Seamless supply from Flooring Hut

Flooring Hut is exploring the possibilities of a groundbreaking online platform, offering customers an effortless and comprehensive experience for selecting, purchasing, and fitting carpets and flooring. This innovative service could set a new standard for the industry, making the process of acquiring and installing flooring and quality carpets easier and more accessible than ever before.

With a diverse range of flooring options, including carpets, vinyl, laminate, hardwood, and luxury vinyl tiles, Flooring Hut empowers customers to explore an extensive collection of high-quality products from the comfort of their own homes.

"Our mission has always been to provide exceptional flooring solutions with unparalleled convenience," said Paul Brewster, CEO of Flooring Hut. "By introducing a technology-led online supply and fit service in the future, we aim to transform the traditional flooring purchase experience, offering our valued customers a seamless and hassle-free journey from selection to installation.” Paul continues, “our aim is to move the industry on from what we see as increasingly antiquated bricks and mortar business model.”

The Flooring Hut website would boast a new intuitive and user-friendly interface, allowing customers to browse through a wide array of flooring designs, colours, and specifications. Detailed product descriptions, highresolution images, and innovative virtual room visualisers will enable customers to envision how their chosen flooring will complement their spaces.

As part of this transformative service, Flooring Hut would provide a convenient measurement and estimation guide. Customers can confidently measure their rooms or provide room dimensions, and advanced tools will calculate the required flooring materials accurately.

For those seeking professional installation services, Flooring Hut will deliver a seamless coordination process. Whether potentially utilising their own skilled team of installers or partnering with trusted local contractors, the company will guarantee a top-notch and efficient installation experience.

T 01903 377027 www.flooringhut.co.uk

Sad loss of John O'Connell

John O'Connell, Ball & Young area sales manager has died after an illustrious 22-year career at the firm where he was so highly respected and much loved across the flooring trade.

“It is with deep sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved colleague and friend,” said Ball & Young MD Ann Shaw. “John, often affectionately referred to as ‘Our John,’ was an exceptional individual with the biggest heart, and his presence made a lasting impact on all of us.

“Throughout his career, John proved to be more than just a salesman; he was a versatile and capable individual who could handle various responsibilities with unmatched skill. From managing office tasks to creating and delivering products, there was nothing that John couldn't accomplish. He was always ready to lend a helping hand to his colleagues and went above and beyond to ensure the utmost care and satisfaction for our valued customers,” said Ann.

“John's dedication to his work and the people around him was truly unparalleled. He not only excelled in his professional life but also showed genuine care and concern for his colleagues and customers alike. His kindness, warmth, and ability to connect with others will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

“At this difficult time, we extend our heartfelt condolences and support to his partner, Caroline, and their four children, as well as the rest of his family. We recognize the profound loss they are experiencing, and our thoughts and prayers are with them during this challenging period of grief,” added Ann.

“As a company, we will forever cherish the memories he created with us and the impact he had on our lives. John's dedication, passion, and positive spirit will continue to inspire us, and his memory will remain alive in our hearts.”

T 01536 200502 www.underlay.com

Lion’s share of FloorSkills Day

Lion Floor took part in the FloorSkills Open Day, as Europe’s largest independent flooring training centre welcomed flooring installers for a day of demonstrations and tour of newly extended facilities.

Independent training centre, FloorSkills, uses Lion Floor in training bays when resilient flooring installation is being taught and assessed. As part of this partnership, FloorSkills spent a good deal of time independently testing Lion Floor so that it could recommend it as an alternative to BS compliant plywood for use beneath sheet vinyl and LVT floors.

At the FloorSkills Open Day, Lion Floor joined manufacturers from right across the industry to demonstrate the ease of fitting and installation reliability that it provides to fitters and installers in attendance.

Peter Jones, managing director, Finnish Fibreboard (UK) Ltd, “We’re delighted to be able to support FloorSkills and the country’s next generation of installers with our hardboard that is designed to meet the unique demands of floorcovering installation."

With a construction that eliminates core gaps and overlaps commonly found in plywood, Lion is denser and more rigid, yet just as easy to install. It can be cut cleanly with a knife or saw and comes pre-conditioned to eliminate wetting before installation. Lion Floor is fixed with ring shank nails and FloorSkills has proven it compatible with many popular screeds and feather compounds.

Lion Floor is made in Finland from wood by-products making it one of the most environmentally friendly boards produced. The wood by-product used is also sourced locally and from legally managed sustainable PEFC forests.

The first hardboard panel to be designed and manufactured specifically for the flooring industry, Lion Floor is also one of a very small number of fabricated underlays which can be used for LVT and other resilient floor coverings that meets British Standards and CFA guidance.

