a very strong future.” adore touch is already a favourite around the world – especially for retail refurbishment where the high performance floor can be laid overnight for full traffic the next morning. The licensed Unilin click technology gives the easy-lay floor unrivalled stability. From one factory 18 months ago to a fourth opening next year, adore is marching forward and the 14 decors specially selected for the UK market are being distributed by the Headlam Group. T 01675 433075 www.adorefloors.com

44 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 45

Show report

News J2 Flooring J2 Flooring is a new company that used the Harrogate Flooring Show as the launch platform for its range of hand-scraped and aged timber designs in luxury vinyl flooring. The company is offering direct to retailers eight registered embossed hand-scraped decors and three aged timber effects. “We know retailers need more profit from these products and some of the major players can’t offer this or the the right level of service,” said Stephen Latham (left) of J2. “We aim to keep it simple. A top-end product at lower prices which consumers won’t find being sold on the internet,” he said. T 01704 536404

Stairrods Stairrods have formed an intriguing alliance with Scottish carpet maker Anta to market their high-end range of tartan stair runners with the Tudor stair rod – a unique, top quality 100% oak rod which is available in two stains and with seven metal finishes for the fittings. “This is a new idea for Stairrods and a logical joint marketing opportunity for two very high quality products that really complement one another,” said Jamie Adamson of Stairrods. Anta, based in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands, are offering 20 designs in 100% British Wool for runners. T 01207 591176 www.stairrods.co.uk

Avenue Avenue used the event to reinforce its growing reputation as a supplier focused on delivering quality independent retailers an arsenal of products designed to push forward the sector in both style and performance. With collections such as Ultimate Oak and Precious Metals, Avenue is carving a niche in a market previously dominated by less style sensitive products, while still retaining the ethos of excellent value and reliable performance at its core “Our stand at this year’s event just proves that we are continuing to push boundaries within the sector,” remarked Caroline Wille, product manager for the brand. “The Avenue name has a growing reputation among retailers for cushion floors that offer on-trend takes on popular themes, serving up something a little special and helping the brand to forge a serious standing among consumers looking for the very best in cushion floors.” T +32 56 65 32 11 www.ivcgroup.com

“We’re serving up something a little special and helping forge a serious standing among consumers” 46 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 47

News Show report “Trade ordering online means you can secure the order there and then - on a Saturday or Sunday ” Cormar Cormar reflected market trends with a set of launches that included a 50/50 wool blend and two polypropylene ranges. Glendale is a chunky texture, flecked sister product to the 50/50 Forest Hill launched in January and offers 12 natural tones while the Primo PP collection has added Primo Delight as a heavyweight saxony and Primo Plus as an easy-clean twist. But a key emphasis at Harrogate was on Cormar’s new online ordering system which has been developed online to offer class-leading functions for their trade customers. “This will change the way we do business with the retailer,” said David Cormack. “Ordering online with real-time stock updating means you can secure the order there and then – especially on a Saturday or Sunday.” The system updates every 30 seconds and can even suggest alternatives if a product is not available. Price calculation, delivery tracking and account management are all included in the capability. T 01204 881234 www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

H&V Carpets H&V Carpets made their debut at Harrogate after two years trading and received a warm welcome from retailers who remember many of the team from their days at the popular General Carpets. Director Johny Peeters said: “This has been a good introduction for us. We are new and a lot of people have been curious.” New launches at the show are typical of the competitive range of products available from H&V with Napoli, an attractive 3-tone , cut pile Saxony; Garda, a 2-ply polypropylene in three colours; and Hercules in six designs which reflects the increasing popularity of small pattern carpet. T 0032 51 32 0543

CRUK Carpet Recycling UK hosted a successful seminar at the Harrogate show and attracted lots of interest to their stand to generate support for their target of diverting 25% of carpet waste from landfill. CRUK is a not-for-profit membership association formed in 2009 and seeks to sign up manufacturers, retailers and recyclers into a network that can make a real difference – partners already include companies like Abingdon, Brintons, Brockway, Cormar, Mohawk, Penthouse and Vorwerk. So far their success has been substantial. Last year they worked with 14 manufacurers to divert 4,020 of waste and expanded the network of recycling centres from 16 to 27. By the end of 2011, CRUK hopes to have diverted 50,000 tonnes from landfill, estimated to be 12% of the total – and almost half way to their goal. T 0161 440 8325 48 October 2011

Matt Charlton and Megan Gaffney of Carpet Recycling UK.

www.carpetrecyclinguk.com

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 49

50 October 2011

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 51

Feature by David Spragg

The new Kidd in town While everyone has been wondering about the prospects of the biggest manufacturer in Kidderminster, the town’s smallest carpet company has been quietly building a new future right across the road. The Master Weaver operation took up residence opposite Brintons six months ago and is ready to roll out one of the most exciting propositions the high-end carpet industry has seen in years. It launches in earnest this month with a warehouse full of top quality axminsters and wiltons in British and New Zealand wool. “This initiative will pave the way for carpet manufacturing here in the near future,” says Slavko Radisa – the boss of Britain newest carpet company. Master Weaver is set to secure a prime niche in the market as a real UK producer of woven carpet. “You may think there could not be a worse time to launch a quality carpet company from scratch,” says Slavko. “This is a big, big challenge but I really feel it is the right time with the right product.” Slavko reckons he has found a gap in the market. The secret is stock. Major players don’t want the working capital burden of carrying substantial stock across their extensive portfolios and service can be sluggish. Customers can have to wait. Orders can be lost. “We will be all about stock and all about service. We have a huge range and we will be able to deliver it in five days”, says Slavko. Indeed, the starting position is very impressive with eight axminsters and six wiltons across a full portfolio of contemporary styles. “We have chosen colours and designs very carefully to suit the UK market. The quality is exceptional and the pricing is very attractive. We have the right formula,” says Slavko.

