The new Brintons brochure is out and is stunning. The ‘marketing’ of carpet, particularly to consumers, is not one of the carpet industry’s strengths. That said, as with everything, there are exceptions, and the likes of Brintons, Crucial Trading, Roger Oates and Alternative Flooring are shining examples. All of them place great importance on ‘stimulating’ and ‘inspiring’ consumers. Some might argue they have the products to do so, but even so, the photography, styling, advertising or finished brochure is of the highest quality.
Brintons have just launched their new brochure. Entitled ‘Beauty by Design’ it really does have the ‘wow’ factor. OKAesque in look and feel, it is fresh and fashion led in terms of look and feel. Highly contemporary and stunning photography (of both new and existing ranges) combines with helpful mood boards to create a piece of work that really makes one want to buy a new carpet.
Visit a Carpet Foundation retailer to see a copy or request your own on the Brintons website - www.brintons.co.uk
Beauty by Design from Brintons
Trade Associations often come under fire from the cynics who question their role within an industry and their ‘value for money’. The news over the weekend that Axminster Carpets is set to return to the ‘black’ is most welcome. The last time they made the news, it was for all the wrong reasons. The unprecedented media exposure it’s demise generated, with headlines such as, ‘Iconic Brand Axminster Carpets files for administration’ cast a harsh light on the UK carpet industry. TV news, radio news, wherever you turned, Axminster was the lead story.
The message sent out to UK consumers was a sorry one and could only have shaken confidence in the UK carpet industry as a whole. The reality is, however, that we have a large, strong industry, which still makes the best carpet in the world. However, the publicity that engulfed the industry was anything but flattering. Commercially, the failing of one competitor does not necessarily make the rest stronger. It can, and quite possibly did, make industries weaker.
It is at times of difficulty that trade associations ‘come into their own’ and their true value can be seen and proven. An industry’s image can be restored by collaboration and the portrayal of a powerful, united industry with an industry mouthpiece. That is precisely what we at the Carpet Foundation set out to do to consumers and the media.
So, to hear positive news emanating from Axminster is most welcome. It may only be a ‘modest’ profit, but it is turning the corner and hopes to increase sales by 20% in the coming 12 months.
The message coming through loud and clear now is that carpet, as a whole, is back in fashion.
Ulster carpet in the Four Seasons
Independent retailers are bucking the high street trend, according to figures released by the LDC and the British Independent Retailers Association. The figures show that traditional independent shops are increasing in town centres while the ‘chains’ continue to decline.
The Midlands is a particular ‘hot spot’ with a 2.46 per cent increase in the East Midlands and a 2.36 per cent increase in the West Midlands.
The exact number of independent carpet shops in the UK is unknown but their reputation for good old fashioned personal service and extensive product knowledge has stood them in good stead in the last few years. All Carpet Foundation retailers operate under a Code of Practice approved by the TSI so you know what you can expect when buying your new carpet from them.
Misleading pricing, and the practices used by some retailers where they quote a price as being ‘discounted’, has been an issue in retailing across the board. So it was welcome news last week to hear that Carpetright and four other furniture and flooring retailers have promised to ‘clean up’ their pricing after investigation by the Office of Fair Trading. They will change the way that they advertise goods that they ‘claim’ have been reduced.
This practice, known as ‘reference pricing’ is a powerful marketing tool. The OFT found widespread misuse of promotions.
While not accepting liability, Carpetright and the other retailers have pledged to show prices that reflect ‘genuine’ discounts.
This is a welcome move and should lead to a level playing field when it comes to pricing.
Carpet is back in fashion - it is official! The Office of National Statistics has announced that it has relegated hard flooring form its traditional basket of ‘popular’ goods used to measure inflation and created a new, special category for carpets!
According to the ONS, the decision was prompted by a drop in spending on hard flooring.
Britain is embracing the fluffy stuff again - the wheel has turned full circle.
Local independent carpet shops can be found in most towns and villages. This is not the retail landscape envisaged or sought by the then MD of a then large and well known multiple carpet retailer in the early 1990′s who said that his aim was to ‘wipe out independent retailers’. As you can imagine, this provoked outrage among independent retailers - and, no doubt, scared a good many. Interestingly, however, even in those days, those independent retailers who had shops near an allied or Carpetright were always cheerful and they picked up a lot of business from the footfall generated by the massive advertising campaigns run by the big retailers.
