Wood flooring is here to stay and solid wood flooring is potentially a huge opportunity for timber merchants.

Those were among the comments from exhibitors at the recent London Contract Flooring Show (CFS).

The show itself, a number of exhibitors acknowledged, was nothing much to write home about. Visitor numbers were down and at least a couple of exhibitors were doubtful about returning in 2004. In fact, the organisers themselves said they would take a “good look” at the future of the event.

But the consensus was that the show’s problems were nothing to do with the market, more the consequence of the compact Novotel venue, the timing (just days before the bigger Brighton flooring show) and the feeling that the UK has too many flooring events generally.

Hot prospects

That said, flooring producers and suppliers at the CFS said that the visitors they did get (mainly contractors, but with a fair representation of architects, specifiers and designers) were hot prospects. It may be an exhibition cliché, but it did seem to be quality over quantity. “We had a target of good leads and on the second day we’re just two off it,” said Allan Duncan, sales and marketing manager at manufacturer and sawmiller Charltons.

Like other exhibitors he was positive that rising timber floor sales are far more than a flash in the pan fashion.

“We introduced our solid oak flooring about a year ago and we’re very pleased with our progress. We’re hopeful we can make flooring 30% of our turnover in the next couple of years.”

With the added sales hook that the company’s oak (it uses both English and Continental) is shortly to be FSC– or PEFC-certified, Charltons has been selling to contractors and developers and, as business develops, may look at distribution via merchants. “We’ve also got a shop in Radstock which sells direct to the public,” said Mr Duncan.

The company used the show to unveil its new pre-finished range. “We’re having the flooring finished by Woods of Wales using wax oil and UV lacquer,” said Mr Duncan. “We expect this launch to boost our flooring sales by 50%.”

He anticipated the market as a whole to grow by at least 3% a year for the next five years. “We’ve seen very strong growth in recent years in laminates and engineered wood floors and now we’re seeing solid floor sales picking up riding on their coat tails.”

Tony Lancaster, UK sales manager for Germany-based Terhürne was just as upbeat.

&#8220The independent merchant is the ideal outlet for solid timber flooring in particular – it’s a special product and they have the specialist knowledge that carpet shops just don’t have. It’s a massive opportunity for them and it would be a mistake for them not to capitalise”

Tony Lancaster, UK sales manager, Terhürne

Last autumn his company opened a new £500,000 UK base (with parent Gründorf) near Droitwich, complete with a customer training centre. “We’re not carrying stock, but we’ve got 1 million m2 in Germany and stockholding in Holland sending three dispatches a week to the UK,” said Mr Lancaster.

Terhürne supplies engineered wood flooring and laminates but it is putting an increasing effort into solid flooring following its takeover of Dutch producer Tarkim in 2000 and a key focus on the stand was a heavyweight 20mm aged oak.

Terhürne is focusing its sales of flooring – and the new ceiling and wall paneling range on display at the CFS – on timber merchants and has helped set up 80 showrooms at independents round the country.

“The independent merchant is the ideal outlet for solid timber flooring in particular – it’s a special product and they have the specialist knowledge that carpet shops just don’t have,” said Mr Lancaster. “It’s a massive opportunity for them and it would be a mistake for them not to capitalise.”

British Wood Floors (BWF), which was showing its new Versailles panels and 14mm solid oak clip system, also had reason for optimism. Last year it beat its budget and, according to the company’s Mick Mellor, sales are still growing.

Unusual species

“We’re finding growing interest in more unusual species like wenge, wych elm and jatoba – and also in our decorative two-line borders which mix light and dark species. This shows the market maturing – it is a real opportunity for the quality merchant.”

BWF now carries 4,000-5,000m2 of flooring stock, backed by £6m of timber at its parent, and is taking on major orders. “One of our latest sales is 1,200m2 of American red elm for the Reiss fashion chain,” said Mr Mellor.

Underlining its positive feelings about the sector, the Natural Wood Company (NWC) has spent £1.6m on a new finishing line at its mill in eastern Europe. “We’ve also recently put in two Weinig moulders and kilns and now employ 150 people at the facility,” said the NWC’s Kevin Keane.

A newcomer to the market was London-based Hema.com which has secured UK distribution for engineered and solid flooring from Mohawk, one of the biggest producers in the US. “We’re carrying product in the UK and this is backed up by stockholding in Holland,” said Hema’s Satish Parekh.

Also unveiling an intriguing product was Black River Timber. Its super-heated Thermowood range is sourced from western Finnish mills and Saija Nakari of the Wood from Finland agency was on hand to promote it. “Thermowood’s stability makes it perfect for flooring,” she said. “We’re promoting it to merchants, retailers and flooring contractors and we’re translating a Finnish handbook on its technical properties for architects and specifiers. It has tremendous potential in the UK.”