SALES at a Coventry flooring store have increased by almost 15% following a £20,000 new investment in the store.

The investment by fast-growing Connection Retail saw a third brand, Flooring Superstore, added to its 5,000 square foot store at the Pilot Trade Centre in Toll Bar End.

This is in addition to the Direct Wood Flooring and Grass Direct brands which have proven popular with shoppers since the store opened in July 2017.

Adding Flooring Superstore has enabled the store, which employs four people, to add carpets and vinyl to its range of products and this has seen average sales increase by 14.58% over the last few months.

Store Manager Anthony Perkins said:

“Flooring Superstore was originally an online business only, but it grew so quickly that we decided to launch physical stores and eight have now opened this year alone.

“Adding the Flooring Superstore brand at Coventry has had a major impact on our sales in just a few months.

“This is because shoppers are now able to view and buy all the flooring they need under one roof, without needing to go to multiple places to do this.

“This is important because householders are now likely to have a range of flooring options in their open, whether it’s wood flooring in their living room, vinyl flooring in their kitchen, carpets in their bedroom and artificial grass in their garden.”

Artificial grass has become one of the store’s biggest attractions, with four times more being sold now than when the store first opened.

Anthony added:

“Artificial grass is a big new trend because people are now turning to lower maintenance gardens and we have 25 different types on display.

“Artificial grass looks just like the real thing but apart from a brush every now and then, you don’t need to worry about cutting it or weeding and you save money having to buy lawnmowers, strimmers and other gardening tools.

“The hot spell has reflected the popularity of the product because it means people with artificial grass can now spend more leisure time in their garden, without having to worry about its maintenance.”

Connection Retail Managing Director Dan Foskett said:

“We have experienced outstanding growth over the 12 months and this is reflected in the opening of our new stores in 2018 and adding further brands to existing stores like Coventry.

“It’s an exciting time for the company as we shift from being purely e-commerce to building our physical presence throughout 2018 and beyond and becoming a leading player in the retail flooring industry.

“The flooring industry, like many other high street retailers, has been feeling the pinch but we have been successful because we haven’t stood still and have diversified into other areas, as well as being able to maintain our online pricing at our physical stores.”