Commercial Flooring: Buy British... Shop Local
When it comes to flooring Britain has it made. There is a plethora of flooring manufacturers right at our finger tips producing anything from the on-trend multitudes of natural fibre flooring available for commercial use, to the lesser known almost 100% natural marmoleum, whose popularity over old fashioned ‘Lino’ is increasing hugely with the need for sanitized floors.
Buying British is probably more in our focus this year than it was last. When you take into consideration the disruptions in the supply chains caused by the Pandemic and now at check points in Europe due to Brexit. Lead times for products have become uncertain and product orders are cancelled at last minute. With a carefully planned project and all your contractors in place, the last thing you want is for the whole thing to be held up because your floor is on a slow boat from ‘somewhere.’ Most British manufacturers can supply hard flooring, carpets and rugs for your project usually within days and at the very most a couple of weeks… unless of course you are going for something extra special like a bespoke carpet design woven to your specifications where the design element will add a little to the order time rather than the manufacturing. Buying British therefore means that your rush job can be expedited in time for you to open you doors on schedule.
British businesses are world renowned for providing excellent quality control in our factories and warehouses. Keeping everything within one country means quality can be monitored and checked continually, shipping can be tracked more easily and manufacturing problems can be solved more quickly.
Some of the British products that we will show you for your projects are not only crafted in Britain but the raw materials are also produced in Britain. We have several carpet manufacturers who actually ‘grow’ their own wool on their own farms using different breeds of sheep to produce a selection of natural wool colours and textures, which are then blended and woven to produce a wide range of natural fibre carpets.
Natural flooring is ‘all the rage’ right now in the new ‘health conscious’ office designs that have been springing up since the Pandemic.
It doesn’t take a lot to realize that buying a product produced in Britain not only cuts down on the time it takes to get to you but it also stimulates the economy providing jobs from the farm hands who care for the sheep, to the weaver who produces the cloth and the driver that brings it to our door. Commercial companies on the whole are becoming much more aware of the environmental and social factors surrounding the products they use and so buying British would make an excellent choice if this is where your company mind set is. It will serve to lower you carbon footprint too, due tosignificantly reduced transposition costs.
The same goes for ‘shopping locally’ only on a smaller scale. Using a locally ‘grown’ company stimulates the economy in the very region that surrounds and supports you.The Pandemic and Brexit has not only disrupted distribution but also the local economy with jobs being lost, businesses closed, while the big online companies and multi-nationals eat up the competition and market share. In the end this will come back to bite us on a local level if we don’t pay attention.
For your next project why not consider using a smaller local company? A local company will naturally use local suppliers and local contractors all of whom are there to stand by their products. For instance a multi-generational company such as Peter Green has employed thousands of people from Southampton/Chandlers Ford area over the sixty five years since it’s inception. Not only is the company multi-generational but so is the staff! Daughters have followed mothers and likewise grandsons their grandfathers. The advantages of using a company like ours is that you are only ever one person away from the owner and so the service you receive will be top quality and attentive. Our staff care because we are all part of one big family and as such we will treat you with the time and respect your project deserves, which brings this story right back to the beginning, because we use many of the British manufacturers mentioned above with which we have held trusted relationships for over six decades. So why not try ‘Shopping Local’ with our skilled and creative Commercial Contracts team and ‘Buy British’ with us at the same time!
- 22nd April 2021