Trend for designer cork
Website Editor • June 21, 2020
Granorte’s Trendcollection makes the beauty, sustainability and performance of cork flooring accessible to today’s homeowner. From traditional cork tiles right through to printed designs using the latest solid rigid core technology, it’s a formidable collection that brings cork right up to date.
Nowhere is this better captured than in DESIGNTrend, a floor that combines the latest technology with cork’s natural, sustainable and renewable status. Through direct digital print and a textured Weartoo finish, DESIGNTrend brings the look and feel of wood with the ease of LVT without cutting down trees or containing any plastic.
Updated for 2020 with new looks, DESIGNTrend uses proven Uniclic joints for fast and easy installation, just like any laminate or click LVT, but also features a high-density natural cork composite wear layer and 1mm cork base layer for a warmer and quieter home. Treated with Microban anti-bacterial protection, DESIGNTrend provides homes with a floor that’s not only easy to live with and kinder on the planet, but more hygienic too.
“DESIGNTrend exemplifies cork’s adaptability with the wood effects made popular by LVT and laminate, but without using any plastic and bringing all the acoustic, thermal and sustainable benefits of natural cork. As a plus, there’s no compromises in fitting, performance or ease of living either,” says Paulo Rocha of Granorte.
DESIGNTrend is now available in 16 wood effects with oak in a wide-ranging palette of oak and the exclusivity of Larch Spice.
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BUSINESS NEWS
Imports of soft flooring including wall-to-wall carpet and rugs were up 8.8% to £74.75m in March, according to HMRC data compiled by The Furnishing Report. With this increase, imports of carpet grew faster during the period than alternatives like vinyl.
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index decreased by four points to -23 in April. All measures were down in comparison to last month’s announcement. These are the current findings of the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer (CCB) powered by NIM. The CCB has been published jointly by GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM), the founder of GfK, since October 2023.
Likewise Group, the UK flooring distributor, has announced its audited final results for the year ended 31 December 2024.
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased by one point to -19 in March. Two measures were up, two were down and one was unchanged in comparison to last month’s announcement.
The prices of carpets and other floorcoverings fell 1.8% in March 2025, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. This is the second consecutive month of falling prices, with carpets seeing a drop of 1.7% in February, down from 2.5% growth in the same period last year.
As of 1 April, Herman and Age Mulder will take over the management of Rinos as Managing Directors. They represent the fifth generation to join as shareholders of the family business, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Milco Visscher will start as commercial director on 1 May. The current managing director, Peter Kuipers, will oversee the transition and step down on 31 July.
Imports of flooring to the UK this February were up 7% when compared to the same period last year, reaching a total value of £127.9m, according to figures compiled by The Furnishing Report.
Likewise Group, one of the UK’s largest flooring distributors, has announced a “particularly positive” start to the year with gross sales revenue in Q1 2025 increasing by 10.7% against the corresponding period last year. Sales in the Likewise Branded businesses have increased by 14.6%.
The British Furniture Confederation (BFC), the public affairs umbrella body of furniture and beds, furnishings and flooring sector trade associations, has unveiled its new Plan for Growth. The document is said to support BFC’s advocacy across four key pillars: skills and education; trade and exports; standards and regulations; and the environment and circular economy. It has been developed over the past few months, the organisation says, evolving from a combination of position papers written by the associations’ executives and a comprehensive survey of their collective members.
Consumer card spending grew 1.0% year-on-year in February – lower than January’s 1.9% increase and less than the latest CPIH inflation rate of 3.9%, according to recent figures reported by Barclays. In anticipation of higher bills, consumers are said to be cutting back on essential outgoings, but still prioritising discretionary purchases, contributing to an uptick in optimism in the health of personal and household finances.
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