NEWSFLASH NEW APPOINTMENTS
AT GREEN TREE SOUTH Green Tree Distribution, leading UK wholesaler and distributor of laminate, real wood flooring, underlays and accessories, has announced some exciting changes to their team. The new appointments have been made at Green Tree Distribution South, the company’s newest distribution centre, which opened last June in Brentwood, Essex.
Sue Howland has been hired as the new Southern Sales Manager. Andrew Wallace, Marketing Manager, said: “With a background in flooring sales management spanning over 30 years, we anticipate Sue will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Green Tree family.”
The second announcement is the promotion of Ross Garrard, who will now take over as Operations Director at Green Tree Distribution South. Andrew commented: “Ross joined the company in June 2014 as Southern Sales Manager and has already brought us a great deal of success since the launch of the Brentwood depot. We look forward to his contribution in 2015.”
www.greentreedistribution.co.uk
IVC GROUP INVESTS IN
SUSTAINABILITY After a €10million investment in three wind turbines, the IVC Group, parent company of luxury vinyl flooring manufacturer Moduleo, is now one of the largest ‘green energy producers’ in Europe.
The turbines have been built at the IVC plant in Avelgem, Belgium and are expected to produce 13,3 GWh each year – equivalent to the annual electricity use of more than 2,000 families. This means they will create about one third of the total energy consumed by IVC Group.
Entrepreneur and founder of the IVC Group, Filip Balcaen explained: “Design, functionality, and ecology have been our focus from day one, and we’re delighted that the turbines are now operational so we can expand on these values.”
CEO at IVC Group, Jan Vergot described how the new state-of-the-art production plant is just a part of the company’s investment in renewable energy. He commented: “IVC is wholly committed to producing the greenest products and even the inks
for our vinyl designs are 100 per cent recyclable and have zero emissions.
“We also use the water of a nearby river, the Scheldt, as a coolant. This eliminates 80% of the less environmentally friendly coolants, meaning everything from the process to the products we use makes our manufacturing as green as possible.”
IVC also recently invested €34 million to build a high-tech production plant for Moduleo. More than a third of Moduleo flooring is made from recycled materials of a strictly controlled origin and this investment allows recycling of production waste and raw materials while also creating 210 jobs locally.
www.ivcgroup.com
UK TRADESMEN PREDICT BUMPER
YEAR AHEAD UK tradesmen are working harder than ever, with many expecting business to boom over the next 12 months, according to new research released by leading multi-channel trade retailer, Screwfix.
Well over half (61%) of all tradesmen questioned in Screwfix’s Trade Pulse report expect business to get even better for them in 2015, with more than 80% of those questioned having enough work to keep them busy.
In comparison,
only 73% of tradesmen questioned in 2012 felt that this was the case,
10
a positive sign that business for UK tradesmen is continuing to improve.
This optimistic outlook is supported by the fact that more than one third (39%) of tradesman are providing more quotes for prospective jobs compared to the same time last year, a trend which is continuing to improve year-on-year.
In
fact, one in ten already feel their current workload is more than they can handle.
Andrew Livingston, CEO of Screwfix, commented: “The optimism felt for 2015 is particularly encouraging for the UK economy and if tradesmen’s predictions for business growth come to fruition, there is likely to be a positive impact on employment too.”
www.screwfix.com
tradesmen expect business to get better over the next 12 months
61%
of UK 61%
More than
of UK tradesmen are providing more quotes than this time last year
1/3
Business has improved over the last 12 months for
of UK tradesmen 49%
of UK tradesmen have either the same or busier work load in
TRADESMEN WORKING HARDER THAN EVER
UK
82% 2014
78% were either busier or
In 2013,
had the same work load
73% were either busier or had the same
In 2012, work load
of tradesmen have enough work to keep them busy
81%
Over 1 in 10
tradesmen have too much work to handle
Only
of tradesmen currently have no work and no jobs lined up in the future
2%
www.tomorrowsfl
ooring.com
19% 81%
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