management buy-out in 2004. Now it’s a global business with an enviable track record of illustrious installations including Dubai’s 7-star Burj Al Arab, several Las Vegas casinos and Cunard liners. Crossley has been under-represented in the UK market – until now. Crossley’s can afford to take a long view and are funding substantial stock-holding in the UK with back up reserves in Durban, South Africa, that can be delivered into Kidderminster within three weeks. “We will concentrate on the domestic and small contract market by focusing on the retailer. We want to make a proper partnership with the independent network. We are proud to be a small, agile niche player,” says Slavko. Slavko has a long track record in quality carpet which includes 10 years with Carpets of Kidderminster, six as MD. He is aided and abetted by one of the industry’s best known and most knowledgeable – and likeable – sales agent, Tony Cook. Tony commented: “The industry has seen a lot of ideas come and go but they have never seen anything like this. A huge range of top quality carpet that is immediately available in so many styles and colours. “We’re ambitious and highly committed but overall we just want to work hard at what we think we’re good at – that’s understanding what the retailer wants and not keeping him or his customer waiting to get it!” he said.

The other secret of Master Weaver’s potential for success is the backing of the substantial Crossley Carpet company of South Africa, a leading player with a history that dates back to 1947 and includes a period of ownership by Ulster Carpets until a

“We will be all about stock - a huge range that we can deliver in five days”

Slavko Radisa (left) has launched the operation with carpet sales agent Tony Cook.

52 October 2011

Master Weaver is very serious about stock-holding and this Kidderminster warehouse is backed up by substantial storage in South Africa, ready to ship.

FlooringNews

News “You may think there could not be a worse time to launch a quality carpet company!”

Treasures Contrast in moss

Finishing touch Master Weaver is launching with an impressive portfolio of eight axminsters and six wiltons, designed for the UK market.

Wilton Chequers

Tarkett is a worldwide leader in the provision of flooring solutions and offers a range of accessories to add the perfect finishing touch to the look of any floor. Designed exclusively for the building industry, Tarkett’s accessories range is a complete package of solutions to ensure that you have the right product, for the right place and at the right price. Tarkett accessories can be used with all Tarkett heterogeneous and homogeneous vinyl and linoleum floorings. The range includes a wide variety of coordinating and contrasting colours and technical features, and is completed by Tarkett vinyl and linoleum welding rods. Tarkett’s professional quality adhesives, such as the new TarkoSpray, allow fast, efficient installation of new flooring. The aerosol spray ensures even coverage, while using up to 80% less glue than traditional trowel-applied adhesives. Welding can be done immediately and the finished floor is ready for use the same day. Tarkett stair profiles help to enhance and protect flooring on stairs, providing an additional level of safety and accessibility for users. Available in PVC and aluminium, they can be used to co-ordinate with the flooring or to act as a contrast for better visibility. They provide a tactile warning, alerting users to the presence of stairs, with slip-resistance as they descend. Tarkett also offers a wide range of wall bases for both technical and decorative purposes. Welded to the floorcovering and glued to the wall, Tarkett PVC skirtings create a seamless, watertight finish.

Marble Planet in straw Axminster Baroque Pindot

T 01562 754382

www.masterweaver.co.uk

from The Stocklists

A smooth passage from one floor type or height to another is important for safety and comfort, and for ease of use by people and wheeled traffic. Tarkett’s accessories range includes a wide choice of aluminium and PVC threshold and transition profiles in different sizes for use with all types of flooring. They provide an easy and efficient solution to eliminating abrupt variations in flooring thicknesses and creating a safer environment. With over 25 years of experience worldwide in wetroom design, Tarkett provides a complete solution including floor and wallcoverings, drains, etc. Tarkett wetrooms put users at the heart of the design process to offer a combination of well-being and practicality ideal for sectors such as sport, education, healthcare and aged care, as well as for people with physical impairment. T 01622 854040

www.tarkett-commercial.com

October 2011 53

News

Simple samples For fitters looking to offer customers high service levels, UK Flooring Direct provides a free sample service, with up to three specimens delivered straight to their doorstep free of charge. Ideal for customers unsure of their final selection, the sample service applies across all floor coverings offered by UK Flooring Direct including wood, laminate, carpet, vinyl, cork and bamboo. With quick despatch customers won’t have to wait long for their samples and with huge stocks available, fitters can be confident of speedy arrival of the chosen floor too. “With the cost and choice benefits of online retailing we have grown to become one of the UK’s most highly respected online flooring retailers and we have done this through maintaining excellent customer service levels,” comments Nick Waller, sales director, UK Flooring Direct. “The free sample service is testament to this and it enables fitters to suggest the site as a great place to find their floor. Fitters can be confident of great choice and quick delivery, meaning that customer expectations are upheld and that the recommendation will breed confidence.” T 0845 287 5623

www.ukflooringdirect.co.uk

Wood on a roll Kenton Floors Ltd, manufacturer of the premium wooden flooring range Woodpecker, is using transport specialist Rhys Davies Freight Logistics to deliver its products to customers across the United Kingdom. RDFL carry out daily collections from Kenton’s factory in Caerphilly, Gary Phillips of Rhys Davies South Wales for next-day delivery to appointed retailers, carpet suppliers, and professional flooring installers. Orders placed online by Kenton before 3.00 pm are collected that day. One of the key reasons Kenton Floors chose Rhys Davies as its logistics partner was the way they charge for oversize pallets and their ability to deal with additional loose items.

