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Vinyl outperforms carpet imports
October 18, 2024
Improved demand for LVT and vinyl boosted flagging import figures for flooring in August, but overall the sector is still suffering from poor demand.
According to HM Revenue & Customs data compiled by The Furnishing Report, imports across all flooring categories were down 2% in August but the breakdown is more revealing with vinyl products up 6% while carpets fell 7.5%. Wood flooring declined 1.3%.
Carpets from the Netherlands and Turkey both saw substantial falls of nearly 20% each, while the UK's biggest import partner Belgium was up over 7%.
Total imports for flooring into the UK since January this year are down 4% overall.
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BUSINESS NEWS
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.
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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.
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