CFJ spoke to several flooring companies, including contractors and manufacturers, asking them what their predictions are for 2022. Here are the results:
Nick Perkins, sales director, Loughton Contracts
We’re expecting 2022 to be a tough year in some areas based on the way the country has suffered in the last six months. 2021 has been a busy year for us, but it has been a very hard one to maintain profit margin at the levels that projects were secured at once they get to site. Price increases have become a daily problem and as manufacturers are not willing to fix rates for more than a few months, it’s only getting worse.
Ultimately, the risk is being taken on by those who are happy to accept it and in an ever-changing construction market, that’s not something many are prepared to bear the weight of. Rising costs in transport are likely to remain as we head through the start of the new year and we are already seeing substantial price increases in products that are shipped from the Far East. Labour is at a premium and the shortage of good quality installers remains a problem we need to try to solve.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom as we are seeing a large number of enquiries coming through the door on a daily basis. Our tender list is busier than ever and our order book and pipeline for next year and beyond are very healthy. If we can manage to navigate our way around the problems we foresee then 2022 should be a successful one.
Louise Walters, commercial director, Designer Contracts
As the UK’s largest flooring contractor, supply and installation across the UK is keeping us busy and we’re working hard to keep up with demand and to prepare well to deal with the predicted growth into 2022. Our strategy has always been to invest heavily in significant stockholding levels – and given current supply issues, this has never been more important.
The skills and labour shortage is also a huge challenge for the flooring industry at the moment so we’re excited to be taking on our first cohort of flooring apprentices in January 2022 to help to boost our fitting capacity and to invest in this crucial element of our industry. Although we’re still living in challenging times, I’m looking at 2022 with renewed vigour after what’s been a tremendously difficult year.
David Papworth, general manager, Junckers
I predict the economy will recover strongly in 2022 and foresee government spending on education and the NHS to fund improvement and new facilities. I anticipate higher interest from architects and specifiers in sustainable products, with another strong year of growth for Junckers.
Fleur Carson, director of commercial sales, Karndean Designflooring
Since the pandemic our behaviours, attitudes, and expectations have all been evolving alongside our relationships with each other and the natural world. Many have attempted to define this new normal and predict what it may look like. I see our world of architecture, interiors, and construction as vital to this transformation because these will be physical expressions of our new normal. I’m excited to see how this plays out and how we will balance our new lifestyle.
Drawing on our ethos of design as an endless journey of discovery, in 2022 Karndean Designflooring will continue to cultivate expertise in key sectors and improve our flexible portfolio of colours, designs, formats, and technical attributes. Our new products and innovative digital tools will support our clients at each stage of their specification journey.
While we’re still finding our feet again after the disruption of 2021, with volatile supply chains and labour shortages as well as inflation and transportation challenges, the flooring industry has proven itself very resilient and so, for those businesses that are agile and bold enough, I’m confident that we will see a sense of optimism, trust, and growth.
Rob Eckersley, director, The Solid Wood Flooring Company
2022 has the potential to be an exciting year for all, with businesses looking to maximise opportunities as (hopefully) the pandemic eases. Architects and designers are creating bold and clever plans for forthcoming developments which focus on sustainable materials.
Sustainability is at the heart of what we do; we celebrate as more and more people work to protect the environment. This isn’t to say 2022 will not be without its trails, the significantly increased cost of shipping and availability of equipment, let alone the driver shortage are daily problems we’re all dealing with.
As we’re all in this situation, which is largely out of our control, we can instead focus on areas within our control. 2022 should see some healthy reworking on business structures, ordering processes, working methods, and so on. While the process of doing this is not always ‘fun’ the benefits can be massive.
At The Solid Wood Flooring Company, we’ve worked throughout the pandemic and have been constantly reviewing and improving our processes to ensure continuity of service. We have continued to offer timely and effective solutions to all our clients and we are looking forward to welcoming the new year and all its exciting possibilities.