Innovations in Dubai Four business units of Balta Group - Balta Rugs, Balta Broadloom, ITC and Domo Floorcoverings – presented their new collections during Domotex Middle East in Dubai. Balta Broadloom showed a wide range of newly developed Stainsafe twists with unique multicolour textures such as Elite Twist and the Heritage Heathers collection available in two weights. Heartbreaker is Balta's latest innovation in shag pile. This luxurious range (1.750 gr/m2) is made from 70% polypropylene and 30% fine polyester and is finished on Balta's newest backing called 'Duotex'. Carpet fitters really love this new backing as it is combining the benefits of a woven actionbac and a soft felt backing. Heartbreaker is available in 8 refined mottled colours. With a touch of class, Sandringham is Balta's new generation face-to-face woven wilton with a wide variety of traditional refined patterns in subtle colours. ITC, the specialist for contract and domestic carpet made from polyamide, presented an innovative product portfolio with the option to add any individual design produced with latest Chromojet technology. Chromojet is a printing system using high speed valves which are computer controlled. The pre-mixed pressurized spot colours are injected with high precision deep into the face of the pile without any machine parts touching the fabric. This method results in deepest colour penetration and excellent print definition. T +32 5662 2316 54 October 2011

www.baltagroup.com

Jonathan Evans, Kenton Floors Warehouse Manager explained, “Our boxes are about 2m long which equates to about oneand-a-half pallets. Other carriers we spoke to calculate their charges on a two pallet basis, so we would have been paying for space we weren’t using. Rhys Davies only charges for the space we use which offers us a saving.” “We also need to send loose items with our pallets which a normal pallet network would not be able to cope with. These can be up to 3m long and because they’re carried off the pallet they can easily get lost. Rhys Davies has the flexibility to be able to handle this and make sure everything arrives safely.” Gary Phillips, Rhys Davies’ Commercial Manager said, “Carrying separate items is always tricky, but it’s vital to Kenton’s business so we make sure our drivers are trained to handle them. Items like skirting boards for example need to be matched up with the right delivery and there is no room for mistakes.” Another reason for Kenton Floors choosing Rhys Davies is the company’s commitment to high levels of service, which is in line its own ethical and service driven approach to business. Jonathan Evans continued, “100% performance from everyone 100% of the time is of course is not humanly possible, but it is what we are constantly striving for. The team at Rhys Davies understand that, they are very reliable and always make that extra effort when it’s needed.” T 029 2081 0587

www.rhysdavies.co.uk

FlooringNews

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* The site takes a bit longer to set up if you already have a website or address. A Floorsite from The Stocklists costs £390 for the set-up and the first year – and £90 per year thereafter (exc. VAT). Check out what your site would look like at www.thestocklists.com/floorsites or contact David Spragg at davidspragg@thestocklists.com or call 01845 573241.

NO OBLIGATION ‘TEST DRIVE’...

We set up your site free-of-charge for a month. If you don’t like it, you don’t pay. There’s nothing to lose! from The Stocklists

October 2011 55

Flower on Flooring News News Something for everyone With the wealth of variety offered by rug suppliers, flooring retailers have every opportunity to source the option that best suits their customers’ requirements. When times are tough, delivering good customer service is more important than ever to maintain loyalty. The stores that offer a choice of rugs, in addition to their other floor coverings, have another opportunity to prove their value to the customer, assisting them to make the best purchase for their needs and providing valuable add-on sales. The suppliers of rugs are continuing to provide retailers with an extensive choice of new options to maintain interest and attract attention. Among the many examples of these is Saif Carpets, which reports that it supplies its handmade product to both the wholesale trade and the bespoke market, where it works closely with special retailers and designers. The company uses its ARS colour reference system, offering this option within its entire range of hand knotted, handloom and hand tufted rugs and fitted carpets. These are available in New Zealand wool, certified 100% viscose and silk yarn.

British Sheepskins Black Magic from Axminster

The company is equally inventive in its promotional efforts, choosing a “surprising setting” as a background to illustrate its new collection. The range was photographed within Eindhoven, the Dutch city of design. Designer Piet Hein Eek has converted a former Philips factory into a contemporary commercial building, retaining many of the original architectural features and providing an original setting for Brink & Campman’s rugs to be photographed.

Saif Carpets uses the ARS colour referencing system

The company states its ARS initiative is the world’s leading colour referencing system, including 4151 shades used by the carpet and textile industry in wool, cotton and viscose. It includes 1800 wool shades, 1020 viscose and 1331 shades in cotton. Colour boxes are customised to clients’ requirements, including branding with their company name. ARS has a presence in 45 countries around the world. Brink & Campman states that its focus remains on seeking novelties and using new techniques and points to its loop-pile quality Icon, with highly elaborate print designs, and its flat-woven quality Gusto, consisting of prime yarns in felted wool that has been space-dyed, to illustrate its efforts in these areas. The company states that its highly creative approach was responsible for the development of its latest new collection, launched last month at the Harrogate Flooring Show.

56 October 2011

Richard Lawrence, Axminster Carpets group head of marketing, says the company’s Sheepskins example is enjoying growing success: “There are few rugs that possess such an inviting quality as a beautiful natural sheepskin. In fact, such is the luxury and softness of an Axminster Sheepskin that they can even be used as throws, making them a highly versatile element of interior design,” he says. Whether used on their own or sewn together to create a large area rug, they are available in 18 colours, with three natural tones and 15 contemporary shades, including fuchsia and flame red. “Upholding our natural, British and beautiful philosophy, Axminster Sheepskin Rugs can be sewn together to a maximum 10 skin combination for a real statement piece. What better way to make a natural statement of style in the home?” he concludes. Asiatic retains its reputation as one of the most innovative rug suppliers by launching a regular flow of product, with Elise, Grosvenor and Hawaii included within its latest examples. The bold floral designs of Elise, available in sizes of 120 x 180cm and 160 x 230cm, complement those of Hawaii, available in the same sizes but with the additional option of 200 x 290cm for the latter.

