Shares in the U.K's largest floorcoverings distributor fell to their lowest level in over seven months on Thursday after it had earlier said it was taking steps to address a reduction in gross margin.

National floorcoverings distributor TradeChoice Carpet & Flooring will expand its depot network by half this year, starting with a new facility opening next month.

International floorcoverings supplier Victoria has moved its registered headquarters to the company's purpose-built 185,000sqft distribution and administration centre at Worcester.

Losses widened at fast-expanding floorcoverings distributor Likewise Group last year despite top line gains driven by acquisition and organic growth from a larger market presence.

U.K. importers continued to buy in less carpet in March as both the value and volume of goods arriving at British ports fell again, new figures show.

National retailer Tapi Carpets & Floors has launched a programme of eco-friendly carpets manufactured from recycled polyester and plans to add further sustainable smooth flooring options in the near future.

Connection Retail, the group behind brands including Flooring Superstore and Direct Wood Flooring, has restructured its cost base after a year in which it incurred a seven-figure deficit.

The longtime private equity backer of Brintons says it has successfully negotiated revised debt covenants with the banking syndicate that lends to the group, shoring up the historic carpet maker's finances.

Flooring group Victoria says the laying off of hundreds of workers at Balta plants in Belgium and the shift of production to factories here and in Turkey will deliver synergy gains of no less than €15 million per year.

A multi-showroom London floorcoverings company has put creditors on alert after it filed a notice of intent to appoint an administrator (NOI).

The value of carpet imports into the U.K. was flat in February as higher prices compensated for a double-digit decline in volumes.

Heritage carpet industry supplier Bonar Yarns has been placed into administration but restructuring advisors say they remain hopeful of finding a buyer for the business as a going concern.

The company behind the Burmatex carpets brand deleveraged through 2022, a year that saw it make top and bottom line gains.

Flooring wholesaler Likewise Group has taken possession of its 47,000sqft high bay distribution centre in Glasgow ahead of it becoming fully operational later this spring.

A South East floorcoverings supplier filed a second notice of intent to appoint an administrator on Tuesday as stakeholders closed in on an apparent restructure.

The year-on-year value of carpets imported into the U.K. declined 4.3 percent in January, a first drop in monetary terms since the summer of last year.

A second straight period of growth helped North West flooring manufacturer Penthouse Carpets to last year achieve its highest sales since the financial crash of 2008.

A North West flooring and wall tile company has folded with seven-figure debts after a late 2020 company voluntary arrangement (CVA) agreement with creditors failed to complete.

A Walthamstow flooring company has folded leaving more than a dozen carpet, wood and vinyl suppliers owed five-and-six-figure sums.

The Carpet Foundation, the manufacturer-funded body that promotes carpet generically in the U.K., is to undertake a new burst of consumer advertising after the success of a similar campaign last year.

Martin Peace, an until-now near constant presence at major carpet supplier Abingdon Flooring in the decades before and after it became part of the Victoria group, has retired.

A three-year programme to consolidate factory space will save Axminster Carpets a seven-figure sum annually and rightsize the business for the future, its owners have said.

Victoria-owned Balta is proposing the transfer of wall-to-wall carpet production from Belgium to the U.K., citing challenges being able to make products profitably in its homeland.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest floorcoverings supplier, said all of its European flooring categories experienced significant volume declines in the fourth quarter as customers cut back spending.

U.K. importers bought 12 million sqm of carpets and rugs into the country in December as volume growth returned after four straight year-on-year declines.

Flooring conglomerate Karndean has acquired Dutch Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) contemporary mFLOR International in a deal that bolsters its presence in mainland Europe.

Staffordshire floorcoverings group Brookvale grew profits last year as revenue climbed by nearly a third across its regional distribution network.

The three largest regional distributors of a Staffordshire based floorcoverings and flooring supplies wholesale group operating across England, Scotland and Wales all delivered big growth last year.

Calverts Carpets booked record profits for the second straight year after the regional floorcoverings retailer achieved its highest sales in over a decade.

Former DFS chief marketing and commercial officer Toni Wood has taken another C-suite role in the U.K. furnishings sector after joining Headlam Group as chief customer officer.

U.K. importers bought 13.1 million square metres (sqm) of carpet into the country in November as volumes declined for the fourth month in a row.

