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Martin Harris leaves Tapi Carpets & Floors
Jul 05, 2024
Tapi co-founder Martin Harris has left the stores chain a decade after its formation to pursue other interests.
His father, carpet king Lord Harris continues to be involved in the business along with other family members.
Martin Harris had already stepped down as CEO of Tapi Carpets & Floors and the company has now confirmed he has resigned from the board.
In a statement to
The Furnishing Report, the company said: "Martin Harris agreed to step down as CEO four years ago and stepped down from an executive capacity earlier this year.
"The business is firing on all cylinders with many of the founders still in the business and Tapi is still very much a Harris business, with Lord Harris and Charlie Harris both in senior positions within the company."
Tapi Carpets & Floors has 170 stores around the UK and is seen as the main challenger to Carpetright which has over 300 stores. Lord Harris started Carpetright in 1988 but sold his shares in 2014.
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Ulster Carpets have announced a major investment to double the size of their recently completed high speed weaving building to meet increasing demand for their luxury carpets and rugs. “With so much uncertainty in the flooring industry, this announcement provides confidence for our retailers and customers,” said Jeremy Wilson, Residential Sales Director. Construction work is currently underway at their global headquarters in Northern Ireland to further extend their recently completed High Speed Weaving Building and build on the success of new looms that have been developed by GTM, a company that is part of the Ulster Carpets Group. “We are already the world’s largest single-site producer of Axminster and Wilton carpets but this additional capacity will allow us to meet increasing demands from our customers across the world,” said Nick Coburn, Managing Director of Ulster Carpets. “All the new looms will be operational by April 2025, giving us the highest Axminster capacity in our history.
Sustaining the value of sales over the sluggish summer of 2024 has proved a challenge right across the flooring industry. With little margin to be made at the bottom end of the market and more price sensitivity in the premium sector, the opportunity to seek out a decent profit somewhere in the middle makes sens e. That’s where many of the latest man-made options in the carpet sector offer retailers an opportunity – sophisticated products that have an added-value element to help trade consumers up a little on performance, quality and sustainability. With invincible benefits and unmatched performance, Magnificus has become a jewel in the crown of Associated Weavers ’ top selling Invictus brand. The stunningly rich texture and opulent body is created using the latest generation of polypropylene yarns. This iVinci-yarn combines luxurious comfort and superior stain resistance. The latest colour additions, Cream and Latte add more colour variety to an already eye catching and on-trend colourbank. Meanwhile, the mainstream StainAway Tweed is also enjoying enhancement for 2024 with four new colours in the 12-option collection reflecting the trend towards warmer, richer colours – look out for the new Rocket, Earth, Amber and Scarlet options. StainAway Tweed will also be upgraded with a new backing, AW’s popular FusionBac.
Market-leading Headlam Group is pulling all its distribution brands together in a major move to make one compelling new force to serve retailers more effectively. As the UK’s largest distributors in the sector, Headlam has 67 brands and, on the wholesaling and logistics side of the business, it is names like Cheshires, Hadfields, Wilkies, Matty’s, Faithfulls, Matty’s and many more that are well known, depending on which part of the country you’re in. Now, all those local firms – some 32 trading operations – will be gathered together as Mercado – another of Headlam’s brands but one that already has a national footprint and a hundred-year-old heritage. Why? And why now?...
Shaun the Sheep is the ‘ambaaa-ssador’ for The Campaign for Wool and British Wool as part of a collaborative promotional campaign which launches at The Flooring Show to help educate and promote wool flooring as sustainable and good for the planet. Promoting his message of 'Shaun Loves Wool,' this world recognised, loveable sheep brings together the core values of the character's creators, Aardman and Shaun the Sheep of 'One Farm’ initiative, with the Campaign for Wool's mission to highlight wool's many natural benefits when used in flooring and other areas around the home. Shaun the Sheep will get the campaign started officially at The National Flooring Show in Harrogate (15-17 September). The special three-year collaboration will see the Campaign for Wool use the 'Shaun Loves Wool' message to promote the importance of the whole industry from sheep farming to flooring manufacturing, including wool carpet yarn spinning and wool flooring care companies helping to raise awareness at both a trade and consumer level. The values of both British wool and New Zealand wool used in flooring will be highlighted as each fibre type brings important attributes to wool flooring. Retailers across the UK will have point-of-sale items displaying their collaboration with the Campaign that will educate consumers about the natural characteristics of wool. Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman of Campaign for Wool says, “Shaun the Sheep is known for his leadership qualities - the unofficial ‘leader of the flock’, a sheep ‘celebrity’, and a recognised character all around the world. Who better to champion the Campaign for Wool and advocate on behalf of everyone involved in the wool flooring industry, from sheep farmers to the carpet manufacturers? Shaun will help us with our ongoing quest to educate consumers about the importance of wool as a natural fibre, and the role it can play in terms of the health and wellbeing of our planet.”
