Research and Markets: The Contract Floorcovering Market in Great Britain Has Performed Well In the Period Up Until 2008

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c27490/the_contract_floor) has announced the addition of the "The Contract Floorcovering Market in Great Britain in Two Volumes" report to their offering.

Volume 1 gives market size data and analyses on contract carpets, contract resilient (vinyls etc.) and industrial and other contract floorcoverings in Great Britain.

Volume 2 shows attitudes to floorcoverings and to the major manufacturers supplying into the market.

• Base Year 2007
• Analyses by product type (i.e. type of carpet, vinyl etc.) and building sector
• Other product details e.g. type of pile fibre printed or plain carpets etc
• Past trends and forecast to 2012
• 77 major tables and 153 charts

After a good period of sustained growth, the contract floorcovering market is set to stutter over next two years

Palmer Market Research has published its latest comprehensive findings on the contract floorcovering market in the Great Britain* and the short term future will be less favourable.

The last report for this sector was published in 2004 and overall, the market has performed well in the period up until 2008. However, Palmer predicts that the future for this diverse sector looks set to see a decline with uncertainty in the private sector, in particular, leading to less activity.

Examining the market by product and sector, the report has found that the total contract floorcovering market in Great Britain in 2007 reached 78.4 million sq m, a record high. It was 14% higher than in 2003, and outperformed the predictions in the previous Palmer report, when it was expected that the market would reach 74.3 million sq m.

The floorcovering market (which excludes retail products bought by homeowners) is again divided into three areas:

• Resilient
• Carpet
• Other (ceramic tiles, wood, laminates, seamless resin terrazzo, etc.)

Resilient The report notes that of the three main floorcovering categories, resilient notched up the best performance by recording a 31% increase to 24.4 million sq m of the overall market; a 4% rise in market share since 2003. This impressive achievement means that it was the highest recorded level since 1981 and Palmer believes is probably an all-time record.

Carpet However, over the same four-year period, carpet recorded only a 4% increase to 38.9 million sq m over the same four-year period, although this made up for the appalling figures between 2000 and 2003. Carpet's share of the market declined from 54% in 2003 to 50% in 2007. But this overall trend masks an 8% decline in rolls and a 24% increase in tiles.

Other Leaving aside carpet and resilient, other floorcoverings showed a creditable, collective growth of 17% to 15.1 million sq m between 2003 and 2007, but the total share of the market remained unchanged, standing at 19%.

Palmer believes that allowing for a period of exceptionally high growth, the recent turbulence in the financial markets has, inevitably, led to some concern for the future of the contract floorcovering market. "Indeed it is hard to keep up with the increasingly rapid pace of events," noted Robert Palmer. "In particular, the biggest sector, commercial offices will, we forecast, be the hardest hit. Already, there are signs of a cutback and this will only worsen in 2009. Other private sector work will not be immune as the financial problems spread to the wider economy." Even allowing for the public sector remaining relatively strong, a 2% drop in the overall market is forecast for the whole of 2008, followed by 4% next year before stabilisation occurs in 2010. Volume 2 of the report is devoted to trends in the decision making process and an attitude study into the major carpet and resilient manufacturers.

The author of this report is available to provide a personal presentation of its results at an extra cost. If you wish to receive this presentation, please enquire after purchase.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c27490/the_contract_floor