Retail Therapy: Barefoot Floors

Barefoot Floors’ website greets you with zingy orange and a sense of carefree happiness, which is, of course, exactly what they’re offering their customers. Barefoot Floors are selling a concept, not just flooring and that concept is delivered to the browser through a variety of means, video, photo galleries, personal accounts from all members of staff successfully portraying the team, from CEO to Customer Care as a close-knit, highly enthusiastic group who are all 100% sold on the products and services they can offer.



The widespread use of video and story-telling is a great tool for creating brand awareness and drawing the customer into a world, instead of simply presenting products on a flat page. Consumers will feed off the energy and positive attitude of the team in their personal “barefoot stories” which will encourage them to stay longer on the website and browse a greater variety of products.
Potential buyers can browse flooring by product, by room or by sector. Each sub-category contains a list of links. For example, under “by room”, one finds bedroom, bathroom, garden and pathways etc. For each page, suggestions are made as to the collections best suited to those environments, with examples of layout, design and room themes. There is a video of a customer testimonial where they are also invited to tell their “barefoot story”, linking them with the company and further strengthening the impression that this is a company a customer can have complete trust in and form a solid retailer-client relationship. The video also allows for consumers to see exactly how a barefoot floor can fit in a home and what level of customer service the clients enjoyed.


The Products link takes you to the collections, with a designer or customer testimonial and an inside look at who and what inspired the various designs and colours. Brochures are available to download for every collection.
Barefoot Floors have a list of partners, all of whom reflect their concept of carefree, zen living and individuality. The partnership page for garden designer Bernie Quinn features a flip-book photojournal of a barefoot flooring installation as part of the garden designer’s award-winning garden at the Royal horticultural Show.
The overall aim of the website, therefore, is to sell customers an entire lifestyle, based around a flooring product. The stories, images, videos, flip-books and art installations that fill the pages are perfect for the ADD generation whose attention needs constant fulfilment and variety, but also give the impression that when buying barefoot you are buying so much more than a floor, but buying into happiness, a slice of the team’s perfect world. It may sound far-fetched and pretentious, but twenty minutes of browsing on the website and I still wasn’t bored, although a couple of the staff testimonial videos were a touch too sugary for me.



The product barefoot are selling is genuinely creative, stunning to look at and different enough from the norm to hook you in. No amount of fantastic online marketing can flog a duff product, but everything from the slick website design to the high-quality art work and sheer conviction of everyone connected to the company delivers a powerful retail punch.
The only let down? Some missing links and wrong telephone numbers - easy mistakes to make but shocking on a website of this calibre as well as fundamental information for a buyer.

Barefoot Floors

Sustainable Retail: How can The Flooring Industry Play its Part?

In a future where consumers will demand ever more clarity on a company’s sustainability commitments, the flooring industry can and will play a major role in ensuring the Retail Sector lives up to the green lifestyle it promotes.


The current trend for sustainability is only going to get bigger as consumers become choosier, better informed and more willing to favour sustainable products, or make sustainable lifestyle choices. Housing aside, there is perhaps no area where will this have more impact than in retail, from home furnishings to fashion to food and drink.
Last year’s Ipsos MORI research paper on sustainability in the Retail Sector shows clearly that consumers are asking more and more questions with regard to the products they buy and want to trust that the companies they buy from are committed to the “green” way-of-life extolled on the labels and PR campaigns of the products they sell.
The message that I find key to how this sustainable trend will pan out in the future points out that consumers will soon look beyond the products on the shelves themselves to a commitment to sustainability from the retail space itself.
“A holistic approach and incorporation of sustainable practice into all aspects of the business… will be essential to long term survival”. The retail space will be as important to the customer making green, ethical choices as the products he is buying.
The research also suggests consumers strongly believe that a company that has an overall commitment to sustainability at all levels of business can be trusted to deliver “safe, reliable, good quality products.”
So what does this all mean for the flooring industry?
If retail spaces are going to have to physically reflect the ethos of the company or brand that inhabit them, specifiers working on refurbishment or initial design will have to choose sustainable flooring solutions which satisfy rigorous criteria and help a company demonstrate to consumers that they are prepared to “live and work” the lifestyle they promote.
Not that consumers are currently walking into Topshop and demanding to know where the wood flooring in the changing room is sourced from, but one day, they may well be. A brief glimpse through design magazines, architectural journals and government reports on future builds drive this message of consumer awareness home. Products featured on their pages are no longer simply listed for what they are, but where they are sourced, what certifications they carry that guarantee their manufacturer’s commitments to greener practices, and their recyclability. I predict a not-too-distant future where product branding encompasses the WHOLE package; from the space a product is seen and sold in to the lifestyles of the staff and management teams behind that product or store.

