THIS year Cormar Carpets celebrates its 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of British manufacturing, family values and what it describes as commitment to the flooring trade.
The company was founded in 1956 by Neville Cormack, after buying his first tufted carpet machines at an industrial machinery exhibition in Manchester, the previous year. He was 26 at the time and had been working for Greenwood and Coope, the textiles component supplier of which his father had been finance director.
Rather than buying one machine though, he bought two – a brave decision for a young man that knew relatively little about carpet, but as he said throughout his life, ‘no one else knew much about tufted carpet in those days’, as it had only recently been invented in the US.
It proved to be a good decision as it gave him an opportunity to be a pioneer at the start of a revolution in the way carpet was produced, with tufted carpet much quicker and less expensive to produce than woven. From those small beginnings at Nunn Hills Mill in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire, the company quickly expanded to a larger site, Brookhouse Mill, in 1959, from which Cormar still trades today.
Throughout the early years of the ‘60s and ‘70s as demand for tufted carpet continued to grow, the company expanded with a warehouse in Swanley and then the company amalgamated the contracted delivery fleet into its own in-house transport fleet. Even to this day all Cormar’s fleet of over 70 vehicles are owned by the company.
Towards the end of the 20th century, the company focused more on delivery; to make it a point of difference between itself and competitors. Then in 2017 the company expanded again, moving into its 130,000sq ft distribution warehouse in Hemel Hempstead to service its customers in southern England.
From fairly humble beginnings, Cormar has grown to be the largest single independent carpet manufacturer in the UK, employing over 400 people at its mills and distribution centres, together with a sales team in excess of 30 covering the UK and Ireland.
People and family
Part of the company’s success has undoubtedly been its family business philosophy and the amazing team of people working behind the scenes to ensure a first-class service for customers, whether in the sales team out in the field, on the road delivering carpet, or in the offices and mills.
Driving that philosophy, at the helm Neville Cormack worked in the business for just over 50 years as MD, then chairman, joined in 1987 by his son David. That said, the company has always valued external, non-family expertise.
In the mid-‘90s David Judge joined as MD. During his tenure the company accelerated its expansion and more recently in 2024, Paul Barratt joined as CEO. The firm is still very much a family business as Edward Polito, Neville’s grandson joined as commercial director in 2023 and Helen Polito, his mother, remains as chairman.
Products
From its early days of producing narrow width carpet, the company has moved and developed its product base in line with the market. Initially producing synthetic carpet, with lines such as Carousel and 4 Star, by the latter part of the 20th century it was principally producing wool carpet for the dominant wool twist market, with its Warwick range being one of the standout collections.
However, after 2010 Cormar moved once again into synthetic carpets with the launch of Sensation, the first of the soft style carpet ranges, together with its popular Primo easy clean twist ranges. Today the company has a balanced portfolio of wool and man-made fibre cut and loop pile ranges, all principally focused on the residential market.
Over the years, Cormar has won more than 50 trade awards and was once again voted best carpet manufacturer by readers of Interiors Monthly, securing the title for a remarkable 13th consecutive year. Its new Silken Serenity range also secured the accolade of best bedroom flooring at the Ideal Home Awards 2026.
Investment
Throughout its long history its position couldn’t have been sustained without continued investment, made possible by sustained profitability. Both at its Holme Mill and Brookhouse Mill sites, machinery is constantly updated along with the IT infrastructure across the sites. The award-winning Trade Portal is also continually refreshed, remaining a firm favourite among carpet retailers, with 70% of Cormar customers now placing orders via the 24/7 online service.
With distribution taking place via the two regional distribution centres in Hemel Hempstead and Bury, the fleet of over 70 distribution vehicles has a rolling replacement programme, to ensure a fast, reliable delivery service to customers, alongside a growing network of over 40 Collection Centres across the UK and Ireland which offer next day collection, among many other benefits.
Sustainability
Cormar says it continues to play a leading role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable and circular flooring industry, becoming the first major carpet manufacturer to achieve full certification from Innovate Recycle for its polypropylene ranges – now recognised as 100% recyclable and awarded its Tuft Accreditation.
By working in close partnership with industry bodies and continually refining production efficiencies across its Lancashire mills, Cormar says it’s demonstrating premium quality and environmental responsibility can and should go hand-in-hand.
Summary
‘Celebrating 70 years of Cormar Carpets is a hugely proud moment for everyone in the business,’ says David Cormack. ‘From starting out as a family-run company and evolving into one of the UK’s leading carpet manufacturers, we’ve always stayed committed to the values that defined us – quality, service and reliability. This milestone is a tribute to the dedication of our colleagues, the loyalty of our retail partners and the continued support of customers who’ve embraced Cormar carpets in their homes.’
www.cormarcarpets.co.uk
