New customers ease confidence crisis

by Catherine Woods - Wednesday, 28th November 2007 -

Interface UK is in the carpet tile game. It’s a profitable business but controller David Handscomb says financial performance is dependent on business confidence.

To mitigate this risk, plans are afoot to broaden the customer base of the £100m group.

“We manufacture carpet tiles, which mainly go to the office sector,” Handscomb says. “We’re trying to broaden that into schools, hospitals and universities. Hotels would also be massive.”

Interface UK is part of the global company's European division. Within the region, Germany is a focus because carpet tiles aren’t used as widely as they are in Britain.

Handscomb says: “What we’re trying to constantly do is broaden our customer base and market. That’s all we can do. The important thing is to make sure the cost base doesn’t grow too much as well.”

The business community is anxiously waiting to see whether confidence will take a hit as a result of the global credit crunch and the Northern Rock fiasco in the UK.

Handscomb says that so far they have had no impact on Interface UK.

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