From 15-17th September, the UK’s market leading trade event dedicated to the flooring industry will be taking over the Harrogate Convention Centre for three days of business, innovation, and celebration. This year’s show is bigger than ever with 30% more exhibitors and extra floor space with the expansion into Hall Q. Across the three-day show, visitors will be able to meet face-to-face with hundreds of new and established flooring suppliers offering carpet, laminate, LVT, wood, vinyl, cork, grass, underlay, tools and accessories for the contract and retail markets.
A warehouse full of machinery and equipment goes up for a quick sale early next month as a casualty of the Carpetright collapse. Following the closure of 200+ stores, Carpetright's adminstrators PwC are selling much of the contents of the ill-fated store chain's Purfleet warehouse in Essex. The sale includes four 5m cut-length machines, three tube and core-forming machines and extensive handling systems, along with a host of standard warehouse equipment such as trucks, lifts, pallet wrappers and balers. PwC has appointment asset disposal specialists Hilco Global to handle the sale and offers are due by midnight on Thursday, September 5. Viewing is available in advance by appointment with Hilco. Full details of the sale are available at: http://www.hilcovs.co.uk/sale-list/carpet
The Floor Room closed its concessions in 34 John Lewis shops with "immediate effect" after administrator's were appointed on Friday. Founded only last year, The Floor Room, depended on its sister company Carpetright for much of its operations . Carpetright went into adminstration last month, closing more than 200 stores. John Lewis posted a message on its website: "The Floor Room is not owned by John Lewis, but we're working with urgency to understand what this means for their customers. We know that this will be concerning if you've already placed an order. If you have, be assured that we'll do everything we can to help and support you. We don’t have access to the relevant customer details at the moment, but we’re working with the administrators to get these." Adam Seres, joint administrator at PwC UK, said the Floor Room, depended on its sister company Carpetright for much of its operations and support services. He added the company was also affected by a cyber attack on Carpetright in April. Carpetright fell into administration itself last month, before the brand and some of its stores were rescued in a deal which resulted in 1,500 staff losing their jobs. Mr Seres said the Floor Room's management were unable to secure funding or find a buyer following Carpetright's insolvency, and the company's "financial position meant it was impossible for the business to continue trading" . "It is with sincere regret that this outcome has had to result in the redundancies of the majority of employees," he added. "We are committed to helping those affected and will work hard to ensure redundancy claims are processed as quickly as possible." PwC said some employees at the Floor Room's head office would be retained "for a short time to support in winding down operations".
Time flies when you’re fitting floors, especially if sub-floors conspire against you to make life more challenging than you anticipated, wrecking the schedule and causing knock-on effects on your installation diary. But when the going gets tough, the top innovators in the industry get going – there’s a wide range of solutions out there to keep you on spec and on time. And it’s not all about adhesive. The fastest-drying smoothing compound on the market is Stopgap Fast-Track 30 by F Ball which is walk-on hard from just 30 minutes and ready to receive floorcoverings in as little as 45 minutes after application so it is a real ally for installers in a hurry. But there are other solutions to consider that get less attention than they deserve. “Conversations around fast-track subfloor preparation products and flooring adhesives often centre around fast-setting, fast-drying formulations,” says Steve Boulton, Technical Services Manager at F. Ball and Co. Ltd.