Mears Flooring, one of the best-run privately-owned companies in the floorcoverings sector, maintained its double-digit net margin amid profitable growth last year.

A leading rug and mat manufacturer and distributor that has historically sold through retailers such as John Lewis and Dunelm invested and maintained high profits last year on underlying growth.

The combined book value of rug wholesaler Asiatic Carpets and its co-owned property companies climbed by almost £10 million last year as profits increased and real estate was revalued upwards.

High profits and an upwards property revaluation boosted the diversified company that combines running a handful of Frank's The Flooring Store units in the North East with a caravan parks business.

A four-fold rise in profits and higher sales helped bolster the finances of the group behind the Brockway Carpets and Grosvenor Wilton brands, accounts public Friday morning revealed.

The value of carpet imported into the U.K. climbed for the second straight month in October but volumes continued to slide.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest flooring company, found top and bottom line growth at its largest U.K. business unit last year as it integrated the buyout of a Cambridgeshire wholesaler.

Revenue continued to trend upwards for Likewise Group during mid–late autumn as growth accelerated for the floorcoverings supplier through October and November.

Flooring conglomerate Victoria posted a stronger top and bottom line in the six months to October 1, 2022 but saw cash levels decline as a result of debt pay-down, acquisitions, capex and an operating cash outflow.

Major flooring producer Ulster Carpets says it will sacrifice short-term profits as it builds capacity with heavy investment at its factories across the U.K.

The cost of living crisis is suppressing demand for floorcoverings among U.K. consumers according to wholesale giant Headlam, but it said gains elsewhere would aid profits.

North West flooring manufacturer Bronte Carpets has decided to wind down operations, calling time on 40 years in business amid challenging trading conditions.

Flooring wholesale group Headlam has recruited from outside the home sector for its new chief financial officer, bringing an eight-month recruitment process to a close.

The value of carpet imports into the U.K. rose for the first time in four months in September as higher prices countered a continuing slide in volumes.

A strong dollar and tough trading in Europe impacted flooring conglomerate Mohawk Industries in the third quarter, with customers putting off non-essential spend and price rises struggling to keep pace with inflation.

Likewise Group said the war in Ukraine, political instability in the U.K. and a particular hot summer will result in profit being below expectations when it reports full year numbers for 2022.

The value of carpet imports into the U.K. declined to its lowest level since December 2021 after volumes fell by almost a fifth in the latest chronicled month, according to new figures.

A longtime investor in diversified flooring manufacturer and distributor Victoria now owns more than a fifth of the company after it upped its stake in the business on Wednesday.

A floorcoverings company that used to work with one-time major home furnishings independent Alan Ward is expanding with the launch of a second retail and trade showroom.

National retailer Tapi Carpets & Floors has booked inaugural profits on the back of wider margins and top line growth, with it targeting further gains this year despite the weakening market.

National floorcoverings distributor Carpet & Flooring, which operates a dozen depots across the country, has rebranded the business to give itself a more distinct and targeted name.

The U.K. arm of Belgian carpet maker Associated Weavers (AW) will look to make faster deliveries to customers here once a new warehousing facility opens early next year.

The group behind the contract floorcoverings brands Heckmondwike Carpets and Paragon Carpet Tiles bolstered its balance sheet after a year in which profits climbed on wider margins and higher sales.

U.K. arm of Scandinavian hardwood floorcoverings manufacturer expects low growth amid uncertainty from the global recovery from the pandemic.

High U.K. demand post lockdown super-charged a return to profit for luxury vinyl tile (LVT) supplier Amtico as the Coventry company closed in on a decade under the ownership of U.S. flooring giant Mannington Mills.

Likewise Group, the challenger flooring distributor that has been buying up companies and building infrastructure to take on larger rivals, says demand has continued to be strong through late summer and into the autumn.

Privately-owned South East England floorcoverings wholesaler STS booked higher profits last year on wider gross margin and rising sales.

Balta Group will soon be no more. The Belgian flooring conglomerate is changing its corporate name to Belysse Group with the switch to be approved at an Extraordinary General Meeting next month.

The value of carpet and smooth floorcoverings manufacturer and distributor Victoria has moved erratically in the past few days, rising by more than £100 million before a steep decline.

