Table of Contents
Issues in the Market
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- Key themes
- Definitions
- Abbreviations
Future Opportunities
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- Ambience, ambience, ambience
- Guiding the consumer
- A more evocative space
- An interactive space
- Meeting the needs of the 21st century customer
- Carpets for Kids
Market in Brief
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- Recession and housing slump hits floorcoverings
- Leading retailers forced to scale down operations
- Price and ease of cleaning key factors
- Love of home drives desire for spotless floors
- Brands not a dominant factor in decision making
- Growing focus on sustainability
- Marketing flooring as part of complete look
- Carpets for most rooms, but not the kitchen or bathroom
- Redecorating a major driver of sales
- More households means more demand for flooring
- Slow and uncertain path to recovery
Internal Market Environment
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- Key points
- Easy to clean flooring a top priority
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- Figure 1: Attitudes towards the home, 2005-09
- Focusing on allergy suffers
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- Figure 2: Allergies prone to, 2008 and 2009
- Fluctuations in consumer prices
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- Figure 3: Annual change in consumer prices for 'carpets and other floorcoverings', March 2008-10
- Strong overseas trade in floorcoverings
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- Figure 4: Overseas trade in carpets and other floorcoverings, 2005-09
- Growing focus on sustainability
- Promoting product awareness
Broader Market Environment
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- Key points
- Recession hits discretionary spending on home
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- Figure 5: GDP, PDI and consumer expenditure, at current prices, 2005-15
- Sales strongly linked to fortunes of housing market
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- Figure 6: Number of UK residential property transactions*, seasonally adjusted, by quarter, 2005-09
- More households means need for more flooring
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- Figure 7: UK households, by size, 2005-15
- Growth in young families to put focus on ease of cleaning
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- Figure 8: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2005-15
- Growing affluence to boost value
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- Figure 9: Trends in the socio-economic structure of the UK adult population, 2005-15
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Recession and housing slump hits household markets
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- Figure 10: Comparison of sales of carpets and other floorcoverings with other household markets, 2004-09
- Big swings in retail sales of floorcoverings
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- Figure 11: Comparison of retail sales, at current prices (non-seasonally adjusted), 2005-09
- Figure 12: Comparison of annual quarterly changes in retail sales, by category, at current prices (non-seasonally adjusted), 2007-10
- Signs of improvement in consumer confidence
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- Figure 13: Expenditure priorities, 2007-10
Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
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- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Focus shifts to sustainability
- Cutting noise problems in homes
- New materials and water proofing
- Focusing on key trends and customisation
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Market hit hard by recession and slump in housing market
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- Figure 14: UK retail value sales of carpets and smooth floorcoverings, at current and constant prices, 2005-15
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- Figure 15: UK retail value sales of carpets and smooth floorcoverings, 2005-15
- Prospects for 2010 and beyond uncertain
Market Segmentation
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- Key points
- Plain carpets in neutral colours the most popular choice
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- Figure 16: UK retail value of floorcoverings, by segment, 2005-09
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- Figure 17: UK retail value sales of carpet, by type, 2009
- Rugs in all shapes and sizes, and places
- Oak dominates in laminate and wood flooring
- Tiles expanding from the kitchen and bathroom
- Vinyl another smooth option
Companies and Brands
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- Axminster Carpets
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- Figure 18: Axminster Carpets, financial performance, 2007-08
- Brintons
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- Figure 19: Brintons Ltd, financial performance, 2007-08
- Cormar Carpets
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- Figure 20: Greenwood & Coope Ltd, financial performance, 2007-08
- Forbo Flooring
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- Figure 21: Forbo Flooring UK Limited, financial performance, 2007-08
- Kronospan
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- Figure 22: Kronospan Ltd, financial performance, 2007-08
- Ulster Carpets
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- Figure 23: Ulster Carpet Mills (Holdings) Ltd, financial performance, 2008-09
- Unilin
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- Figure 24: Unilin (Global), financial performance, 2008-09
- Victoria Carpets
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- Figure 25: Victoria Plc, UK financial performance, 2008-09
- Figure 26: Victoria Plc, UK interim results, 2008-09
- Other companies
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- Figure 27: Selected other companies in the floorcoverings market, 2009
Channels to Market
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- Key points
- Specialists dominate in the carpets market
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- Figure 28: UK retail sales of carpets and smooth floorcoverings, by outlet type, 2007-09
- Carpetright the leading chain by some distance
- Repositioning of a smaller Allied Carpets
- DIY stores prominent in hard/smooth flooring
- Wide choice from Topps Tiles
- Rugs a highly fragmented market
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Key points
- Dip in advertising spending in 2009
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- Figure 29: Main media advertising expenditure – carpets & soft floorcoverings, and hard flooring, 2006-09
- Retail chains the biggest spenders
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- Figure 30: Main media advertising expenditure on carpets and soft floorcoverings, and hard flooring, by advertiser, 2006-09
- Press and TV the dominant media
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- Figure 31: Main media advertsising expenditure on carpets & soft floorcoverings, and hard flooring, by media type, 2006-09
- Figure 32: Average monthly spending on main media advertising on carpets & soft floorcoverings, and hard flooring, 2005-09
Ownership and Purchasing Patterns
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- Key points
