Flooring Industry News October 2021

EASING PRESSURE ON UK FUEL PUMPS

In response to the recent surge in demand at petrol stations across the country, the fuel industry has issued a statement reassuring the public that there is an adequate supply of fuel and encouraging people to fill up their vehicles as normal. The government has announced measures to help ease pressures, including putting a pool of military drivers on standby to help with deliveries and extending certain HGV licences to keep drivers on the road.

Read the article on the CFA website.

GLOOMY NEWS KNOCKS CONSUMER CONFIDENCE

The gloomy news agenda is knocking consumer confidence for big ticket items like furniture and flooring with a 3-point drop in September, the second fall in two months.

GfKs Major Purchase Index now stands at minus 6. “September sees consumers slamming on the brakes as those already in economic hardship anticipate a potential cost of living crisis,” says GfK director Joe Stanton.

Read the article on The Stocklists website.

BULLISH AND SHEEPISH, LOOPS AND LEOPARDS

The mood was bullish at Harrogate – most of the industry seems to be trading 10-20% up on 2019 levels – and the market seems less price sensitive than ever before. There’s a good margin to be made.

“We were thrilled to reunite the industry for the 59th edition of The Flooring Show. It was such a pleasure to see Harrogate Convention Centre buzzing with business meetings and transactions once again,” said Alex Butler, event director of The Flooring Show for Ocean Media.

“It was a long time in the making, but The Flooring Show 2021 was well worth the wait! We’re already planning for next year’s big birthday edition, so watch this space.,” she said.

Read the article on The Stocklists website.

SALES LEAP AT SCS

Major UK flooring and furniture retailing chain ScS says sales were up over 20% over the last year with a strong order book boosting the business this Autumn.

Reporting its full year results to July 31, 2021, the plc said sales were up 21.6% to £311m with spectacular growth in its online business of 146% after the chain invested heavily in digital marketing during the pandemic.

Lockdowns had their effect with overall order intake down 1.5% on the previous year and 6.5% of the 2018/19 full year results but ScS is already seeing that demand that was held back now coming through strongly – orders in the last nine weeks are up 12% compared the the same period over the last two years.

Read the article on The Stocklists website.

HIGH DEMAND “WILL CONTINUE INTO 2022”

Current levels of high demand for flooring will continue into 2022 says leading UK flooring company Victoria plc.

“The demand for flooring experienced this year has primarily come from existing home owners redecorating. However, the Board expects demand to continue next year and beyond, due to the high level of housing transactions that has been experienced in many of the Group’s key markets this year,” said the company in a half-year trading update to its shareholders.

Read the article on The Stocklists website.

Q4 CONSUMER CONFIDENCE TAKES ANOTHER KNOCK

Consumer confidence for big purchases like flooring and furniture has declined for the third month in a row with sentiment “collapsing” for Q4 after a build-up of bad news.

The Major Purchase Index by leading analyst GfK has fallen to minus 10 from minus 6 in September. This, which asks consumers if now is the right time to major items like furniture and electrical goods, grew strongly since retail re-opened but has pegged down since August.

Read the article on The Stocklists website.

GLOBAL ‘GREEN REVOLUTION’ TARGETS: HOW IMPORTANT IS FLOORING’S ROLE?

The importance of construction and building design materials in ‘managing down’ the environmental impact both of fabrication and of post-manufacture energy consumption is coming under intense scrutiny from governments and regulators around the world – and this sustainability drive applies not only to new developments, but to the renovation and upgrade of existing buildings too, says Mark Hipwell, head of sales, Northern Europe, Windmöller.

In the UK, for example, government’s ‘green building revolution’ sets rigorous new energy consumption and emissions standards for ‘replacement, repairs and parts’ – not just for the materials used in newbuilds

Read the article on the CFJ website.

FURTHER READING

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