A County Durham flooring firm is planning to open 25 stores next year as part of a massive expansion strategy.
Bishop Auckland’s Flooring Superstore is planning to double its number of stores in 2021, bringing its total number of sites to 50.
The company has spent the last three years expanding its business by opening 25 stores across England, Scotland and Wales, but plans to open the same again in just 12 months.
The expansion will see Flooring Superstore invest millions of pounds in its business and create more than 100 new jobs.
Flooring Superstore is planning to open new stores in major towns and cities, where it can service large populations. Upcoming store openings are planned in Lincoln, Norwich and Orpington.
Chris Barber, chief retail officer at Flooring Superstore, said: “We now have stores stretching from Edinburgh down to the south coast of England. We are aiming to increase this further in 2021 so we have full coverage across the whole of the UK.
“The South East and Greater London are among our key target areas, but there are also several other large urban and retail centres on our radar.
“Opening 25 stores throughout 2021 will help further cement our position as a market leader in the retail flooring sector.”
Flooring Superstore first launched online in 2012 but began opening stores in 2017. It now has branches in Newcastle, Edinburgh, London, Bristol, and Birmingham, among other locations.
The last 12 months have been the company’s most profitable period after it saw a surge in demand from people carrying out home DIY projects and buying flooring during the pandemic.
Mr Barber added: “We were already really well positioned online and now have become the only flooring retailer with a bricks and mortar presence as well as an exceptionally strong e-commerce platform.
“As our competitors closed down their businesses due to the lock-down restrictions, we directed customers to our online platforms and continued with our expansion plans.
“This omni-channel strategy has worked really well; bringing online prices to the high street and having multiple channels available for customers to engage with us and ultimately purchase.”