T +358 (0)20 110 3300 www.finfib.fi

Record sales of £1.46bn for bullish Victoria

For the first time in the company's history, the total volume of flooring sold by Victoria plc in 2023 exceeded 200 million square metres (more than 29,500 football fields), generating record revenues of £1.46 billion.

Those revenues for the financial year ended 1 April 2023 were 43% up on the 2022 figures with EBITDA profits up 20% to £196m. Free cashflow doubled to £71m but net debt also increased significantly to £658m from £407m in 2022.

Victoria executive chairman Geoff Wilding commented:

"Victoria benefits greatly from being in a long-duration, steady growth industry that will drive compounding organic growth for decades. After making two-dozen careful acquisitions over the last 10 years we have now achieved a scale that, once we have completed the current integration projects, will result in higher productivity, more efficient logistics, wider distribution, and lower input costs than almost all our competitors."

The company said it was confident of a "sharp increase in earnings" in 2024 when it has completed all its acquisition integration tasks.

Victoria was due to announce its final results on August 15 but says auditors have requested further time to complete their final audit procedures.

To help keep investors informed, Victoria decided to announce key numbers from its preliminary unaudited results for the year ended 1 April 2023.

Condor expands with Hartex buyout

Europe's biggest carpet manufacturer Condor Group is expanding still further with the buyout of Hartex BV from bankruptcy.

Condor will take over the assets and most of the personnel of the Blokzijlbased Hartex in Holland which is a leading international producer of high-quality woven wall-to-wall carpet. The deal also includes the related Intercarpet bv in Aalten.

Both parties have already been working together for many years, meaning Condor Group is familiar with the Blokzijl business. Condor Group will continue the woven product portfolio under the familiar Intercarpet name.

Condor's statement said: "This acquisition gives Condor Group many options to expand its activities in the field of woven carpets. Furthermore, synergies arising from the group will be maximally utilised, while the recently installed multifunctional and sustainable (gasless) coating line offers many possibilities for evolving towards fully circular carpeting consisting solely of mono-material."

Rising flooring inflation bucks downwards trend

Retail price inflation in the flooring industry continues to buck the falling trend in the consumer prices index with another significant rise of almost 1% in July.

Latest data from the Office for National for National Statistics (ONS) said the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) saw another welcome slowdown, rising by 6.8% in the 12 months to July 2023, compared to 7.9% in June. But while the furniture sector also recorded a drop to 5.6% inflation in July compared to 5.9% the previous month, the rate of retail price increases in floorcoverings continues to accelerate - up to 9.9% from 9.1% in June.

Headlam warns on weak residential market

The recovery in the residential flooring market is going to take longer than expected says top distributor Headlam as they issued a profits warning to investors at the end of July. In a trading statement covering the six months to June 2023, Headlam said residential trading volumes were down nearly 7% on 2022.

"Recent residential trading volumes are weaker than expectations, with recovery now expected to take place over a more prolonged period. Rolling 12-month volumes are around 20% lower than 2019," said the company's statement.

Nevertheless, the value of Headlam's sales in the first half of this year were 2.5% up on 2022, helped by a strong performance by larger customers and its trade counter roll-out which were up 26% and 9% respectively.

"Gross margin and profit in H1 2023 were also impacted by a reduction in manufacturer led price increases and increased operating costs versus H1 2022," says Headlam. "Combined people and energy costs were up almost £5 million in H1 2023 against H1 2022 due to inflationary pressures, despite headcount being reduced in line with volume reduction during the period.

"Underlying profit before tax in H1 2023 was therefore lower at £6 million (H1 2022: £17 million), which also reflects strategic related investment to support future growth" said the statement.

Headlam announced that "the Company's underlying profit before tax for the year will be significantly below current market expectations" but said it was well-positioned to increase revenues and broaden its market presence.

Strategic investment is expected to total £6 million for the year, of which over half is in relation to the trade counter roll-out to support its growth to a £200 million business unit.

Karndean reports UK sales growth

Major LVT manufacturer Karndean has reported sales growth in the UK of nearly 4% in 2022 with a strong performance following the bounce-back after the pandemic.

In the latest files accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022, Karndean's UK sales rose 3.9% to £95.8m from £92.2m. However EU revenues decreased to £13.1m from £15.3m.

For the business overall, sales revenue reached £110.4m and pre-tax profit were £16.6m for 2022 (£15.6m in 2021).

Major UK flooring retailer, Colourbank, is inviting retailers into a franchise partnership to create a powerful new force in flooring, with access to highly competitive pricing and a full support package.