WHAT’S NEW?
LOCKDOWN DIY BOOSTS GROWTH FOR ONLINE RETAILER
The increase of UK residents carrying out improvements to their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown has meant some companies, like Best4Flooring, have flourished during what has been such a challenging time for many in the business world.
Laying new flooring proved a popular task for homeowners who went into DIY overdrive during lockdown. The flooring retailer, which has an online presence as well as a physical store in Stockport, saw sales for popular product ranges, such as sheet vinyl, increase by 300%. The simple, yet effective, results of laying a new floor gave many people something positive to focus on with many customers quick to share their personal sense of accomplishment on social media.
Paul Humphries, Managing Director of Best4Flooring, commented: “With people’s movement restricted back in March, our website traffic increased dramatically overnight and orders were flying in faster than we could physically cope with. It presented our business with an unexpected challenge, but not one we could grumble about when COVID was
negatively affecting so many other businesses around us.”
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/august2020
With spending for home improvements continuously rising throughout the summer months and overall online retail sales in the UK 46.8% higher than February’s pre-pandemic levels, Best4Flooring made the decision to improve their online appearance and customer experience by updating the brand and company website.
Many homeowners shared their DIY flooring efforts on social media, tagging Best4Flooring in their pictures.
From different types, styles and colour schemes to different locations in the house, the new website has been designed to inspire, as well as help consumers get the best results from their DIY projects with handy hints and tips. As well as the sheet vinyl proving popular, other ranges, such as the porcelain tile collections, have seen the orders flooding in with monochromes, greys and prints all favoured designs by homeowners.
Paul continued: “At a time when getting a professional tradesperson into the home is difficult, inevitably we have seen increased demand for product ranges
of one-on-one digital meetings. With the adoption of new ways of living and working at home, the theme is perfectly in-tune with the rapid shift towards consumers seeing their homes as sanctuaries from the unrelenting outside world.
BALTA HOLDS VIRTUAL SEASON LAUNCH
Balta’s virtual Season Launch event is now underway, providing a chance to get an exclusive insight into the manufacturer’s 2021 launches and developments.
Under the theme of ‘Reimagining Comfort’, Balta is showcasing the first steps in its long-term product development programme in a series
twitter.com/TRetailFloors
Along with additions to the well- established Leonis and Satino collections, new qualities holding the StainSafe promise and the expansion of the emerging Eternity collection, Season Launch virtual attendees are the first to see Balta’s significant steps in comfort for business spaces with arc edition.
Filip Poelman, Sales Director at Balta, said: “Our new Season Launch format means that more customers than in previous years can get the inside line on our product developments for 2021. We’ve got some exciting new additions to our existing collections and, with our
that are easy for people to fit themselves. Our customer support has always been a primary focus for the business and the new website heavily reflects this. I am immensely proud of all of my staff and how they have coped with the unexpected demands as a result of COVID-19. To add in the pressure of rebranding and a new website, it shows I’ve got a great team and I couldn’t be prouder of all they have achieved during such a challenging time.”
The new website can be found at
www.best4flooring.co.uk
You can read more about Paul’s lockdown experience on page 12.
digital one-to-one format, you can get ahead of the competition, no matter where you are.”
Season Launch is also home to developments in the LCT carpet tile collection. This is set to be an interesting sector of the market as consumers look towards making their homes more adaptable. Driven by the need for working from home and a rise in multi-use spaces, the adoption of home-like luxury in modular flooring could be a growth area for the industry.
There are still opportunities to schedule a one-on-one digital session, with Season Launch running until 15th
December.
For further information, call +32 56 62 22 11 or email
broadloom@baltagroup.com
www.baltagroup.com/en Tomorrow’s Retail Floors | 09
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