The quantity of carpets imported into the U.K. fell for a sixth straight month in July as strong data from the Netherlands was outweighed by weaker figures from Belgium and Turkey.

Cavalier Carpets, one of the U.K.'s largest privately-owned flooring manufacturers and distributors, reinvested profits as the company bounced back strongly from the impact of the pandemic.

Higher prices helped Belgian carpet maker Associated Weavers (AW) achieve double-digit sales growth in the U.K. last year, though it sold fewer square metres of product in the process.

Narrower gross margin contributed to profits falling at the Karndean flooring group last year despite revenue jumping by the equivalent of about £74 million.

Airea, the parent company to contract floorcoverings brand Burmatex, has hired experienced home goods retail official Mederic Payne as its chief executive officer.

Volumes climbed sharply among tufted carpet manufacturers last year while production of woven carpets was flat despite lapping restrictions from the previous year.

The quantity of carpets imported into the U.K. fell for the fifth month in a row in June with high product price inflation not enough to send the total value above the same period last year.

Listed flooring group Victoria has spent more in share buybacks in the past week than in the entirety of last year as it seeks to take advantage of a perceived undervaluation in its share price.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has had a profound impact on the supply of engineered wood flooring according to a major U.K. supplier with worldwide sales north of £53 million.

The company behind smooth floorcoverings ecommerce brand Luxury Flooring & Furnishings has agreed a multi-year delivery contract with XPO Logistics.

Carpet yarn spinner Lawton Yarns agreed a six-figure settlement to end a legal claim with its former owner Danspin in a deal cut ahead of its subsequent management buyout earlier this year.

Steve Depport, head of the Metro Group, has been appointed a non-executive director at The Carpet Foundation, the industry group that promotes the use of carpet and those that sell it.

Acquisitions helped Victoria, the diversified international flooring manufacturer and distributor, to book more than £1 billion of sales for the first time in its history in the past year.

Carpet import volumes declined for a third straight month in May on the back of weaker trade with Belgium, historically the U.K.'s largest trading partner.

Wood flooring specialist Havwoods will open its second store this year and its fifth overall as it continues expanding its retail footprint in wealthy parts of the country.

National floorcoverings distributor Carpet & Flooring has appointed a new md with a raft of home improvement industry experience following the planned departure of longtime leader Lisa Tomlin.

The group behind regional carpets chain Wilsons and national ecommerce flooring brands such as Online Carpets landed bumper profits in the first figures since it reorganised under a single entity.

A seven-figure reorganisation saw Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland wholesaler Flanagan Flooring bring a property investment joint venture under its control last year.

Britain's biggest carpet maker held almost four times the value of raw materials at the year end as it invested heavily to enable it to meet surging demand for its products and deliver its highest ever profits.

Britain's biggest flooring wholesaler will enable independent retailers and one-man-and-a-van installers to hit sub-£15sqm price points after launching a new brand with a supporting micro-site.

Directors at carpet yarn spinner Lawton Yarns have completed a management buyout (MBO) of the company, ending the two year stint under the ownership of London private equity group Breal Capital.

Revenue jumped to nearly £90 million and losses were reversed for the U.K.'s self-described largest independent floorcoverings distributor last year.

The value of carpets imports dropped by almost a fifth at the start of the second quarter while volumes were down at nearly twice that rate on a year-on-year basis.

Floorcoverings suppliers and their customers must work in unison amid rising prices and an expected fall in demand, according to a worldwide collective representing companies in the sector.

Mike Scott will retire as chief financial officer at diversified flooring conglomerate Victoria later this year after six years in the role. His replacement joins from outside the industry.

Historic manufacturer Ulster Carpets has become one of just four carpet makers and six flooring companies to have been granted a Royal Warrant by The Queen.

Buy-and-build flooring group Likewise says it has established a trade brand in most geographical areas of the U.K. as new results confirm its annual revenue run-rate has breached nine-figures for the first time.

Cost cutting and a five percentage point improvement in gross margin lifts Wiltshire carpet group back into profit after a circa £300,000 bottom line turnaround.

Circa £16 million turnover Midlands 3PL and group logistics provider targets early next year to be fully operational.

The value of carpet imports advanced in high single digit percentages in March, masking a fall in the quantity of goods arriving at U.K. borders. Turkey proved the exception, delivering an increase on both counts.

