Carpet firm puts up ‘pay forward’ offer
While turnover was down 90 per cent for a Timaru carpet business during Covid-19 alert level 4, since reopening public response has been ‘‘fantastic’’, and now the company wants to pay that support forward.
Simpsons Flooring Xtra general director John Simpson said post-Covid-19 would be tough for many people.
The 32-year-old business, which has branches in Timaru and Oamaru has launched an initiative to help someone by recarpeting someone’s room for free.
The idea came from staff and management, and was a way of supporting the community, Simpson said.
‘‘Covid-19 has meant that we have all been spending a lot of time in our homes. We also understand that Covid has, and will continue to be, tough on people.’’
Simpsons Flooring Xtra started as Don Simpson Flooring, established by Simpson’s father, Don, in 1988.
‘‘Over the past 311⁄2 years we have grown from a one-man band to about 15 staff, and 17 contractors, that we have today,’’ Simpson said.
‘‘The only reason you survive close to 32 years is because people have been good to you over those years.’’
Simpson said the business did a ‘‘couple’’ of essential jobs for rest homes during alert level 4, but ‘‘essentially we were not allowed to open [during that time]’’.
‘‘Since we’ve opened [in alert level 3] we’ve had a fantastic response and have been welcomed into lots of houses with lots of inquiries.’’
The Government subsidy had helped the business get through the lockdown period, he said.
He had used the lockdown to work through business systems.
Simpsons Flooring joined the Flooring Xtra co-operative in 2008, and Simpson said he is happy his business has kept its name.
‘‘It’s still a family business. We have four direct family members involved and together with our staff they’re all like family.’’
Simpson urged people to nominate someone in the community who may have been impacted by Covid-19 in some way, or that may just be well-deserving, for the carpet initiative.