“When times are tough, delivering good customer service is more important than ever to maintain loyalty.” FlooringNews

by Dennis Flower Both are hand tufted, using 100 per cent wool – made in India and China respectively. Grosvenor is made from a mixture of 60 per cent wool and 40 per cent viscose pile, in colours of Gold, Ivory, Smoke and Taupe. Further new product has been introduced in the form of the Ikat and Lila collections, both hand tufted using 100 per cent wool pile. The company’s hand felted rugs continue to prove popular, the latest example of which is Soul, available in 120 x 170cm and 160 x 230cm sizes. Origin Red Rugs also displayed new product at last month’s Harrogate event. It specialises in polypropylene, acrylic handtufted and polysilk rugs, and introduced four new designs of acrylic in the latest fashion colours together with an old favourite in polypropylene. Parent company, Origin Red Group, works with many of the leading homeware retailers in the UK and Ireland, conducting extensive research on design trends and colours. Stripes, large florals, textures and organic colours with plum and teal accents will remain popular into 2012, it says. Meanwhile the market remains for traditional designs such as Origin Red's relaunched Classique Collection. Says June Leask of Origin Red: "Over the past couple of years we have consistently launched new collections in the latest designs and colours. Our new collections this month are further confirmation that we are at the forefront of product development in our market.” Graduated Shaggy Chocolate from Asiatic

retailers respond to industry issues

In the dumps? Carpet disposal costs rise as landfill gets full. Can we recycle our way out of trouble? With 420,000 tonnes of UK carpet waste produced annually, disposal has become a big issue - landfill sites are reaching the limit of their capacity and the cost of waste management is climbing. These pressures are building at a bad time for the industry when margins are under the most pressure and cost reduction is essential. Do you support the push towards greater recyclability of carpet? Are your customers prepared to pay for disposal of their old floorcovering? – and, if so, how much? Is free disposal an issue among competitiors – so should the trade agree a standard charge? And is the industry doing enough to promote sustainability to customers – or have environmental issues been sidelined in the current market turmoil. Tell us what you think and join the debate...

The online survey takes less than four minutes and it’s anonymous and doesn’t need any form filling. Please help us inform the industry. Visit www.thestocklists.com and click on the survey banner to take part.

Flooring Forum Join our panel The Forum is the platform for retailers to respond to trade issues and inform the industry about the problems and opportunities they face on the High Street.

For more information about featured products: Saif Carpets • www.saifcarpets.com • 0208 922 9604 Axminster • www.axminstercarpets.co.uk • 01297 32244 Asiatic • www.asiatic.co.uk • 020 8800 2000

from The Stocklists

You can join our online survey panel and you’ll be invited every two months to contribute your views - it’s anonymous so you can say exactly what you think. To join the panel, visit www.thestocklists.com and click on the Online sign-up button.

October 2011 57

News

Taking a tilt Tilt Leisure Club, the destination venue in Shipley, West Yorkshire is now benefitting from the style and performance of Concept Wood PUR resilient flooring from Itec Contract Floors. Featuring throughout the main access area, walkways, bar front and pool table area, Concept Wood PUR provides the venue with a striking wood décor with the low maintenance advantages of resilient flooring: “Concept Wood PUR is a great looking product that is easy to maintain,” said Martin Stott, Stott Flooring, the contractor responsible for the installation. “The floor represents fantastic value for the client and we had no hesitation in recommending its specification.” Some 150 square metres of Concept Wood was installed in the venue, with the PUR surface treatment helping to minimise maintenance requirements and providing additional stain protection for the floor, while Natural Feel technology enhances the natural appearance of the décor. Rated R10 slip resistant, the floor is available in two and four-metre widths. Suitable for use in demanding environments, such as Tilt Leisure Club, which are looking for a hardwearing and easy to maintain floor that is still attractive, Concept Wood is Class 34 rated. Concept Wood PUR is available in 19 super realistic wood decors and is backed with a 10-year warranty for commercial use. T 0032 5665 3211

www.ivcgroup.com

Record rounds The Furnishing Industry Trust (FIT) received over £5000 from Harrison Spinks’ recordbreaking annual golf day. The tournament, which has been running since the early 1940’s, was held on June 22 at the prestigious Sandmoore Golf Club in Leeds and had the best turnout to date with 96 entrants – 40% up from last year. Each year Harrison Spinks Family Bedmakers organise the golf tournament to play for the Somnus Golf Trophy, originally presented to mark the centenary of the firm. Various competitions were held throughout the day bringing together suppliers, customers and employees to raise much needed funds for FIT, the industry’s only dedicated charity. Overall winner of this year’s Somnus Trophy, scoring 38 points, was Roddy McFarlane from And So To Bed. Paul Schofield from Sleepzone took the runner up prize and the overall team winners were Brian Green, David Trickett, Andrew Trickett and Mark Stocks from MPT Group. Said Charles Kerrigan, chief executive of FIT: “We’re delighted the tournament was so well supported and raised such a good amount for those that work, or have worked, in the industry that need financial help in difficult times.” Next year’s tournament has been booked for Wednesday 20th June 2012 www.fi-trust.co.uk

Seeing red The 11th Red Carpet Awards, organised and run by the Carpet Foundation, took place recently at Claridge’s. Yet again there was a superb turn out with 154 journalists and representatives from the Carpet Foundation, manufacturers and supporting buying groups in attendance. The panel of judges included, for the first time, the well-known interior designer Sophie Conran and Vanessa Brady, President of the Society of British Interior Designers together with Sunday Times columnist and interior designer, Andrea Maflin, editor john Smigielski and Louise Anton. It was another exceptional year editorially with a plethora of coverage in magazines and the standard of entries for the judging panel was exceptionally high. This year saw two new awards Best Wool carpet article, sponsored by the British Wool Marketing Board on behalf of the Campaign for Wool and Best Work by a freelance. As ever, the event was compared by Carpet Foundation spokesperson Rupert Anton who said: “If ever people wanted proof that we are the pro-active interface between the carpet industry and the media, this is it! We punch well above our weight in terms of the column inches given over to carpet throughout the year. “The Awards have transformed how carpet is viewed and covered in the press. With a fragile economy and soft housing market it is all the more important that we as an industry continue to promote ourselves and keep carpet in the public domain. “ T 01562 747 359 www.carpetfoundation.com 58 October 2011

Rupert Anton with Clare Gogarty, editor of Coast.

