New politics of retail
Website Editor • February 21, 2020
Less uncertainty makes sales more certain!
The UK’s new political environment is going to be good for business says our survey and readers came up with interesting ideas to re-balance the high street/online markets in the face of “unfair” retail business rates.
Taken after the December election and the passing of the Brexit bill, 63% of our respondents expect consumer confidence to rise this year. Regardless of their own political views, a whopping 91% said a majority government was good for sentiment and 64% said the passing of the Brexit bill would help consumers move on and start spending.
But while 82% believe we have a pro-business Government, only 20% were confident that the forthcoming budget in March would see action to support retail. “We want the politicians to stop wring their hands and saying they will take positive action when we all know they won’t,” said a retailer in Hampshire.
Some 78% of our readers felt business rates were unfair to retail and 73% thought online sellers should pay additional tax. But two new ideas emerged from the survey. A respondent from Sussex said: “Maybe the only way to be fair against online retailers is to put up VAT on goods and abolish business rates completely.”
all those small delivery vehicles are harming the environment and
clogging up roads.”
But in the online vs High Street debate, a reader in Kent was unequivocal. “If retailers have a problem with online then ‘join in’. It’s the will and want of the consumer, to be able to buy how and when they want. Retail needs to adapt to offer a modern shopping experience,” he said.
The same reader added: “I don’t think business rates are the problem. It’s the rents that are the most painful” and a London retailer blamed “greedy landlords” in the region. In our survey, rates and rents came out about equal when we asked which was the greater burden.
Staff costs and increases in the national minimum/living wage were flagged as a concern by only 9% of our readers though 79% expressed no intention to increase staffing in the year ahead.
The theme of ‘cautious optimism’ that has been commented on elsewhere by retail analysts comes through in our survey. A healthy 70% believe retail decline is reversible in the UK and 63% think that flooring is a more retail resilient sector than most.
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The countdown has begun for this year’s Flanders Flooring Days event. From 2-5 June 2025, organisers say, Flanders will be buzzing with the fourth edition of this flooring-focused event. Over 100 international brands will be showcasing their latest products in ‘The Hub’ in Kortrijk Xpo as well as the local showrooms of participating companies. Alongside many now-familiar names, the organisers say they are delighted to be welcoming a list of newcomers to the event. Register now for your free visit!
As manufacturing technology continues to develop, the ability of LVT to accurately mimic any natural surface becomes even more impressive. Bypassing the often high costs associated with their real-life counterparts, wood- and stone-effect LVT ranges offer customers a variety of aesthetic options unmatched by almost any other type of flooring.
This month we’re finally able to reveal and celebrate the Gold Winners of this year’s National Flooring Innovation Awards – the showcase of the industry’s best and brightest ideas.
Following its 2024 launch, the INDX National Flooring Show returns to Cranmore Park on 13-14 May 2025, with a commercially crafted showcase designed to fuel visitors’ business growth.
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BUSINESS NEWS
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased by one point to -19 in March. Two measures were up, two were down and one was unchanged in comparison to last month’s announcement.
The prices of carpets and other floorcoverings fell 1.8% in March 2025, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. This is the second consecutive month of falling prices, with carpets seeing a drop of 1.7% in February, down from 2.5% growth in the same period last year.
As of 1 April, Herman and Age Mulder will take over the management of Rinos as Managing Directors. They represent the fifth generation to join as shareholders of the family business, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Milco Visscher will start as commercial director on 1 May. The current managing director, Peter Kuipers, will oversee the transition and step down on 31 July.
Imports of flooring to the UK this February were up 7% when compared to the same period last year, reaching a total value of £127.9m, according to figures compiled by The Furnishing Report.
Likewise Group, one of the UK’s largest flooring distributors, has announced a “particularly positive” start to the year with gross sales revenue in Q1 2025 increasing by 10.7% against the corresponding period last year. Sales in the Likewise Branded businesses have increased by 14.6%.
The British Furniture Confederation (BFC), the public affairs umbrella body of furniture and beds, furnishings and flooring sector trade associations, has unveiled its new Plan for Growth. The document is said to support BFC’s advocacy across four key pillars: skills and education; trade and exports; standards and regulations; and the environment and circular economy. It has been developed over the past few months, the organisation says, evolving from a combination of position papers written by the associations’ executives and a comprehensive survey of their collective members.
Consumer card spending grew 1.0% year-on-year in February – lower than January’s 1.9% increase and less than the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3.9%, according to recent figures reported by Barclays. In anticipation of higher bills, consumers are said to be cutting back on essential outgoings, but still prioritising discretionary purchases, contributing to an uptick in optimism in the health of personal and household finances.
Kellars, which describes itself as the largest independent flooring wholesaler in the UK, saw another year of “substantial growth” to July 2024, according to its strategic report for the period. With six depots across the UK and a team of more than 100, the company has reportedly grown at a “rapid rate,” with the year leading up to July 2024 seeing a dramatic rise.
Victoria PLC, an international designer, manufacturer and distributor of flooring, today announces the planned appointment of Alec Pratt to the Group board as Chief Financial Officer Designate, who will replace Brian Morgan after three years’ service as Victoria’s Chief Financial Officer in June.
Based on data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), carpets and other floorcoverings saw inflation of 0.6% in January, though this is set against a 2.5% fall last month. In January of last year the same category saw a 0.5% decline.
LeoLine’s fresh and funky Aspire cushion vinyl made itself a star in the Secret Room, the centrepiece of the Ideal Home and Gardens showhouse at the Ideal Home Show.
Launching to the market this April, Lifestyle Floors, a leading brand of carpet, laminate, vinyl and LVT flooring, expands its best-selling Pebble Beach range.
Fitters from flooring retailer Carpets R Us, in Taunton, used F. Ball and Co.’s Stopgap 1600 fast-drying, fibre-reinforced smoothing compound to encapsulate retrofitted water-fed underfloor heating boards as part of a textbook flooring installation in their own showroom.
Kathryn McHugh, Head of Operations at XPS Foam Ltd — the UK’s only manufacturer of XPS Underlay — shares why more flooring fitters are making the switch to XPS Foam Underlay.
For many UK flooring businesses, daily operations are a balancing act. Whether you’re managing hundreds of SKUs across multiple warehouses, juggling customer-specific pricing agreements, or trying to make the most of offcuts and remnants — there’s no margin for error.
IVC Commercial is bringing back the Roll Back Rewards limited time promotion. With each purchase of a full roll of qualifying high-performance sheet vinyl flooring, IVC Commercial is giving you £10 to spend at most major retailers. Roll Back Rewards runs from 1 May until 30 September on IVC Commercial floors ordered through distributors.