BUSINESS NEWS
Domotex, the leading trade show for flooring, is switching to become a biennial event and expanding its portfolio into a wider range of products with the launch of a new format in Hannover for 2026. The long-established annual event will not take place in 2025 and instead become “the home of flooring and interior finishing” every two years as it extends to cover paints, wallpapers, acoustic elements, tiles, outdoor floor coverings in addition to flooring. The move represents a major step change in the plans by organisers Deutsche Messe to reinvigorate the January event after it lost some momentum during the pandemic closures of 2020 and 2021. The expanded portfolio will be on show every two years, starting in 2026, and will launch under the slogan 'Creating Rooms – Transforming Spaces'. A visitor survey at Domotex 2024 showed that 42 percent of participants were interested in related topics and products beyond the flooring industry. "Our visitors, from retailers to installers and architects, think about rooms in a holistic way. As a result, many have expressed a desire to discover more product solutions for interior finishing at Domotex,” says organiser Sonia Wedell-Castellano. “By expanding our portfolio, we are consistently pursuing the strategy we developed together with our exhibitors and creating a relevant meeting place for all surfaces in a room, from floor to ceiling", she adds. Originally there was to be a slimmed-down 2025 event covering carpets and rugs only but this will now be rolled into the 2026 schedule. Established in 1989, Domotex typically hosts around 1,000 exhibitors in Hannover. Pre-pandemic it attracted over 35,000 visitors but this number fell to c. 20,000 when the event fully re-opened in 2023. https://www.domotex.de
UK retailers are proven to be overtaxed in new research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) who are lobbying Goverment to reform rates in the Autumn Budget. According to new BRC data, the r etail sector pays 7.4% of all business taxes (£33bn), a share 1.5 times greater than its share of the overall economy (5% GDP). This bill amounts to 55% of the industry’s pre-tax profits, the highest proportion, along with hospitality, of all main business sectors. Of this total tax bill, 11% of profits is made up of business rates, the highest of all business sectors. “Our research conclusively proves what retailers have known for years: the industry is paying far more than its fair share of tax," says BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. " The impact of this is clear to see on high streets across the country, with shops shut, jobs lost and a social as well as economic cost. The rates bill also means missed opportunities as other investments, which would drive growth in the longer term, don’t happen ," she says. The BRC is pressing the chancellor to follow up the statement in the Labour pre-election manifesto: "The current business rates system disincentivises investment, creates uncertainty and places an undue burden on our high streets.” The UK has lost 6,000 shops in the last five years , says the retail organisation. I n two-thirds of these closures, business rates had a material impact in the decision-making process. “The Chancellor has a golden opportunity to fix this situation and use the scale of the industry to help deliver some of the government’s priorities ," says Helen Dickenson. " Introducing a 20% Retail Rates Corrector would be a decisive move that levels the playing field between different sectors of the economy and is the best way to achieve the government’s commitment of a tax ‘fairer for bricks and mortar businesses’ . It gives an immediate return allowing retailers to move further and faster with investments that play a critical part in driving growth, and in restoring our high streets right across the country.” https://brc.org.uk
Up-market smooth flooring supplier International Decorative Surfaces (IDS) is facing an uncertain future after posting a notice of intention to appoint administrators. IDS is well-known as a leading stocklist of laminate and LVT flooring as well as supplying interior wall panelling, worktops and decking with a turnover of c. £80m. It prides itself on market-leading laminate brands like Quick-Step, BerryAlloc, Xtra Step, Swiss Krono and Faus and LVT collections such as Malmo, BerryAlloc, LiViT and Kahrs. T he company completed a management buyout in 2022 from Saint-Gobain after more than 20 years as part of the giant French conglomerate. Managing director John Bagshaw said they were “looking forward to a bright and dynamic future.” The Newcastle-based company employ s over 500 staff across 10 branches nationwide.
The relatively short-lived burst of summer that finally got going in late July and August appears to have blunted sales for furniture and flooring. Figures in from Barlcays show that the number of in-store debit and credit card sales were down 4% in August for the furnishing sector compared to this time last year. The value of those sales showed a more significant drop at nearly double that rate (7.8%) which suggests the sales that were being made were at lower prices. By contrast, garden centres were up!
Progress in the housing market is giving flooring firms cause for optimism after the number of property transactions increased for the fourth month in a row. House sales in July were up 7% at more than 90,000 transactions, which follows an 8% rise in June. Previous to March this year there had been 16 months of decline in activity in the sector. Housing moves stimulate growth in the flooring and furnishing markets as householders update their interiors in the months following a move.
Carpet has reversed to rise of hard flooring in terms of UK consumer preference over the last three years, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS' annual family spending survey asks consumers what they spend their income on and it segments flooring purchases by type. Analysis of the data by The Furnishing Report shows that the preference for hard flooring versus carpet has declined by 5% since 2021. Market share between carpet and hard flooring (vinyl, wood, laminate) is disputed with analysts varying in their calculations, but hard flooring is estimated to have at least 55% of current UK sales. Unfortunately, the same survey showed consumers were buying less of either type – soft or hard – however. In 2023, families spent an average of £166 on floorcoverings, down from £187 in 2022.