FlooringNews

from The Stocklists

October 2011 59

News

Retro wool-rich Celebrating the revival of the all things cool Britannia with music, fashion, film, art, design, and dance from the 1920s to the 1980s the Vintage at Southbank festival proved a runaway success. As part of the three-day festival that took place in July, BBC Homes and Antiques magazine asked Axminster Carpets to provide the carpet for its Mad Men inspired room set created for Foyles to sell classic fiction and art books during the event. The recreation of a 1950s study, featuring classic period pieces, such as a Matisse print, ladderex shelving and Axminster’s Devonia Plains in Cornfield which complemented the grey wallpaper for a truly vintage colour combination. “When we looked at flooring for the stand, we wanted something that reflected the spirit of the vintage festival and all that is great about British design and manufacturing, and Axminster Carpets fitted that perfectly,” says Kiera Buckley-Jones, stylist, Homes and Antiques Magazine. “The combination of British manufacturing excellence, history and a great range of traditional and contemporary carpets meant that Axminster Carpets ticked all the right boxes. Devonia Plains has a great range of colours and we were able to get the exact right shade we needed.” With a recently refreshed colour palette wool-rich Devonia Plains now comes in 60 colours, with everything from on-trend vintage shades such as Cornfield to contemporary tones and a range of natural and neutral colours. Available in four and five-metre widths, Devonia Plains comes in 40oz Heavy Domestic and 50oz Extra Heavy Domestic qualities for use anywhere in the home. T 01297 630650 www.axminstercarpets.co.uk

Star quality Cavalio is delighted to have recently supplied product from its flooring range for home improvement series 60 Minute Makeover, ITV1’s popular daily interior design show that is packed with amazing surprise makeovers. The programme airs on weekdays, from 2 - 3pm, and features input from star interior designers including Sophie Robinson, Ann Hazell and Linda Barker. The flooring supplied was the Smoked Wood design from Cavalio’s Clic range. This glorious grained effect plank features a gorgeous and contemporary lighter finish that complements many of today’s colour palettes. Clic can be laid directly onto floors with minimal preparation and brings together the advantages of two distinct types of floor covering to form a stunning – and extremely durable – floating floor. Featuring sound-absorbing cork underlay, UNICLIC glue-less HDF assembly system and eye-catching LVT surface textures, Clic effortlessly combines functionality and design. The large variety of PU coated finishes, including many wood grains as well as marble and slate effects, make Clic suitable for use in most areas around the home especially those that get heavy traffic and wear. The construction of its 305mm x 915mm planks and cork underlay make for very effective sound insulation in direct comparison with a wooden floor. Competitively priced at retail, Cavalio’s Clic also offers the consumer great value for money as well as style. The show will be aired towards the end of the year – schedule details will be available on the Cavalio website as soon as they are available.

Cash in your cards F. Ball and Co. Ltd. is offering members of its Contractor Loyalty Card Scheme an extra 10% cash back on purchases of its newly launched Stopgap Fast-Track 30 Rapid Set, Rapid Dry Smoothing Underlayment for a limited period from 1 September to 31 December 2011. This offer is in addition to the existing 2.5% cash back on all F. Ball products for Loyalty Card Scheme members – giving a total of 12.5% cash back on Stopgap Fast-Track 30. What’s more, Loyalty Card members can also be in with a chance of winning two free tickets to a Rugby Six Nations match of their choice by entering the monthly ‘Spot the Ball’ contractor competition. As well as receiving up to 12.5% cash back on F. Ball’s products, Loyalty Card members can also enter exclusive competitions, such as the monthly ‘Spot the Ball’ competition. Accessible through the F. Ball Rewards website, www.fballrewards.co.uk, each month the competition offers Loyalty Card members the chance to win two tickets to a Rugby Six Nations match of their choice in February or March 2012. Open to all flooring contractors, F. Ball Loyalty Card membership is free-of-charge. Application forms are available from F. Ball wholesalers, through their website or by phone. Once registered, contractors will receive a personal loyalty card and details allowing access to a members-only website at www.f-ballrewards.co.uk. T 01538 361633 www.f-ball.co.uk

T 01782 569840 www.cavaliofloors.com 60 October 2011

FlooringNews

The British Wool column Wool Week Wool Week gathered a greater momentum this year with more retailers joining the Campaign for Wool and using all manner of activity to build interest in their wool products. There was activity in most well-known central London stores – Harrods, Harvey Nichols, John Lewis, Selfridges, Libertys, all led with big window and in-store displays. Many held events and all profiled wool product in prime positions. There was also activity across the UK by John Lewis and stores such as Jigsaw who took the theme to heart by bringing sheep into the store and using wool sacks and ceramic sheep as eye catching displays. There was a very strong display of wool at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre which is the largest centre for interior design in Europe. They represented wool in a large installation piece which included carpets, rugs and upholstery. Offering pathways to various stores within the Centre which stocked wool products. Wool Week at Chelsea Harbour

Roll out the red carpet ...by Brintons The beautiful red carpet that HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall walked down at the launch event was made by Brintons in the United Kingdom. Taking a design from Erdem – in case you do not know, he is the designer of the moment – and is a floral red design in British Wool.

“It is fantastic to see the growing support from the retail world in promoting wool, the event helps to market their wool ranges and is building greater consumer understanding of the fibre,” said Ian Hartley, CEO of the British Wool Marketing Board.

“It is fantastic to see the growing support from the retail world in promoting wool, the event helps to market their wool ranges and is building greater consumer understanding of the fibre.”

Wool Modern – A gala opening Wool Modern – an exhibition to offer a vision of wool in the 21st Century is a flag flying exercise for the whole wool industry. Whilst there is very little carpet in the independently curated exhibition – many of the pieces are by some of the world’s best known designers, Galliano rubbed shoulders with Vivienne Westwood and Yves St. Laurent. Fashion and glamour do sell trends and trends filter from fashion through to interiors. Opened by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, they were greeted by Colin Firth (the actor so loved by the ladies for his romantic leads in many films), Vivienne Westwood attended as did others of the fashion world.

