Walton Flooring Centre has been successfully installing all types of floor coverings for their domestic customers for over eight years now, operating from five stores, across the North West. However, the domestic market has seen a slight downturn so the business has responded to this by strategically developing their commercial offer, spreading their risk so they can continue to expand.
Walton Flooring Centre is set to see 50% of its business come from their commercial contracts in 2019, with some of these contracts lasting between three to five years. They find themselves not only fitting flooring in homes but also in hotels, restaurants, for property developers and the public sector and have been working with companies including Magenta, Cobalt, Impel Construction and Countryside Properties.
Based on this change in direction for a business that initially set out to be a domestic flooring provider, this year they have launched two e-commerce businesses selling artificial grass and all other types of flooring to their wholesale clients. They are even developing their own product range to service them more efficiently. With a move into larger premises, they can offer further costs savings and next day delivery throughout the UK for stock held in their warehouse.
Their move will also see them opening a training academy for flooring installers, to bring new talent into the sector and to upskill their domestic fitters, to the standards required when working in the commercial sector. The training team are partnering with regional Chambers of Commerce and Liverpool City College to highlight the job and career opportunities in the flooring industry and with Walton Flooring Centre itself, due to its growth aspirations.
It is an exciting time for the team, and they are on track to see their business double in size by the end of 2020. The business has received a number of accolades in the past 18 months including DIY Week for their expansion success, Homes & Gardens, as a Liverpool retailer, also winning Business of the Year in the Echo Regional Business Awards programme.
A goal now for the business, as well as growing their commercial contracts is to become a leading provider of artificial grass UK-wide. Their Jupiter range is one of the best on the market and comes with a two-year product guarantee. They have seen an unbelievable response to their marketing for this range and have been installing the product in both gardens and inside commercial properties due to its versatility.
www.waltonflooringcentre.co.uk