The flooring industry has long championed sustainability. As Contract Floors reported when it went to meet Ray Anderson of InterfaceFLOR, many in the floor manufacturing business predicted the current market trend for sustainable products as far as twenty years ago and changed not only their products accordingly, but also their manufacturing processes, waste management systems, company best practice policies and CSR (corporate social responsibility) targets.
I receive more emails in my inbox informing me of new green developments in flooring or a company recently being awarded a “sustainability award’ of come kind than any other topic. Most of all, I read about retail spaces choosing flooring on the basis of its sustainability, on the basis of its ability to reflect the direction and eco-targets the company has set itself. Consumer flooring brochures now feature a company’s “green” commitments on the first couple of pages, rather than as an afterthought at the back.
The flooring industry can play a major role in a retailer’s sustainability agenda, a role that benefits both the retail sector and itself, and we can all agree that right now, in these two arenas, and in the fight for more sustainable living, every little helps.

(l-r) TopShop flooring by Amtico, and Amtico again in Primark Stores.

And to answer the burning question about that Topshop flooring… It is supplied by Amtico.
"Amtico International works closely with the Arcadia Group and has provided flooring for a number of its Topshop stores." says Sian Lewis, Amtico International's UK marketing manager. I spoke to David Wright, Marketing Director at design consultants Dalziel and Pow UK who recently worked with Topshop and also on a new flagship Primark store in Bristol –pictured- which also features elegant Amtico flooring: “The walkways are laid in a
brick bond format as a point of difference to sales areas. Most departments are a combination of the Limestone Calico tile and tiles from the Microspec range. The lingerie dept uses a tile from the new Back to Black range laid in a quarter turn format.”



Amtico's Back To Black Range


Over the past decade a new seamless flooring solution has been nesting quietly in the development stages waiting for the right moment to present itself as the most desirable, futuristic, concept inspired design to hit the interior design and architectural industry, introducing Galaxy by SEC UK.


Galaxy by South East Coatings UK, in a shoe shop in Weybridge. Zingy!

The latest trend for refurbishment and individuality has broadened the appeal for designer resin flooring in retail, leisure and domestic properties seeking artistic, individual designs or floors in specific colours. Galaxy creates functional and spectacular statements reflecting individuality. The creativity of the design is only limited by your imagination.

From subtle pearl tones to dynamic fashion design, no two projects are alike, as the process is a result of chemical interaction which means each is an interpretation of the chosen colour within the application process, base or background colour and top coats create unique finishes that differ on every application.

Our latest twist in designer flooring pushes the technology of resins in a different direction. This new system incorporates metallic and/or pearlescent pigments. Each floor, each mix and every finish is as individual as the people who choose it. The chemistry that makes this possible means that no two finishes are alike, creating spectacular floors with a “wow” factor that can be as subtle or as bold as you like.

Premier manufacturer of commercial flooring systems, ARDEX UK, and flooring contractors, Hull Flooring Limited, joined forces to provide the ideal flooring solution for a large new toy store in Birmingham.


Ardex at Smyths Toy Store in Birmingham

Smyths Toys Superstores is a leading provider of children's entertainment products with 12 stores throughout Great Britain. To commence the 1200m2 installation, ARDEX K 11 Levelling and Smoothing Compound was applied to provide a smooth and flat surface. Developed for use from 1.5 and 10mm thickness, ARDEX K 11 is a cost effective solution for levelling and smoothing sub-floors such as cement/sand screeds, gypsum screeds and concrete. Fast track projects benefit from ARDEX K 11 as it is hard enough to walk on only 2½ hours after application and final floorcoverings such as vinyl, linoleum, carpet etc., can normally be applied the next day at 20°C. In addition, it can also be used with underfloor heating systems and is fully compatible with the comprehensive range of screeds, repair mortars, DPM’s and floorcovering adhesives from ARDEX.

To conclude, ARDEX AF 100 Pressure Sensitive Acrylic Flooring Adhesive was used to fix Polyflor Mystique PUR vinyl sheet throughout the retail areas, with Polyflor Polyflex Plus vinyl tiles installed to ‘back of house’. With built-in benefits including its solvent free formulation, very low odour and high yield, ARDEX AF 100 has an outstanding reputation for impressive on-site performance, and as a result, has become the flooring industry’s preferred pressure sensitive adhesive.