The Prince was delighted with this lift in the image rankings for wool and in his speech, further committed his support for the campaign. Can wool carpet benefit from all of this? Manufacturers pondered on this when they attended a gathering held in London to enable them to visit this exhibition. It is a little beyond the world of a carpet store – and many questioned the relevance of it to the ordinary consumer choosing a carpet. Bridgette Kelly of the British Wool Marketing Board comments, “I think we have to take a lesson from the fashion industry – no catwalk ever contains the clothing that appears in store later in the season and yet every fashion store avidly watches activity on it. Adapting the look to suit their customer is a natural process that will follow. “The magazines look to hot seasonal trends – they tailor their features to what is current and reflected there. Most stylists and interior designers will pick up on these – they will later appear in the magazines that inspire our consumers and they in turn will create rooms and homes that reflect what they have seen. It is a subtle chain of activity that should not be undermined and inevitably it is all led by the world of fashion.”

HRH at Launch of Wool Modern. L-R: Vivienne Westwood, Colin Firth and his wife Livia, HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

from The Stocklists

October 2011 61

Business News

Cormar warns on wool British carpet manufacturer, Cormar Carpets, made an appearance on BBC Breakfast as the news channel investigated the effects of rising British wool prices. Looking into the problems it was causing in the industry, the programme spoke to David Cormack, marketing director of Cormar Carpets. He said: “Everyone within the woollen carpet industry is experiencing the problems associated with the rising costs of wool. As a result of the increases we have seen woollen yarn prices increase dramatically and at the moment there are no signs of prices coming down.” The BBC report, which aired on Tuesday September 6, said that wool prices are now at their highest level in 25 years. The principal reasons for the escalating costs are the increase in global demand for wool and falling supply, due to a reduction in sheep numbers in both the UK and New Zealand. It also said this was having a knock on effect with many UK yarn spinners who rely on wool, seeing a slow down in sales and production. As part of the report, a BBC crew filmed at Cormar’s Holme Mill tufting production unit in Lancashire and interviewed David Cormack. He told BBC reporter, Jenny Hill: “As a British manufacturer, we really want to support British Wool but because of the increase of cost to the business we’ve had to look at producing alternative products to offer more choice for our retailers and consumers.”

To view the BBC report online, visit www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14802419

All Cormar’s wool and polypropylene carpets are produced at its two Lancashire mills. T 01204 881234 www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

Vinyl for Victoria

Contemporary Life rescue fails

Victoria Carpets has made a major move into smooth flooring with the £400,000 acquisition of C&H Distribution..

Top quality carpet company Contemporary Life ceased trading in September after a rescue bid for the Blackburn-business failed.

Victoria said the acquisition, which is funded from its cash resources, is expected to enhance earnings in its first full year of ownership.

MD Steve Evans said: “It is very sad that our proposal to re-form the company and move forward positively has, at the eleventh hour, come to nothing. “ While immediate prospects look bleak, Mr Evans hopes there may be some future if new investors can be found. “Contemporary Life was a labour of love for me and it would be a great shame if a fresh and exciting brand such as this were to disappear,” he said.

Alan Bullock, Victoria’s Group managing director, said: “C&H is an important step towards achieving our stated objective of becoming the leading high quality flooring supplier in both Australasia and the UK. “For a modest outlay, it gives Victoria an immediate and significant entry into the luxury vinyl flooring market, a segment of the market which offers both higher margin and excellent growth potential.” Brian, Tony and Julian Horner have built the business up in both domestic and contract markets and their hard work has seen a rapid expansion. In June 2010, the company moved to new premises which increased their warehousing to 90,000m2 of stock. Flagship products inclide the Trafalgar range of 9* x 48* deep embossed natural grain wood decors and the Earthtone range of natural stone designs.

The company has been notable for bringing uncompromising quality and fashion-led carpets to market including the launch of the fine twist Contemporary Style range designed by Annabel Alton, the Urban Life collection and, most recently, the revolutionary new ‘rope’ velvet range Solar which had attracted many accolades. The difficulties at the company were exacerbated by the demise of Renewal Carpet Tiles company in August which shared the Mill Hill site - the former home of Duttons Carpets.

T 01562 749300 www.victoriacarpets.com

Tough out there 294 companies in the UK Floor Coverings industry are following a strategy that has led them into a blind alley and they must change quickly or risk disappearing altogether. David Pattison, author of the new Plimsoll Analysis explains, “It’s undoubtedly tough out there with demand still subdued and costs rising all the time. With too many companies chasing too little market, many are finding it difficult to pass on rising costs to customers. As a result we have seen profitability fall with average margins in the market now down to 0%”. There are currently 114 companies in the industry that are struggling for growth. These companies need to “change strategy, wake up and sacrifice some of their profits on finding new growth as they are in danger of being left behind,” says Pattison. 62 October 2011

250 other companies in the UK market are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are growing at a pace way beyond the rest of the market, but they are doing so at the expense of profitability. Many of these companies could be accused of “overtrading”, he says. Finally, there are 294 companies for whom the strategy for the next 12 months is mere survival or rescue via a takeover. These companies have high debts as a percentage of sales at 29%, are averaging profit margins of -3% and are often seeing sales fall. These companies need to downsize their operations, focus solely on the profitable parts of their business and work at making a profit or the end is nigh. Some will attract buyers to rescue them but others won’t be so lucky. T 01642 626400

www.plimsoll.co.uk

FlooringNews

Business News Feature

Brintons back from the brink £40m buy-out secures future but ends era of 228 years' family ownership The uncertain future of Brintons has finally been resolved with a £40m buy-out by US private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Michael Brinton - the sixth generation of the family to run the business since 1783 - has stepped down as a director. The US investment settles £20m of debt at the Kidderminster-based business while a further £20m is promised for future development. Don Coates, the managing director appointed in January this year, told The Stocklists: "This is the best deal possible for all concerned. Without it, the company faced a short and bleak future.” He has said no jobs will be lost as a result of the deal and that the company remains committed to the UK. The deal secures 700 jobs in Kidderminster and Telford and another 1,000 jobs around the world including its manufacturing plants in India and Portugal. The investment will allow Brintons to commission its new, advanced factory in China. Technically, a company called 'Brintons Carpets Limited' has been created by Carlyle and this new company has bought out the former 'Brintons Limited' from administration. The Carlyle Group is the world's third largest asset manager. Ian Jackson, Director at Carlyle, said: “We are delighted to invest in Brintons, a global brand with a long heritage that is recognised for its quality, design and unique technology to facilitate international expansion and enable the company to reach its full potential.”

