Man-made carpets compete to boost margins

As the flooring market descended into summer doldrums for some months this year, what’s the best sales strategy in a tight market? Constrain pricing to help hard pressed consumers afford something, or enhance the product offer to get better sales from those that can afford it?

The answer, of course, is both! There’s business out there to be had but there’s certainly no easy money about and manufacturers have had to tread a tightrope on costs and quality to get the balance – and your
profit margin – right.

Betap, for example, are keeping a dual perspective on the current market conditions. “It can be a misconception that a tight market equates to a race to the bottom on price and margin,”
says UK Product Manager Andrew Bramall.
“We keep close to the UK market and believe that consumers are looking for good value and a carpet that will meet their expectations.”

Betap’s approach is to introduce ranges with added value. That could be a premium backing such as its new Fusion fleece or creating a 1/10th gauge version of a popular 1/8th gauge range. A good example of this is the new Winchester 1/10th gauge which is engineered to a popular price point with the added handle and performance of the tighter gauge.

“It can be a misconception that a tight market equates to a race
to the bottom on price and margin,"

But Andrew adds: “On the other side of the coin, we are
adding some simplified ranges, keeping SKU's to a minimum
which means our customers stock-holding is lower. This also gives
a better service and enables a sharper price point.”

Abingdon Flooring is also committed to an added value approach, as demonstrated by the launch of Affection in its Stainfree range. Made in Britain in eleven trend colours, Affection offers a 14mm luxuriously deep and invitingly soft pile in a tenth gauge construction to join a growing range of deep pile Stainfree styles. 

Affection benefits from Abingdon Flooring’s bleach cleanable and stain-resistant polypropylene Stainfree yarn. In its latest generation, the yarn has become softer and more luxurious, fuelling the launch of several deep pile Stainfree carpets. 

Charlotte Coop, marketing manager, says:
“Polypropylene used to be considered a rather coarse fibre,
but improvements have meant we’ve been able to engineer
softer yarns without a trade-off in stain-resistance or cleanability. These softer yarns make polypropylene deep pile qualities more desirable and attractive and so we’ve been expanding the number
of options in our Stainfree family.”

Affection also has a fleece backing, adding comfort and warmth, while making the carpet more pliable and so easier to install; it brings benefits to homeowners and installers. The fleece can also help to reduce underlay thickness. Homeowners can pick from 2.5m, 4m and 5m widths depending on room sizes and the carpet is rated suitable for heavy domestic use. With Abingdon Flooring’s Stainfree for Life promise and a 10-year wear guarantee, Affection is a quality deep pile carpet that offers excellent value compared to nylon and polyester styles. 

The latest launches at the Cormar Carpet Company show how a company can enhance the appeal of a popular range of easy clean, man-made carpet.

With a refreshed palette of on-trend shades, the ever-popular Primo Ultra range is now even more attractive with the introduction of brand new, bold colour options. First launched in 2009 and a firm favourite ever since, Primo Ultra is now available in an extensive palette of 20 plain and heather shades to extend the appeal for consumers seeking to introduce a practical, yet stylish carpet into their home.

But this year has also seen the introduction of an exciting new range, Trinity. A premier, heavyweight carpet perfect for those high traffic areas of the home, Trinity is manufactured by Cormar in a collection of 14 tri-colour heather shades and comes with a 10-year Stain and Wear Warranty, providing the perfect hard-wearing solution for busy homes.

David Cormack, Marketing Director at Cormar Carpets said:
“Our Easy Clean collection continues to grow in popularity as a reliable and hardwearing choice for family homes. We’re excited to expand the collection this year to offer an even wider choice of durable, low maintenance carpets at great value and in a popular colour palette to suit every homeowner’s needs and style.” 

Emphasising affordability

Everyroom’s great value carpet collection has gone from strength to strength since its launch just over a year ago, hitting the mark for affordability and desirability. 

Its growth has been astounding, with over 8,000 carpet and vinyl stands in place with retailers nationwide, showing just how popular it has been with retailers and consumers alike. 

Within a year the portfolio has increased from a handful of carpet and vinyl ranges to include Everyroom 8mm and 10mm underlays, as well as the brand-new Identity range of budget friendly LVT, both of which can be seen in person at The Flooring Show if you are visiting this month. 

The core offering of carpet has been enriched by an 8mm and 10mm underlay and Everyroom’s complete carpet system has solidified itself as the go-to option for many retailers. The affordable ranges create a great quality and great value solution for any installation.