The carpet and rugs business bought by Victoria in a carve-out of Balta Group's operations booked thinner margins in the first quarter as higher costs countered the impact of rising sales.

Decision, widely anticipated, follows divestment of certain I.P. and other soft flooring divisions.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest floorcoverings company and a major supplier to the U.K. market, says it anticipated supply chain challenges resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine ahead of time to eliminate production downtime.

Major U.K. carpet maker Cormar has welcomed its new managing director into the business, bringing with him a deep knowledge of British and international textile manufacturing.

Flooring group Victoria says its ability to deliver while others couldn't because they were short of stock enhanced its reputation and has led to market share gains over the past year.

U.K. carpet imports climbed double-digit in February despite flat trade with Belgium, historically the largest trading partner for British buyers.

Likewise Group has agreed to buy West Yorkshire flooring distributor Delta Carpets from its private shareholders in a cash and shares deal worth £3 million.

Northwest flooring manufacturer Penthouse Carpets said it achieved a "remarkable performance" in 2020/21 despite a challenging second half to its financial year beset by issues outside its control.

Brintons is facing a potentially expensive demand from a former landlord but the international carpet maker is not unduly concerned about its financial impact.

Premium wood flooring and wall cladding company Havwoods has opened the first of what it hopes will be a slew of new retail showrooms planned for 2022.

Revenue declined at carpet maker Brintons last year but EBITDA and its net margin improved and the international manufacturer said business momentum is accelerating.

January carpet imports into the U.K. jumped almost a third at the beginning of the year on the back of strong figures from the Netherlands, Belgium and India.

Headlam Group, the flooring wholesaler with 66 business units across the U.K. and mainland Europe, swung back to profit last year on higher revenue and a big swing in gross margin.

The Carpet Foundation will launch a national consumer advertising campaign on Monday March 7 with 1.5 million advertisements to appear across a 10-week period spread through the year.

One of the U.K.'s largest suppliers to the floorcoverings sector has written to customers outlining planned price increases across more than a dozen items ranging from underlays to adhesives.

European carpet, rugs and smooth floorcoverings manufacturer Balta booked higher profits in 2021, a year that saw it decide to sell more than half of its business.

A circa £8 million carpet producer is to make a seven-figure manufacturing investment upgrading plant and machinery.

Former Adam Carpets and Bond Worth director Eamonn Prescott has been named the next chief executive at Greendale Carpets & Flooring, the buying group.

The giants of mainland European floorcoverings production endured a fourth straight decline in UK. carpet exports to finish 2021 on a sour note.

Funds managed out of Alabama in the U.S. now own more than 10 percent of flooring supplier Victoria after doubling the size of their investment this week.

A lower cost base helped profits rise for independent flooring retailer Calverts Carpets in 2020/21 despite store closures impacting sales.

A rug and mat supplier which has historically listed retailers including Dunelm and John Lewis among its stockist base landed a net margin north of 20 percent as it traded strongly through the first year of the pandemic.

Flooring conglomerate Headlam Group says it is close to naming a new chief executive, ending a four-month hunt for a successor to Steve Wilson.

U.K. flooring contractor Designer Contracts has taken on a new cohort of apprentice fitters as part of a continuing plan to directly employ more fitters amid industry-wide shortages.

The total value of carpets imported into the U.K. fell for a third month in a row in November according to new HM Revenue & Customs data.

A corporate reorganisation encompassing Karndean's global interests has revealed the floorcoverings supplier to be far larger than previous disclosures had indicated, and value the group north of £400 million.

Designer Contracts, the national floorcoverings contractor that majors in supply to the housebuilder market, has invested £500,000 to support its strategy of holding more stock.

North West retailer and contractor Mears Flooring maintained a double-digit net margin in 2020/21 despite the first lockdown clipping both its top and bottom lines.

A distributor of underlay and other carpet and flooring accessories has suffered a serious fire at its premises in Tiverton, Devon.

Kidderminster carpet maker Brockway swung back to profit as lower costs outweighed the impact of a decline in turnover ahead of a new managing director joining in the autumn.

Town planners have approved proposals for a new warehouse for Alliance Flooring Distribution, a division of international floorcoverings conglomerate Victoria.