Brintons’ MD Don Coates talks to The Stocklists about the rescue and the company’s new future...

“

The process of looking for an investor started in January after all other options had been considered and it became apparent that the company urgently required external investment. We had over 30 expressions of interest and we went through them all to get the best deal possible for all concerned. Without it, the company faced a short and bleak future. Emotions don’t pay bills, but is it sad that the chain of family involvement has been broken after all these years? It has obviously been an emotional time for some of the Brintons family but when it became apparent that external investment was urgently needed to keep the company going many were realistic and understood that this was the only way forward. The reality is that without this deal we could not have continued as a viable company. Has Brintons been communicating with its customers enough during all this uncertainty? Throughout the process we have kept staff and shareholders informed of what is going on and customers around the world were told of developments at the earliest opportunity. All our teams have been talking to our customers and suppliers across the globe. Why was The Carlyle Group the right partner? We had over 30 expressions of interest and we went through them all to get the best deal possible. Brintons, is a global brand with a long heritage which is recognised for its design excellence, quality and durability. Carlyle has a strong track record of managing and investing in companies in this position.

“Without this deal, the company faced a short and bleak future”

from The Stocklists

What will be Brintons’ main objective now? With the investment we are getting, we will be able to continue to offer our carpets across the globe. Our factory in China will allow us to fully service growing Asia Pacific markets as well as the West Coast of America more effectively. We recently introduced market changing High Definition Weave technology that allows us to use 24 colours in our weave instead of 12 so we continue to differentiate through our design capability. How important is the UK market? Over 42% of our business comes from the UK and Europe so this region is fundamental to our success. Brintons has built an iconic brand that has a reputation for design excellence and high quality. We are a strong supporter of the British Wool and will continue to use high quality raw materials.

“

How close to the edge did Brintons get? Investment in the company was needed to ensure our long-term future because of the precarious financial position we found ourself in due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the global economic recession. If we had not taken this action the company would not have been able to continue trading.

“This will facilitate international expansion and enable the company to reach its full potential” is Brintons committed to manufacturing in the UK? No jobs will be lost as a result of this deal being signed. British wool is vital to our business (the wool from one in six British sheep is used in the production of our carpets). In these turbulent economic times no one can give guarantees to their staff but this deal allows Brintons to consolidate its position as a global leader in both commercial and residential carpet manufacturing. How important is the new factory in China? The factory in China is built and is the first LEED accredited axminster factory in the world. We expect it to be up and running by next year which will allow us to fully service growing Asia Pacific markets as well as the West Coast of America.

October 2011 63

64 October 2011

FlooringNews

News

To boldly go Adam Carpets are continuing to invest in their portfolio. They have extended their popular Castlemead Velvet Stripe range by seven new colours. These colours have been researched and developed to co-ordinate with the most fashionable fabrics in today's market, once again offering customers outstanding value and choice. Sales Director, Eamonn Prescott said “These seven new bold and exciting colours once more show Adam Carpets are leading the industry in design and innovation”. T 01562 829966

www.adamcarpets.com

DVD of discovery Axminster Carpets is famed for the production of beautiful woven carpets and now it is revealing the story behind its success in a new DVD.

FIT escapes prison The Furnishing Industry Trust (FIT) has ‘escaped’ prison with £1,700! On high alert, 45 people from across the industry attended FIT’s ‘Lunch at the Clink’ fundraising event on August 24 at The Clink restaurant located within HMP High Down high security prison in Sutton, Surrey. The first and only commercial restaurant to be built inside a working prison, the award-winning eaterie offers inmates a chance to gain qualifications and experience to help them find employment when released. All chefs and waiters at the restaurant are current prisoners and the restaurant furniture is made within prison walls. Said FIT director and trustee Nigel Blake: “It was a fantastic event and as a brand new fundraiser for FIT, we’re delighted with the amount raised! It was certainly an experience to remember and due to its success, we’re looking to run ‘Lunch at the Clink’ again” www.fi-trust.co.uk

With increased interest in wool products and consumers becoming more concerned with the origin of products that they buy, the timely DVD presents the entire carpet production process, charting each aspect that goes to make UK made carpets from Axminster among the best in the industry. From the arrival of raw fleeces, through spinning and dyeing and upon the loom, the DVD gives a fascinating insight for both the uninitiated consumer and experienced retailer alike. Recording the production of woven carpets on the Devon site, the DVD also takes viewers on a voyage to Ireland to see tufted carpet production, as well as exploring the manufacturer’s acclaimed Axfelt underlay production that sees Axminster Carpets’ repurpose much of its carpet production waste. “Few consumers really appreciate the time and care that goes into making beautiful carpets and we hope that this DVD will go someway in making that a thing of the past,” says Richard Lawrence, Head of Marketing, Axminster Carpets. “We feel that with a clearer understanding of how carpet is made, viewers will appreciate the dedication and attention to detail that goes to make the unmistakable quality of Axminster Carpets.” The DVD will be available in a full-length version for retailers and training purposes, and an edited format for individual consumers. Contact the company to get your free copy. T 01297 630650 www.axminstercarpets.co.uk

