Flooring industry news August 2020

The Flooring Show 2021 announces new dates

As the UK continues to ease out of lockdown, The Flooring Show 2021  has released new dates for next year’s event. The show will now run from 28 February – 2 March 2021.

In addition, the regular autumn event will continue to take place on 19 – 21 September 2021. This will give the industry two shows next year.

The show normally uses the Harrogate Convention Centre which is currently being used as a Nightingale Hospital. Now, both events will use the Yorkshire Event Centre.

The government announced the reopening of exhibition centres from 1 October 2020 and has issued guidance on how to run events Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19).

Academy for Excellence in Flooring resumes training

Tomorrow’s Contract Floors reports that the Academy for Excellence in Flooring is set to resume training. They reveal the measures being taken to keep its colleagues and course trainees safe.

With refurbished training bays equipped with new challenges and obstacles, the Academy for Excellence in Flooring is set to welcome trainees under a series of new measures designed to protect the wellbeing of colleagues and flooring professionals.

The Academy’s courses are now limited to four candidates and demand is expected to be high, so flooring professionals are being encouraged to contact the Academy early to avoid disappointment.

British Chambers of Commerce survey reveals firms use training and flexitime to help staff retention

Training and flexible working are among the most popular methods for businesses to retain staff, according to research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and recruitment company Indeed.

The survey of 1,020 UK businesses found that 42% are likely to invest in training and developing staff in order to retain talent.

Additionally, 38% say they would look to introduce flexible working practices, such as flexitime, remote working and job-sharing.

Jane Gratton, head of business environment and skills policy at the BCC, said:

“Increasingly, employers are embracing flexible working practices as a sensible way to retain staff who need to balance work with family and other commitments.

“Amid rising upfront costs for businesses, it is crucial that innovative ways are found to motivate staff.”

How contractors and floorlayers coped after lockdown

Contract Journal Flooring have an interesting article about how the industry coped with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Along with strange times on the health and economic front, the weather took a turn for the weird in early 2020. Three successive storms – Ciara, Dennis and Jorge – had battered the UK in February, making it the wettest on record (the previous record was set in February 1990).

During mid-March, just as panic over Covid-19 was increasing, the rain began to dry up over large parts of the UK and the sun shone with a vengeance. By lockdown, several counties in England and Wales were seeing their sunniest March on record. This weather pattern was destined to continue right through April and May in what would turn out to be a spectacular run of fine weather.

In the days and weeks following lockdown, matters weren’t so sunny and clear for many flooring contractors and manufacturers who were wondering how they’d continue to operate successfully with such confused government signalling. For many, the decision was made for them by main contractors who froze their projects, effectively paralysing productivity down the supply chain.

Vinyl looks set to outstrip wood as the second largest category in the overall floor coverings market

Tomorrow’s Contract Floors reports market information on the flooring industry. According to the new report by AMA Research, the outlook for the UK floor coverings market is one of moderate growth. Factors affecting this slow market change are increasing inflation, adverse currency movements and relatively low wage increases affecting consumer confidence.

Floor coverings is a mature market, strongly impacted by levels of consumer and business confidence, the strength of the housing market, changes in the domestic economy and overseas trade.

Vinyl flooring continues to outperform all other product sectors in the UK floor coverings market although growth has dropped slightly. Demand is driven largely by the popularity of LVT which has provided enormous choice for the consumer.

Due to this strong market performance, vinyl looks set to outstrip wood as the second largest category in the overall floor coverings market.

Further reading

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