Axminster Carpets in Administration
Wed 17th April 2013 by Burts Carpets | posted in carpets
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Earlier this year it was announced that Axminster Carpets of Devon had applied to go into administration. This was a shock to many people but here at Floors4Home we were not too surprised.
Axminster have been making high quality carpets in a traditional method for many years and are known world wide for producing a quality floorcovering. Whilst many commentators have pointed the sufferings of the company towards the decline of the traditional patterned carpet market, whilst this must have been a major factor, we do not believe it to be the main problem.
Many companies in the flooring industry have not embraced modern technology and in particular the internet. It is a fact that the modern consumer increasingly wants to be able to research, select and order their home products online. This is true in the flooring market as it is in the electrical (ask Comet) or music (ask HMV) sectors.
Axminster's product ranges do not meet the requirements of the "new consumer". This growing market want a fashionable flooring that is easy to buy online and is at a competitive price. At Floors4Home we believe it is prolific growth of online selling that has caused the problems.
In our retail industry the large majority of carpet shops are independently owned and are run in a traditional way. The internet is seen as a threat as online competition drives prices down and makes quality flooring accessible accross the country. At Floors4Home we have low overheads as we are based in the North East and we have huge buying power. This means we can offer our cheap carpets for delivery all over the country.
The first bit of good news is that all consumers should benefit from quality carpets at low prices. The other good news is Axminster Carpets will live to fight another day - a consortium led by a private investor, Stephen Boyd, acquired the business "as a going concern" from the administrators Duff and Phelps and began trading again earlier this month.