The new British-made Beyond Wool collection from Furlong Flooring demonstrates the application of innovation to promise excellence beyond expectations and grab consumers attention. This collection offers customers the desired wool-like appearance with essential durability. 

Comprising five ranges of luxury twist and loop pile carpets, the Beyond Wool collection seamlessly marries the natural wool-like look with practical stain and moth resistance. From the twist pile ranges of Renaissance, Elegance & Serenity to the loop piles of Henley & Marlow, this collection encompasses versatility. The 100% recycled yarn loop pile range of Amesbury & Castlerigg, adds to the appeal.

The Amesbury & Castlerigg range, constructed from
recycled polypropylene yarn, offers not only an environmentally conscious choice but also practicality with 100% bleach cleanable fibres. The collection provides a choice of natural hues and
on-trend loop designs, ensuring a trouble-free fit with
Furlong’s Combi-bac backing.

The Beyond Wool collection embodies value, choice, and
contemporary style, delivering hard-wearing and stylish carpets suitable for any home space. 

The latest initiative from Kingsmead is also giving consumers reasons to make a purchase. Thinking Beyond is Kingsmead’s new collection of carpets designed to be more sustainable and hardwearing, whilst still providing a soft, luxurious feel underfoot. 

With sustainability increasingly at the forefront of people’s minds, Thinking Beyond enables customers to be more considered in their homes. The new range uses Econyl yarn, a type of regenerated nylon made from entirely recycled waste materials, such as fishing nets, fabric scraps and old carpet tiles. The regeneration process ensures the nylon yarn is brought back to its original state, without losing its durability, strength or colour fastness.

Featuring a soft and plush velvet-feel texture, Kingsmead’s
new collection provides a sophisticated and elegant option in
15 versatile colours to suit any type of décor, Thinking Beyond is stain-resistant and easy to clean, making it the ideal choice for
high-traffic rooms. As a result, the collection was recognised with
a high commended accolade in this year’s Ideal Home Living
Room awards.

Showtime for synthetic best-sellers

The man-made sector is pushing fast forward and The Flooring Show in Harrogate on September 17-19 will see many more new launches to keep consumers interest for Q4 and beyond.

Hugh Mackay will be launching Camden and Camden Elite. Camden is a 100% polyester carpet available in two weights
– 1500g and 2500g – which comes on a fleece back and offers
8 colour options. Camden is produced using a soft polyester yarn giving a more luxurious feel and finish to any interior setting. 

Vision is an exciting and exceptional addition to the Victoria EasiCare collection – a unique construction in 6-ply yarn – created
by spinning three 2-ply yarn strands together to make a thick and extra strong saxony carpet in nine shades from deep browns to heathered beiges.

Balta will introduce Pinnacle, a competitive new range in the Stainsafe collection, alongside the up-market options of Eclipse, Crescent, Sublime and Miracle in the Made in Heaven collection.

Other impressive products which will debut in Harrogate include Elixir from Cavalier with the strength and softness of polyester in two weights – practical 45oz and luxurious 78oz – while Lano has a new premium range Felicity in its Touchdown collection as well as newcomers in the environmentally-aware Enso portfolio.

Kellars as they continue to invest in their portfolio by introducing new colours and ranges to the Centicus Collection. 

Kellars' latest launches, including some of its customer favourites, and popular ranges; Argyle, Helios, Euphora, and Vasari.

First up, Argyle provides a 10th gauge twist, with a fleece backing,
and 9 tweed patterned colours in 4 & 5m widths. Next, another new launch Helios is a fantastic value Saxony carpet, available in 12 bold colours, with a soft frieze finish and fleece backing, giving a high-end look and feel.

Euphora is Kellars' 12-colour 10th gauge polyester twist, soft pile and fleece backing and it has certainly reacted well to the market and last, but not least, the Centicus ‘Vasari’ range provides customers with exceptional value for this type of middle weight polyester twist in
12 unique colours, and offers features such as 10th gauge finish, and fleece backing. 

  FOR MORE INFORMATION

Abingdon Flooring • T 01274 655662 • www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

Betap • T +31 (0)38 386 1060 • www.betap.com

Cormar • T 01204 881234 • www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

Everyroom • Contact your Headlam rep • www.every-room.co.uk

Furlong Flooring • T 01322 628700 • www.furlongflooring.co.uk

Hugh Mackay • T 01429 892555 • www.hughmackay.co.uk

Kellars • T 0161 443 0970 • www.kellars.co.uk

Kingsmead • T 01827 831424 • www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk