Soft flooring soars

Nov 16 2009 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

A STOKESLEY exporter is eyeing growth in the soft flooring market after securing work on a £275m retail development in Scotland.

Flooring specialist Genesis has supplied more than 2,300m of tailor-made movement joints for the tiling of Aberdeen’s 700,000 sq ft Union Square shopping mall.

Now the Teesside firm, which employs 42 staff locally and exports products to more than 70 countries, is looking to boost its presence in the global soft floor market after developing additional products with other manufacturers.

Sales director Mike McCann, who has been with the company 17 years, said: “The new product range will help us to take the next quantum leap in the soft flooring market.

“We’ve always had a soft flooring side to the business but not as strong as we’d have liked.”

The new product range is expected to help boost turnover from £7.2m to £8m-8.5m next year, much of it derived from the UK market.

“The UK (soft flooring) market is probably worth around £25m-30m. We’re also looking to increase our presence in countries like Australia and Germany,” said Mr McCann.

Though the total UK flooring market grew strongly in the early part of the decade, the slowdown in house-building was a cause of concern for flooring specialists, according to information provider Research and Markets.

It added the market was expected to bounce back between 2010 and 2013.

Established more than 20 years ago, Genesis has worked on a string of major projects including Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and sporting stadia in South Africa.

The company specialises in the DiY and retail sector, particularly in the ceramic tiling market.