Record sales and strengthened delivery partnership proves invaluable during Covid-19 lockdown

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 1 July 2020

UPDATED: 1 July 2020

Factory Direct Flooring’s partnership with Pall-Ex and its network of members is a recipe for success in tough times

A flooring company based in the Midlands has revealed it’s hit record online sales due to an uplift of home DIY alongside a strong partnership with a top logistics firm.

 

Factory Direct Flooring has seen a 40% increase of online orders to households since the beginning of lockdown, which they attribute to both people wanting to lay their own flooring, and their strong partnership ties with Pall-Ex and their local shareholder member Wynwood Logistics who have hit service targets and their high standards consistently during this time.

Paul Hambidge, founder and Managing Director of Factory Direct Flooring said: “During such difficult times we were determined to make our business work even more effectively than before. With such a huge uplift in online sales, especially in people wanting to fit their own flooring, we knew that not only would our products perform but equally needed to make sure that from factory floor to their floors, it had to be perfect.

 

“Pall-Ex and their entire pallet network have just been incredible throughout this period, and despite everything, their service level has gone up. Alongside this, deliveries have been on time to our customers, they have been incredibly attentive, and our partnership with local member Wynwood has meant they have supported our unprecedented growth and we have had high customer satisfaction rates, which is everything we could wish for,” he added.

 

During the height of the Lockdown period, Factory Direct Flooring saw a 55% increase in website users and a 40% increase in orders.

 

“People wanted more affordable DIY laminate flooring that could be fitted by anyone, and we saw a 73% uplift in this as customers didn’t want to use flooring fitters or have workmen in their homes.”

 

It was this high increase in sales which cemented the partnership with the Pall-Ex network even further, and it has been their ability to handle different freight sizes, adaptability and traceability of all stock out for delivery has been invaluable.

 

“It is all about having trust in who you use. I initially partnered with them in 2008, and since then have tried different companies. However, it was Pall-Ex who stood out a mile and these last three years with them has been incredible and I couldn’t thank them enough for supporting our business and equally helping our growth,” he said.

 

Jamie Baptie, Managing Director at Wynwood Logistics, Factory Direct Flooring’s local Pall-Ex member, said: “It has been a challenging time for businesses in every industry, so we’re proud to be able to support a local company as they adapt to changing customer needs and thrive under these difficult circumstances.

 

“The pallet model is designed to scale deliveries up or down, depending on need, so our team is well experienced in adapting to a sudden increase in deliveries, while maintaining quality of service and an excellent customer experience. Our tracking and visibility technology, MyNexus, also provides customers with the delivery information they need, which also helps to reduce enquiries to Factory Direct Flooring’s customer service team.”

 

Factory Direct Flooring, which has been running for 32 years, has a retail store in Hinckley and warehouses in Nuneaton. As a result of such growth over the past 17 months, has increased its storage size to 20,000 square foot to keep up with orders

 

Carpet World, its sister company and also run by Mr Hambidge first opened its doors in 1988, with Factory Direct Flooring opening in 2008 and supply wood, vinyl and laminate flooring, along with carpet, to retailers, commercial sites and residential customers throughout the UK.

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