The Natural Wood Floor Company has opened a Brighton branch as part of an expansion programme expected to include a further three outlets in London and southern England during the next year.
The Wandsworth-based firm has invested about £100,000 converting a building on Freshfields Business Park, Brighton into a 4,000ft2 showroom and warehouse.
It said the town was a natural choice for a new store, due to a dramatic growth in orders from the area during the past two years.
The outlet will look after sales and deliveries in the south-east region, leaving Wandsworth to concentrate on London and beyond.
Managing director Peter Keane said: “This is a very exciting time for the Natural Wood Floor Company, as it is our first store outside London.”
He said the aim was to “encircle” London and serve southern England. Further sites are being examined, including a location at the Staples Corner junction of the M1 and A5/north circular.
Mr Keane described the timber flooring market as buoyant but not as booming as it hadbeen due to a slowdown in the building supplies sector. “But we seem to be holding our own,” he added.
The Natural Wood Flooring Company, which has a 90,000ft2 manufacturing plant in eastern Europe, has recently supplied hardwood counters to the National Portrait Gallery and oak plank flooring to the Spaniard’s Inn on Hampstead Heath.