John Lewis has stepped in to refund customers of The Floor Room, the store groups' 34 up-market flooring concession that went into administration earlier this month. Founded only last year, The Floor Room, depended on its sister company Carpetright for much of its operations. Carpetright went into adminstration in July, closing more than 200 stores, and The Floor Room couldn't carry on without them. John Lewis posted a message on its website at the time : "The Floor Room is not owned by John Lewis, but we're working with urgency to understand what this means for their customers. We know that this will be concerning if you've already placed an order. If you have, be assured that we'll do everything we can to help and support you." Now John Lewis has agreed to provide a refund to any customers than are out of pocket, provided they have first tried to recover their losses through their credit card company if that is how they paid. Customers will also have to have submitted the "proof of debt" paperwork to administrators PwC. Customers of the one independent Floor Room outlet in central London aren't so lucky – the John Lewis refund does not cover them.
Consumer confidence for big ticket purchases like flooring has improved again, up 3 points, adding to a 7 point jump in July. The GfK Major Purchase Index which asks consumers how positive they are about buying items like appliances, furniture and flooring rose three points to minus 13 – this time last year, the Index stood at minus 24. Joe Staton, Client Strategy Director, GfK, says: "The three-point jump in the Major Purchase Index is great news for retailers with more shoppers agreeing that now is a good time to buy big-ticket items. The wider point beyond the contrasts is that all the key numbers this month are significantly more encouraging than 12 and 24 months ago." But he cautioned: " But as we move into autumn and winter, how much further will this slow improvement in the mood of the nation run?” The figures are encouraging compared to GfK's overall Consumer Confidence Index which was unchanged for August, also at minus 13, and their Economic Index in which consumers say they are less optimistic about the UK economy – this Index was down three points to minus 35, but even this is 17 points higher than August 2023.
China has become the largest importer of floorcoverings into the UK, reflecting the torrid time the European market has experienced over recent months. Imports from China rose nearly 10% to £151m in the first six months of 2024, according to data compiled by The Furnishing Report from HMRC statistics. This means China has finally overtaken Belgium who are now in second place and down 11% to £132m, and the Netherlands, down 26% to £108m to take third place. Carpet imports overall into the UK were down nearly 8% in the first half and it is this sector in which the Europeans have traditionally been the strongest player. China is only the fifth largest importer of carpets into the UK but the country dominates the vinyl and wood flooring sectors. In the most recent data for June released by HMRC, carpet imports were down 10% compared to this time last year while wood flooring showed growth of 6.4% and vinyl crept up 2%.
Latest data from the ONS confirms reports of the summer doldrums that have depressed the flooring market, with sales down 10% in July. The Office for National Statistics shows retail flooring down 9.8% to £242m in July, month-on-month – however, that figure is over 7% higher than this time last year when only £225.3m worth of floorcoverings were sold. July was an exceptionally poor month for the furnishing and lighting sector as a whole which was down 18.2%. This is the tenth month in a row that furniture sales have fallen but July's data was the sharpest drop since February 2021 (when the UK was going into its third Covid lockdown). Kris Hamer at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Homeware and furniture performed badly, as people concentrated their spending on summer experiences. The high cost of living is still bearing down on consumers, but with interest rates finally easing, retailers are hopeful that this will buoy consumers confidence, and with it greater spending, particularly as we head into August." Across the economy as a whole, retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.5% in July 2024, following a fall of 0.9% in June but the actual value was down 18% month-on-month to £40bn.
With an integrated underlay and easy click installation, Moduleo LayRed is fast and simple to fit, even over old floors and subfloors that are less than perfect – a floor that’s ready to take on room refurbishment. With excellent strength and stability, it bridges imperfections and resists shrinkage and expansion for a reliable click installation vinyl floor that has a lifetime warranty. LayRed’s integrated underlay also improves acoustics and walking comfort. With no annoying click or crack sounds, it deadens the sound of footsteps and absorbs impact noise for a floor that’s noticeably quieter than ceramic tiles, laminate, wood and other rigid vinyl floors. A protective top layer repels dust and dirt and resists scratches and stains for lasting good looks. Simple to maintain with just water, LayRed is a proposition that’s easy to care for in every room of the home. As with all Moduleo floors, LayRed delivers the best design. Two sizes of plank or tile and range designs in colours made for modern living make it easy to find the right look for any interior style. From calm and serene wood designs like Midland Oak to the drama of York Stone, LayRed captures the creativity and uniqueness of nature. With LayRed EIR realism is heightened further thanks to synchronised pattern and texture and perfect levels of matt and gloss.
