Flooring business looks to triple after London site debuts

● Move aiming to grow turnover by 20% as firm mulls further sites in UK capital

A Glasgow-based flooring business that supplied James Bond film Spectre aims to triple in size over the next three to five years after opening up in London.

The Wooden Floor Store aims to grow turnover by a fifth on the back of the new “townhouse boutique”, with the launch of the 2,000 squarefoot site marking the first step in its growth plan.

The business said the new showroom on Fulham Road in Parsons Green is the first franchise of the brand – the model for further growth – and is expected to increase its annual turnover from £5 million to £6m in its first year, and take headcount from 30 to 35.

The “high-end” boutique will supply premium flooring, including more than 100 products developed and exclusively sold by the company.

The site adds to its network of four outlets in Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Paisley) and two in Northern Ireland (Belfast and Lisburn), with plans to exceed 20 sites across the country over the next three to five years.

Director and co-founder Richard Snape said: “In recent years we’ve solidified our position as a leader in the Scottish and Northern Irish markets, but we are always looking for ways to grow and develop our business and London was a natural progression. “Our new townhouse boutique in London is our first foray south of the Border. 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 … we’re looking at franchising as a vehicle for our growth and have a number of interested parties across the country.”

Fellow director and cofounder Ross Nicholl cited a current gap in the market “for a national supplier of highquality wooden flooring, unlike other materials like tiles”. He added: “We’re proud to now be the only wooden flooring specialists with a presence in Scotland, Northern Ireland and now England.

“Since Richard and I set up the business 18 years ago, we’ve developed more than 100 products, managing every stage of the process … Creating our own ranges and brands has proven vital in staving off competition from online suppliers.

“Having the infrastructure in place to import and store products makes our growth ambitions achievable in the short timescale we’ve set out.

“Our London showroom has had a great start with a high volume of orders in already and we’re confident it’ll add £1m 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.”

The firm supplied flooring for a luxury Austrian hotel set for the set of Spectre in 2015 after being awarded a £30,000 contract by producer Pinewood Studios. Snape also holds the record for laying the world’s highest floor at the summit of Kilimanjaro.