The team at creative interior designers, Forster Inc, challenged innovative carpet tile company, Burmatex, to create a high impact floor for its Shoreditch showroom to prove once and for all that carpet tiles have shed their former reputation and are now accepted by the A&D community as a design-centric tool for adding personality and dimension to any commercial interior scheme.


Burmatex at Forster's in Shoreditch, quirky, funky designs

Working with Burmatex’s design consultant, Alastair Scott, Forster Inc chose colours to match its brand identity and products to provide a memorable welcome for visitors. Taking the carpet tiles out of their comfort zone, the stunning scheme even has Burmatex’s award winning product, Lateral, running up the showroom’s wall in striking orange tone, Mandarin Duck, and spilling out on to the streets of Shoreditch.

Burmatex’s brand manager, Becky Peters, continues: “We have a natural synergy with design led companies such as Forster Inc, which, like us, believes that good things are not only those that have aesthetic beauty, but are designed to work. Carpet tiles are a durable and flexible flooring product that can really reflect the personality of the people that use a space. As well as being BRE A-rated, Burmatex carpet tiles all have a ten year wear guarantee so fit the bill perfectly.”

Retail Therapy: www.beautifulflooring.co.uk

Beautiful Flooring online launched just a few months ago and is already popular with visitors with encouraging site monitoring stats to prove it.
The website is the brainchild of Paul Phillips and his team. Paul, who aside from overseeing his own shop, Sunniva Carpeting, in Tunbridge Wells which he opened in 1990, is Managing Director of Bond Retail Marketing Ltd. a sales, marketing and design consultancy serving the carpet and rug industry.

The first thing that strikes me as I log onto the website is how clean and unfussy it is. There are no pop-ups, no overabundance of information, just good quality photography, bold links and a clear interface. The style is reminiscent of a Homes & Gardens-type magazine, probably most appealing to a female client. This, of course, is a stroke of genius. A recent report on women’s online shopping habits, specific to the flooring industry, published in US trade mag National Floor Trends reveals that women are the predominant users of the Internet for domestic purchases. They are better at navigating sites and the majority choose the floor coverings they want to buy before even setting foot in a store, preferring to research and make a choice based on the information found online. In order to do this, they require strong visuals, the possibility of viewing a carpet in-situ, no “hidden cost” prices and inspiration. More than 50% of women visit a retailer’s website before heading to the store and tend only to visit the retailer whose website they find pleasing in terms of “look and content”. Looking good and giving relevant but simple information is key to tapping in to this huge emerging market of shoppers.
www.beautifulflooring.co.uk is designed to inspire above all, to allow the customer to save his/her choices for future reference, and it directs customers to the store, encouraging the consumer to communicate with the retailer for advice and the handling of the purchase.
This is not to say that the website would only appeal to female consumers, it offers such a simple, effective online ordering service and clear instructions that any consumer, male or female, even with a limited understanding of online shopping would be able to successfully purchase their desired floor covering using this website. Visuals and focus on design gives the feeling of buying into an entire lifestyle, rather than just a carpet or a rug, a complete online experience to match those offered by clothing retailers or interior design services.
Users can browse through three main sections: Rugs, Carpet and Other Flooring (vinyl, laminate, etc.), where they can make choices based on brand, colour or style. Again, good interior photography draws the customer in, encouraging them to linger on the site. The My Flooring option allows users to save their choices in a “wishlist” for future reference if they can’t decide on a particular floor. If you have made a choice, you can input the square meterage you require (for carpet), or choose from a variety of sizes and shapes (for rugs), receive an instant price quote before heading to checkout. Customers buying rugs automatically have underlay added to their shopping basket with the option of removing it before paying.

The Beautiful Flooring website becomes personalised to the client based on postcode input and a short message appears before heading to the checkout reminding customers that their local retailer can help with measuring and advice on underlays, runners, stairrods etc. subsequently driving customers into the retailer’s store and adding a human dimension to an otherwise complete online service.
The slide out Imagine Zone is designed to open up clients to new ideas and to showcase interesting designs under different “themes”. Like a mood board of sorts, I initially wasn’t sure I liked it, or understood what its purpose was, until I realised that the appeal of the Imagine Zone is precisely that: it incites curiosity and keeps you on the site.
Statistics reveal that visitors clearly love the look of the site and enjoy browsing, both the bounce rate and average page views beat the industry average. As time goes by, Paul will monitor statistics and gather data on search criteria by visitor to adapt and grow the appeal.
Beautiful Flooring /
www.beautifulflooring.co.uk