Originally launched back in 2019, The Naturals and Megastone collections are the most popular COREtec ranges in the UK and 2024 sees a comprehensive update with some great new additions. The existing collection of 32 colours comprising 14 wood planks, 8 herringbones and 10 tiles across 2 toastrack displays grows to now display 46 colours on 3 toastrack displays. COREtec will add 11 wood planks in 1500mm, 1800mm, creative multi-series and ultra realistic pressed bevel formats along with increasing the popular herringbones to a total of 10 colours across 3 sizes. 5 tile designs will be deleted to make way for 6 brand new Megatile large format stone designs giving 11 stone designs in total. The full new Naturals collection is stocked exclusively by Likewise Floors with all designs available now for quick delivery. The full Naturals collection can be seen on their beautiful new website coretecfloors.com where you’ll also find the powerful room visualiser tool and it will all be on display at this year’s Flooring Show in Harrogate. As with all COREtec floors, the New Naturals collection is 100% waterproof, R10 slip resistant, backed by a lifetime residential guarantee and is also rated for commercial use. www.coretecfloors.co.uk • sampling@coretecfloors.co.uk
Recofloor, an award-winning takeback scheme in the flooring sector, is celebrating 15 years of recycling waste vinyl flooring in 2024. An estimated total of 7,250 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring have been collected and recycled through Recofloor since the contractors’ favourite scheme was founded by flooring manufacturers Altro and Polyflor in 2009. To date, the sustainable collection service for commercial waste vinyl flooring has produced 8,504 tonnes of carbon savings – equivalent to taking 2,220 cars off the road for a year. It also equates to 2,416,667 square metres of vinyl flooring having been recycled back into new flooring as well as traffic management products. The carbon savings estimate is based on displacing concrete in traffic management products, the main application for the recycled flooring. On reaching the significant milestone in autumn 2024, Recofloor Scheme Manager Carla Eslava comments: “Thanks to continued growth in both members and waste vinyl flooring tonnages collected, Recofloor has been a driving force for sustainability in the flooring sector. We couldn’t be prouder of the commitment shown by the industry and how the practices with regards to waste management are taking a much more responsible approach to source more circular and environmentally friendly services, like Recofloor. “Our achievements over the last decade and a half are due in no small part to the efforts and enthusiasm to all our members – flooring companies, contractors and distributors – who continue to work so hard to support the scheme.” Collecting acceptable commercial vinyl flooring waste for recycling can save up to 70% on waste disposal costs, such as skip hire and gate fees. T 0161 355 7618 • www.recofloor.org
It won’t be too long now before the industry busy pre-Christmas period arrives, which inevitably means more waste will be generated. Kenburn have their carpet crushers in stock ready to cope with the demand from flooring companies looking to become ‘’eco warriors’’. Skip costs have risen significantly over the past few years and in April next year they’re set to rise by a staggering 20%. With improvements in technology, it costs less to recycle new and uplifted carpet and underlay waste than it does to send it to landfill. So, if reducing your ever-increasing skip costs and helping to save the planet is something worth considering, please contact Kenburn for more information on how the scheme works and how the waste is collected. T 01727 844988 • www.kenburn.co.uk
With inspirational flooring designs that bring a unique sense of style and the supreme feel of Luxatex, LeoLine’s Comfytex PU and Comfytex Deluxe Pro welcome in a comfier home. For retailers, the advantages of LeoLine’s Luxatex high-quality textile backing are easier and faster installation, but for homeowners it’s all about the cushioning comfort that it brings to every floor. So, whether a smart and sophisticated tile like Comfytex PU’s Toledo design or the confident swagger of Comfytex Deluxe Pro’s Olympus chevron wood style, they enjoy a floor with smile making levels of comfort. This wonderful underfoot feel is available in Comfytex PU and Comfytex Deluxe Pro so homeowners can choose the best floor for their needs. Want the best affordability? Make it Comfytex PU. Want long-lasting looks in busy family rooms? Then go for Comfytex Deluxe Pro.
When it developed the mono-material 100% polyester construction of its new Ecorugs collection with the intent of achieving product circularity, Louis De Poortere had two significant challenges to meet. The first to ensure it maintained the aesthetic qualities of its designs and secondly, to make sure that Ecorugs could be recycled back into new rugs. In fact, with the Belgian manufacturer’s experience in working with polyester, the first challenge was relatively easy to solve. Yet to meet the second proved more complex and has seen Louis De Poortere create its own path to reuse and recycle through the launch of the Take Care Program. Louis Dryon, COO, Louis De Poortere, explains more: “We believe that circularity is a way we can reduce the impact of our products on the environment, but in order to do that properly, we need to make sure we’re in control of the product cycle. Just producing a recyclable rug is not enough, we want to take responsibility for the whole process. The Take Care Program is our way of doing that and starting the journey to true product circularity.”