Scratch competition British carpet manufacturer Heckmondwike FB is pleased to announce its first major winner of its Magic Carpet competition. Mark Blanchard from Variety Carpets in Luton was lucky enough to scratch off his three wishes to reveal the top-prize of a £5,000 holiday voucher. The competition, which launched in April has had carpet contractors gripped as they receive one scratch card for every purchase of Supacord bought through their local distributor with a chance to win anything from holiday vouchers to laser distance measures. Mark said; “I never seem to win anything, so it was such a real shock when I realised I had the winning card. I am an avid fan of the Supacord range – as it has so many product benefits and suits so many different environments – but I’m going to love it even more now! With 4 children to entertain, the vouchers will give us a holiday of a lifetime.” Heckmondwike FB marketing manager Abby Chandler adds: “The Magic Carpet Supacord competition has been really successful for us. We’ve currently had over 20 winners and it seems to have created a real buzz. There are 8 more winners of the £400 holiday vouchers and laser distance measures out there, so I wish everyone.” T 01924 406161

www.heckmondwike-fb.co.uk

from The Stocklists

October 2011 65

News

Take it back Support for waste carpet take-back schemes that divert material from landfill for recycling is growing with research suggesting around three-quarters of retailers’ customers would pay for this service, reports Carpet Recycling UK.

The CRUK team (L to R): Matt Charlton, Marie Rhodes, Jane Gardner, Megan Gaffney and Laurance Bird, CRUK Director.

The industry’s carpet recycling body revealed at the Harrogate Flooring Show that of the 472 Carpet Foundation members surveyed, 74% of their customers would pay for removal of carpet waste by their retailer. “This high figure is very encouraging and would be a significant help in diverting greater waste carpet volumes from landfill,” commented Jane Gardner of Axion Consulting, which manages the industry-backed association for recycling and reusing carpet. Having expanded our UK-wide specialist recycler network from six to 24 in the last two years, retailers can find an alternative, costsaving disposal route to landfill. Retailers are an important part of the supply chain and participating in take-back schemes offers a number of benefits. “Diverting carpet waste from landfill helps retailers to increase their environmental credentials and save on waste disposal costs, while further enhancing their service to customers,” she added. CRUK welcomed more than 100 visitors to its stand and more than 50 delegates to its seminar throughout the three-day show, which also attracted nearly 30 new membership enquiries. The 14 Carpet Recycling UK carpet manufacturing members taking responsibility for end of life waste products are Abingdon, Balsan, Brintons, Brockway, Cormar, Desso, Ege, Forbo, J & J Invision, Milliken, Mohawk, Penthouse, Quadrant and Vorwerk. Latest CRUK figures reveal 42,000 tonnes of carpet waste - 10% of the 420,000 tonnes of carpet waste arising each year - were diverted from landfill in 2010. This is a 60% increase in landfill diversion of the material compared to 2009. CRUK’s 2011 targets include diverting 50,000 tonnes (12%) from landfill and increasing recycling outlets to 40 across the UK, conducting further collection trials and attracting additional funding to support technical work on end market development for carpet waste. T 0161 440 8325

www.carpetrecyclinguk.com

Alan ends illustrious career

Domotex self styles

Alan Jones-Bratt, one of the industry’s best known figures, has retired after a career of 54 years in the trade which has included Royal recognition and wool innovation.

The international floor covering industry will gather from 14 to 17 January 2012 at Domotex Hannover to showcase design trends in carpets, home textiles, resilient floor coverings, parquet and laminates in an exciting display.

Alan’s first position was in retail for Hill & Long Ltd. West Bromwich whom he joined straight from school in 1957.

The desire to be different, to express one’s individuality at many levels is one of the big contemporary trends. This trend is particularly evident in interior design. Dr. Andreas Gruchow, of Domotex explains: “People pursue the aim of self-realisation by creating their own individual style, and this is especially evident within their own homes. That is why we are calling the central theme of Domotex 2012 Customized Living.”

He has held senior positions in both retail and manufacturing but retires as the Director of Operations in the UK for the Swiss based manufacturer Tisca Tiara, a position he has held for10 years.

Alan and HRH Prince Andrew Duke of York at the BWMB Awards (2004).

Alan acheived wide recognition through his own company Concept Manufacturing Carpet Co. Ltd. where he created and developed the Jacob Velvet collection of natural chemical free carpets, winning an International quality award in 2004 organized by The British Wool Marketing Board, presented by HRH Prince Andrew. “I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere thanks to all my customers who have given me such tremendous and loyal support over the years, also to the many friends made in the industry,” said Alan. “My wife and I now look forward to just relaxing and to a less stressful future!” In retirement Alan intends to learn how to play the “frustrating game of golf ” He is also a season ticket holder for West Bromwich Albion, his home town club which he has supported since going to his first ever game in 1948.

“Carpets and floor coverings offer almost unlimited design opportunities”, says Gruchow. “Today, customers not only have a wide choice of materials, colours and designs – they can also find more companies offering customized products. The customer has a greater say in colour and design now, and this leads to the creation of unique flooring that matches the personal lifestyle and tastes of the client.” Customized Living is a concept that can be applied to every product segment represented at Domotex. The design options are endless – silk or wool, traditional patterns or futuristic modern design, vibrant colours or subtle hues, modern carpets woven to customer specifications or carpets and carpet tiles arrayed in different colour combinations and shapes. It is easier than ever to achieve an individual, stylish effect. Laminate flooring, designer vinyls and other modern materials also lend themselves to a wide range of styles. Similarly, wood, stone, ceramic and cork floors are attractive and versatile. New materials and products open up a host of imaginative and daring solutions, while parquet flooring remains hugely popular and versatile. No wooden floor is identical – the wide choice of different woods, colours and types of wooden flooring allows for unusual combinations and designs that suit diverse styles and enable the realization of original, customized directions in interior design. www.domotex.de

66 October 2011

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