As 2023 draws to a close, we thought we’d ask our members of our sales team to dust off their crystal balls and let us know their predictions for the flooring industry next year. Here are some of their responses…
Chris Hooper, Area Sales Manager – South West
“We all know that the flooring industry has an ageing workforce due to not enough trainees coming in, but there are signs that this is starting to change. I therefore anticipate a rise in new blood enrolling in flooring apprenticeship training in 2024. It’s much-needed and would be great to see.”
Noel Ryan, Area Sales Manager – Midlands
“With a couple of well-known LVT manufacturers recently stating in their datasheets that pressure sensitive adhesives are not recommended with their products, a trend I can see coming is the use of wet-set adhesives for LVT installations. Our STIX A800 PREMIUM adhesive is perfect for this because of its great working time and ease of handling, so I’m expecting a big year ahead for STIX A800 PREMIUM.”
Harry Phillips, Area Sales Manager – South East
“I think 2024 will be a very strong year for flooring and Bostik in particular. The industry has shown its resilience in a challenging economic environment and the cost-of-living crisis, with some contractors having their best year ever in 2023. I’m hoping this will continue and see no reason why it won’t.”
Jake Hodder, Business Development Manager – North
“The way customers interact with us is changing, it’s not just about doing deals. They’re coming to learn, and to find new products and better ways of working. They’re trying to find a solution that might help their working week go quicker, or to take their installations to the next level. The educational aspect is becoming more important, and we’re always on-hand to provide this kind of support.”
So there you have it – and remember, you heard it here first!