Flooring Superstore looks to create more than 100 jobs in major expansion plan

A fast-growing flooring retailer has unveiled plans to double its store estate and create more than 100 jobs.

Flooring Superstore is targeting Greater London and the South East as it seeks to strengthen its market presence.

Its growth blueprint comes after the business enjoyed the most profitable period in its history, with the trend of people turning to home improvements during the COVID-19 pandemic bolstering its performance.

The company will end 2020 having opened 25 stores in England, Scotland and Wales in just three years.

However, the Bishop Auckland-headquartered firm aims to open the same number in just 12 months during 2021.

Explaining its growth plan, Chris Barber [pictured], chief retail officer, confirmed Greater London and the South East are among its target areas, as are several other large urban and retail centres.

He said: “We now have stores stretching from Edinburgh down to the south coast of England.

“We are aiming to increase this further in 2021 so we have full coverage across the whole of the UK.

“Opening 25 stores throughout 2021 will help further cement our position as a market leader in the retail flooring sector.”

Flooring Superstore’s story began in 2012 when it started trading online – and adding physical stores from 2017 onwards has since only improved its offer.

Chris said: “We were already really well positioned online and now have become the only flooring retailer with a bricks and mortar presence, as well as an exceptionally strong e-commerce platform.

“As our competitors closed down their businesses due to the lockdown restrictions, we directed customers to our online platforms and continued with our expansion plans.

“This omni-channel strategy has worked really well; bringing online prices to the high street and having multiple channels available for customers to engage with us and ultimately purchase.”

Chris also says the business is continuing to benefit from using technology such as its room visualiser app, which lets people use their smart devices to see how flooring will look in their homes.

He added: “We bring a modern shopping experience to a traditional market and our customer service and customer experience is second-to-none.

“This puts us in great shape as we continue to disrupt the marketplace and continue our phenomenal growth into 2021 and beyond.”