Taking over the Drawing Room at the Majestic, the sheer scale of Condor’s presence at this year’s Flooring Show impressed visitors, with a huge range of options on display across different categories and applications. “For us this is probably the most important show of the year, because England is by far our biggest country in terms of sales,” Marketing Manager Kim Koning explained to The Stocklists. “That’s why we are here with over 20 people on the scene.”
Condor Carpets
One of the headline announcements from Condor Carpets was the new PineCore Backing for its carpet tiles. Adding to the company’s very strong existing sustainability story, this new backing replaces the bitumen used in many of its competitors’ products, and meets a strong demand both in Europe and the UK. “The reason we used pine is because it’s very strong and also very sustainable,” explains Kim.
Condor is also responding to market demand in terms of its ranges and designs. The company has added new patterns including stripes and marbling in various tile collections. One collection highlighted in particular was Windsor Velvet, a polypropylene carpet in a range of colours. This product was designed to meet consumer’s needs for a lower priced option. “It’s soft but affordable – that’s what we’re most interested in,” says Kim. “The market is going through a tough time, so to offer more affordable PP properties is always good.”
Edel Carpets and Intercarpet
At the higher end of the market, Condor Group members Edel Carpets and Intercarpet offer wool and wool-blend carpets which offer even greater levels of luxury and comfort underfoot. For this year’s show, Edel Carpets introduced the Napier and Taupo collections. Taupo is a four ply carpet comprising 70% New Zealand wool and 30% undyed wool. The collection uses a random structure and an “all over” design, creating a more natural effect. Because of the climate, New Zealand wool offers a softer, luxurious feel in comparison to the more hardwearing British wool, Kim explains, while also offering higher clarity in colour.
For the top end of the residential market, Intercarpet manufactures high-quality woven carpets in sisal and wool.
Betap
Betap also focuses on the more affordable end of the market, introducing a new 100% polypropylene range with Violin. Across all of its ranges, the brand has a strong sustainability focus, with its All Over Again (ALLOA) concept for its monomaterial PP products, as well as its Yarn by Nature wool ranges. In fact, the brand has recently launched two new 100% wool ranges as well as some 80/20 blends with polypropylene. Like Condor Carpets, Betap now offers a wide variety of patterns, some of which it is able to make exclusive to specific customers.
www.condor-group.eu