At the Carpet Foundation, we have long championed the independent retailer - the local carpet shop. So, it was encouraging to read in the papers that a ‘foodie’ revolution is bringing traditional butchers and bakers back to high streets. This ‘backlash’ against big, often faceless, organisations, is replicated in the UK carpet industry. The independent carpet shop, often run by a husband and wife team, is thriving. Consumers like them because they provide good old-fashioned personal service, they know everything there is to know about carpet - and will sell you what is right for you. In many instances, they are pillars of the local community as well.
We have over 700 retailers, all of whom are independent, and all of whom operate under a Code of Practice approved by the TSI so you know what you can expect when you visit them. Independent retailing is very much ‘alive and kicking’ in the carpet industry and the Carpet Foundation is firmly behind it. Think local and shop local! You will be in very good hands.
There are a few topics that provoke an instant response from retailers – and one is ‘carpet and the internet’. Some are incandescent with rage at the attempts by fellow retailers to ‘sell’ online; some bury their head in the sand and claim that the majority of their business is repeat business so they are fine; others think because they have a website they have ‘ticked that box’ and can move on. Some are embracing the digital age.
There is no escaping the fact that more and more of us do our ‘due diligence’ online these days before we purchase. We, as consumers, want an ‘always on’, 24-7 service mentality. That is all the more true of the younger generation – the customers of tomorrow. What is more, they are doing it from phones and tablets.
A good website is a ‘must’ in today’s world and it is a tool that should help a business, not merely be an online brochure or presence. It is the biggest shop window one has, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and should not be left static for the year.
There are 3 million searches every month for ‘carpet’ on the internet and nearly 200,000 for ‘carpet shops’. It is quite a large ‘window of opportunity’ to turn one’s back on.
We make the best carpet in the UK. What makes me say that out of the blue? I have been reading the current issue (March) of The English Home, a leading home interest magazine. It has a wonderful article in it celebrating ‘Made in Britain’. It charts the history of industries in the UK that do, or used, to, lead the world in their particular sector. Kidderminster and carpets is featured in this 16 page feature celebrating a history of ‘making’. We often forget that in the UK, we do lead the way in carpets. When the best is needed, be it for The White House, the Kremlin, luxury hotels and cruise liners, even airports like Hong Kong, it is to the UK carpet industry, and invariably wool based products, that people turn to. We tend to forget this achievement - and yet it is something we should be fiercely proud of.
As Katrina Burroughs in The Sunday Times Home section said last week, “flooring is the investment buy for the home to which we give the least consideration.” Whatever we in the industry may say about ‘start with the floor when decorating’ - the reality is that doesn’t happen very often! So it is that when choosing carpet colour, beige and various derivatives thereof dominate the colour spectrum. It is ‘safe’ and will blend with most furnishing accessories.
However, there are murmurings, and only murmurings we must stress, that there are some indications that colour is coming back into carpet. Neutrals still dominate, without doubt, but rather than creams and gold-toned beiges, they are warm greys, ‘nudes’ and subtle pastels which look modern when combined with the greys. The latest product launch from Cormar Carpets includes a Cardinal Red and deep Espresso Brown
So, whisper it quietly for the moment, but, just as colour has come back into fashion fabrics and accessories, we could see this reflected in carpet colours.
It wasn’t so long ago that most of us used Easter or Christmas and the advent of a ‘family gathering’ as the time to buy
carpet. The annual visit from relatives was marked with a new carpet - on which they could spill their sherry or red wine! Consequently, for carpet manufacturers, business was highly seasonal and the sales graph had two distinct spikes!
Today, it is very different and while Spring and Autumn are still the busiest periods of the year, it is not as sharply defined. That said, these are still periods manufacturers regard as ‘windows of opportunity’ and so it is that this week leading manufacturer Cormar Carpets has relaunched its successful Home Counties range of carpets. Made from 80% pure new wool, 10% tuftbond and 10% polypropylene, Home Counties Plains and Heathers are premier quality tenth gauge carpets in two pile weights (42oz and 50oz), making them ideal for high traffic areas such as stairways and hallways.
Home Counties Plains has 18 colourways including 12 new plain colours, branded under the Wools of New Zealand banner. And while contemporary neutrals remain at the heart of the collection, those who want to opt for a splash of colour can choose from shades such as Cardinal Red and deep Espresso Brown.
Home Counties Heathers offers a selection of 14 classic heather hues such as Rutland Elm and Kirkstone, in British Wool, providing the perfect canvas to work alongside any interior décor schemes.
Available in both 4m and 5m widths to avoid joins, both ranges will retail from £29 per sq m.
This will, no doubt, be the first of many launches for the Spring so yuor next visit to a carpet shop should see lots of new carpets for you to choose from!