Carpet imports fell sharply in October as the final quarter started with weaker data from Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Flooring supplier Victoria is to enter a new product segment after it agreed to buy the rugs division of Belgium's Balta Group. It will also acquire its U.K. polypropylene carpet and non-woven carpet businesses, plus the Balta brand.

Acquisitive U.K. flooring company Victoria has confirmed it is in discussions with Balta regarding the buyout of an unspecified constituent part of the Belgian flooring conglomerate.

Headlam, the multi-brand flooring wholesale conglomerate, has launched a fully-transactional mobile trade app, allowing customers to order products on the go.

Imports of carpets and rugs into the U.K. declined year-on-year in September, ending a six-month run of annual gains.

The owner of Quick-Step, the popular floorcoverings brand, will start recycling high density fibreboard (HDF) used in its laminate flooring after a breakthrough in the sustainability process.

Flooring supply group Victoria is adding further ceramic tile capacity with the acquisition of B3 Ceramics Danismanlik, a Turkey based manufacturer and exporter trading as Graniser.

The Carpet Foundation, the industry-funded body that aims to lift the profile and boost sales of carpet, is to return to consumer advertising next year.

Flooring supplier Designer Contracts and underlay and fibre technology brand Texfelt were named winners of the Partners in Sustainability Awards at a black-tie event in London last week.

Mohawk Industries, the world's largest flooring company, was bullish on demand in a third quarter trading update, but bearish on supply chain constraints that are pushing out lead times and creating input cost pressures.

Passing input cost inflation through the supply chain to retailers, distributors and end users helped diversified flooring conglomerate Balta find growth in the three months to September 30.

Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.), the diversified Belgian industrial conglomerate, is to increase prices worldwide across its entire flooring solutions portfolio.

The value of carpets and rugs imported into the U.K. continued to rise in August according to new figures, but at a much shallower incline than in the preceding seven months.

The British arm of the Danish solid wood floor maker Junckers posted lower sales last year but expects to begin recovering business lost to the pandemic through 2021.

Gains in textile floorcoverings imports were pared back at the start to the second half of 2021 as the carpet trade annualised the resumption of trade after the first lockdown last year.

The business success and philanthropy of Designer Contracts md and owner Peter Kelsey have been marked with an Outstanding Achievement in the Flooring Industry Award at a ceremony of his trade peers.

Victoria says it is taking a bigger share of wallet in the U.K. flooring market as a result of its investment in its logistics operation here, citing the impact of its elevated service levels.

SATRA, the international research and testing organisation, says investment in new state-of-the-art machinery will enable it to meet growing demand for the testing of floorcoverings.

Headlam, the flooring conglomerate whose 66 business units make it the largest of its type in Europe, says the relative infrequency of consumer flooring purchases have softened the impact of rising prices.

Victoria, the flooring conglomerate, is to relocate its Alliance Flooring Distribution business unit from Kidderminster to Worcester after agreeing to take a new purpose-built unit just off the M5.

Storied carpet manufacturer Brintons will next week move into new headquarters for the second time in the past ten years. It will remain in Kidderminster.

The reopening of retail stores in April and customers pre-stocking in anticipation of demand helped carpet maker Balta find U.K. revenue growth in the first half of 2021.

Karndean, the circa £91 million turnover luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring company, is to launch a first-ever television advertising campaign.

Belgian carpet maker Associated Weavers, one of the largest flooring suppliers to the U.K., saw sales decline here through 2020 but at a lesser rate than its compatriots and the overall U.K. market.

Greenwood & Coope, the business behind the Cormar Carpet Company, could soon announce a new chief executive to lead the country's largest carpet manufacturer.

Surging demand for floorcoverings helped Belgian and Dutch carpet makers recover lost turnover in the U.K. market in the first half of 2021, though it was Turkey and India that made the largest gains.

Fast-expanding multichannel retailer Flooring Superstore is on track to hit a half-century of stores by the end of 2021 as it continues to add new showrooms through the summer and autumn.

Weak exports hampered the recovery of West Yorkshire commercial carpet maker Burmatex in the first half of 2021 though stock market listed parent company Airea did report a return to profit.

Likewise Group, the fast-expanding flooring distributor formed by former Headlam directors, says part of a fresh injection of equity funding has been earmarked to help fund acquisitions.



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