A BELFAST flooring business has opened a new London boutique as part of major UK expansion plans.
The Wooden Floor Company has opened a new 2,000 sq ft showroom on Fulham Road in Parsons Green as it targets a 20 per cent boost in turnover in the firm's 20th year in operation and tripling the number of UK sites by 2023.
The showroom is expected to drive annual company revenues from £5 million to £6 million this year and bring staff numbers up from 30 to 35.The high-end boutique will supply premium flooring, including more than 100 flooring products developed by The Wooden Floor Company and sold there exclusively.
To cope with demand at the London showroom, the business, known as The Wooden Floor Company in the north and The Wooden Floor Store in the rest of the UK, is building an additional 15,000 sq ft warehouse at its Belfast site on Falcon Road.
The London showroom is the first phase of ambitious plans for growth at the firm, which has two outlets in Northern Ireland at Belfast and Lisburn and four in Scotland. Looking ahead the company, which previously supplied flooring for James Bond film, Spectre plans to have over 20 sites open in the UK over the next three to five years, tripling the size of the current portfolio.
Belfast-born Richard Snape, director and founder of The Wooden Floor Company, said the move into the London market was a "natural progression".
“In recent years we’ve solidified our position as a leader in the Northern Irish and Scottish markets, but we are always looking for ways to grow and develop our business," he said.
"There’s a lot of appetite for our products and services already, so we’re in the early stages of discussions about another London location.
“We aren’t resting on our laurels, instead targeting tripling the size of the business over the next five years, aiming for more than 20 showrooms. We’re looking at franchising as a vehicle for our growth and have a number of interested parties across the country. There’s a gap in the market at the moment for a national supplier of high-quality wooden flooring, unlike other materials like tiles."
“Our London showroom has had a great start with a high volume of orders in already and we’re confident it’ll add £1 million to our turnover in its first year alone. It’s the first step on the journey, and there are many more to go, but we’re relishing the prospect of the challenge ahead," he added.