- Purchasing hit hard by slump in housing market
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- Figure 33: Ownership and purchasing of carpets, wooden floors and other floorcoverings/tiles, 2005-09
- Those with young families key purchasers
- Carpets for living rooms and bedrooms
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- Figure 34: Types of flooring people have at home, by room, March 2010
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- Figure 35: Incidence of various types of flooring in any room of the home, March 2010
- Younger bias to laminate flooring
- Carpets found in the majority of rooms
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- Figure 36: Number of rooms with carpet at home, March 2010
- Figure 37: Rooms with carpet in home, by number of rooms with carpet at home, March 2010
- Laminate flooring most likely for one or two rooms
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- Figure 38: Number of rooms with laminate flooring at home, March 2010
- Figure 39: Rooms with laminate flooring in home, by number of rooms with laminate flooring at home, March 2010
- Real wood flooring less common
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- Figure 40: Number of rooms with real wood flooring, ceramic tiles and vinyl at home, March 2010
- Vinyl an alternative option to ceramic tiles
Factors Influencing Choice
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- Key points
- Easy to clean carpets wanted at a good price
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- Figure 41: Most important factors in choosing carpets for home, March 2010
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- Figure 42: Factors important when choosing carpets for home (any top five), March 2010
- Neutral colours still preferred
- Carpet fitting all part of the service
- Brand name of little importance
- Similar priorities for hard/smooth flooring
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- Figure 43: Important factors in choosing hard/smooth flooring for home, March 2010
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- Figure 44: Factors important when choosing hard/smooth flooring (any top five), March 2010
- More prepared to fit hard flooring themselves
- Style less important than function and durability
Attitudes Towards Buying Flooring
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- Key points
- Redecorating a big opportunity for flooring sales
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- Figure 45: Statements on buying floorcoverings, March 2010
- Waiting for the sales before buying
- Helping with the complete look
- Breaking down the barriers to purchasing
Target Groups
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- Key points
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- Figure 46: Target buying groups for floorcoverings, March 2010
- Matchers (10%)
- Quality Focused (16%)
- Non-decorating Buyers (20%)
- Sales Purchasers (17%)
- Apathetic (37%)
Appendix – Internal Market Environment
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- Figure 47: Agreement with lifestyle statements relating to the home, by demographics, 2009
- Figure 48: Leading sources of imports of carpets and other floorcoverings, 2005-09
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Appendix – Ownership and Purchasing Patterns
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- Figure 49: Ownership of carpets, wooden floors and other floorcoverings/tiles, by demographics, 2009
- Figure 50: Types of flooring have at home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 51: Number of rooms having carpet at home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 52: Number of rooms having laminate flooring at home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 53: Number of rooms having real wood flooring at home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 54: Number of rooms having ceramic tiles at home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 55: Number of rooms having vinyl at home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 56: Rooms with real wood flooring in home, by number of rooms with real wood flooring at home, March 2010
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- Figure 57: Rooms with ceramic tiles in home, by number of rooms with ceramic tiles at home, March 2010
- Figure 58: Rooms with vinyl in home, by number of rooms with vinyl at home, March 2010
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Appendix – Factors Influencing Choice
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- Figure 59: Factors influencing choice of carpets for home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 60: Factors influencing choice of carpets for home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 61: Factors influencing choice of carpets for home, by demographics March 2010
- Figure 62: Most important factor in choosing carpets for home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 63: Factors influencing choice of hard/smooth flooring for home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 64: Factors influencing choice of hard/smooth flooring for home, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 65: Factors influencing choice of hard/smooth flooring for home, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 66: Most important factor in choosing hard/smooth flooring for home, by demographics, March 2010
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Appendix – Attitudes Towards Flooring
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- Figure 67: Attitudes towards buying floorcoverings, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 68: Attitudes towards buying floorcoverings, by demographics, March 2010
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- Figure 69: Attitudes towards buying floorcoverings, by demographics, March 2010
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Appendix – Target Groups
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- Figure 70: Target buying groups for floorcoverings, by demographics, March 2010
- Figure 71: Attitudes towards buying floorcoverings, by target groups, March 2010
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- Figure 72: Types of flooring have at home, by target groups, March 2010
- Figure 73: Factors influencing choice of carpets for home, by target groups, March 2010
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- Figure 74: Most important factor in choosing carpets for home, by target groups, March 2010
- Figure 75: Factors influencing choice of hard/smooth flooring for home, by target groups, March 2010
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- Figure 76: Most important factor in choosing hard/smooth flooring for home, by target groups, March 2010
- Figure 77: Number of rooms having carpet at home, by target groups, March 2010
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- Figure 78: Number of rooms having laminate flooring at home, by target groups, March 2010
- Figure 79: Number of rooms having real wood flooring at home, by target groups, March 2010
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- Figure 80: Number of rooms having ceramic tiles at home, by target groups, March 2010
- Figure 81: Number of rooms having vinyl at home, by target groups, March 2010
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