TILES & TILING DIY 802165
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At a glance Tile Mountain Ltd
Connaught Street, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 5TQ
Tel: 01782 223822 Email:
info@tilemountain.co.uk Website:
www.tilemountain.co.uk
Directors: Jeremy Harris, Mo Iqbal, Colin Hampson, Ansar Aziz
Business established: 2013 Product offer: Tiles Branches: E-commerce
and flagship showroom Staff number: 35 The business has one showroom but is primarily online based
Outgrowing the market Tile Mountain recently moved into its new £10million warehouse after outgrowing its 50,000sq ft former premises. “We had reached the stage where our old warehouse could no longer accommodate how fast we were growing,” says Mr Harris. “So we went for a bigger unit, built to measure with around 10 times the capacity we had before. It’s designed to grow with the business and it took around 18 months from the planning stage to moving in. I believe it’s one of the largest tile distribution centres in the country. We moved in back in April and we’re very happy there so far!” So, what else sets this extraordinary success story apart from the likes of Topps Tiles, Tile Giant and all other major players in the tile industry? “I think price is a very important
factor,” says Mr Harris. “We source our products directly from around the world and ship them directly to our warehouse, cutting out any middle men and passing on the saving to the customers. Our availability is very good as well, I know from experience that a lot of customers tend to leave their tile choices to the last minute when they’re doing up a room, then
when it comes to it they suddenly need their tiles urgently. We always aim to have all our stock available at the fastest possible opportunity. Our range is also decent and we’re expanding it all the time.”
Shades of grey
Delving a little deeper into the day- to-days of successful tile retailing, Tile Mountain is at the forefront of all emerging trends in the market. “The traditional, metro-style tiles you find in the London underground continue to be popular,” explains Mr Harris. Balancing out the traditional
are the advances in tile printing technology, which is boosting sales of porcelain tiles in particular. “The techology is so advanced now that the effects created – from stone to wood – are incredibly realistic,” says Mr Harris. “It’s hard to tell the difference between porcelain tiles with a wood effect and real wood!” Other emerging trends among
Tile Mountain customers include a preference for large tiles up to a metre squared and minimalistic, matching floor and wall tiles. As for colour? It’s all about grey. “Grey is the new beige,” explains
Mr Harris. “Everyone is going for grey now. Grouting colours have come on tremendously as well – you used to get only white or cream. Now there are about 20 different shades of grey alone!” Looking towards the supply line, Mr Harris is quick to point out that without the support of good suppliers, retailers such as Tile Mountain could not do what they do. “We have a group of core suppliers
from around the world and rely on their support.” Would there be anything he would do to improve this support? “Perhaps I would just emphasise the need for good packaging. Tiles should be delivered on good- quality pallets with instructions included in a good, sturdy box – presentation is everything.”
Perks of the job
It may sound idyllic but being your own boss in an industry you know like the back of your hand can be something of a double-edged sword. “The freedom of working for ourselves is great,” explains Mr Harris. “We know what we need and we can make our own decisions and get on with them. So, for example with the new warehouse we knew we needed it so we went ahead and from planning to moving in it was all very quick and straightforward. But on the other hand, the downside is that we shoulder all the pressure and risk of running things ourselves. We have around 40 staff and that’s a lot of responsibility.”
Tile Mountain prides itself on having tiles available for next-day delivery
www.diyweek.net
So, what advice would Mr Harris give a retailer just starting out in the tiling industry? “I suppose the biggest thing is that customer service is always key. The customer is key. We are very proud of our Trust Pilot five star rating on our website. If there’s ever a problem with an order we will always try and sort it out for our customers no matter who is at fault. This is a good mentality to have, I think.”
£29.89 TC
From Only Ex VAT
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ile Nippers Tungsten
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Prices correct at time of print. Images not to scale. Colours may vary.
t time of print. 16 JUNE 2017 DIY WEEK 9 From Only Ex VAT
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