These past two years have flown by for the industrious team at D&S Carpets. Although the uncertainty of Brexit was reflected in a slowish start to 2018, the second half saw the business flourish and has followed suit this year.
Director Stuart Dall said: “Sales increased almost 40 per cent from the same period last year. Domestic sales have been consistently good, but we saw a big increase in the commercial side which we are very pleased with, and are continuing to build on.”
Dave Brown, also a director, continued: “Although we are well known for being a large stockist of carpets and vinyl, we offer a lot more, fitting all types of flooring including carpets, vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles, safety flooring, natural flooring, laminate and solid woods.
“During the upcoming Christmas rush we have up to 13 fitters working to ensure jobs will be completed in time for the big day. Credit goes to our fantastic store manager Sam Dall and her team for getting all the organisation in place and all that will go into Christmas planning again this year.”
D&S Carpets have been investing in the business throughout the last couple of years. Laying new carpets, vinyl and other floorings in the showroom has helped showcase more products, with glossy new graphics and sale cards giving the store a classy new look. Sam said: “Riverbank Estate was redeveloped last year and looks fabulous, so the time was right to improve things inside as well. Our customers were extremely patient during the refurbishment and are very complimentary now it’s complete. They have a much better experience when they visit, with more to see.”
Additionally, computer systems have been overhauled to improve stock control, process orders more efficiently, and reduce paper use. A new five-metre-wide rack has been added in the warehouse, which is great news for customers, as Stuart explains: “We used to order five-metre width carpets in specially, which meant higher prices for customers. Now we can offer selected wider-width carpets at stock price, sometimes up to 30 per cent cheaper.
“A huge change to the business came in July this year when we secured Hitachi finance to offer 0 per cent Interest free credit to our customers. This has brought another huge option for our customers to spread the cost of any new flooring purchase, subject to terms and conditions. This has been received very well and it’s great for us to be able to offer different options to our customers to enable them to achieve the look and flooring they desire. We hope this momentum will continue into 2020.”
Dave added: “After expanding our fitting team, we plan to recruit further sales / administration staff in January. This will ease the pressure on our shop floor and allow our sales staff to sell.”
With three successful apprenticeships under their belts, they are also looking to continue this success by recruiting a new apprentice in the new year. So, with a new look, more staff, more fitters and more choice than ever before, what are you waiting for, go on down and see D&S!
D&S Carpets, 12 Hurstlake Road, Riverway, Newport. IW. Tel: 01983 533150 www.dscarpets.co.uk