Allied Carpets
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail trade |
| Founded | 1950s (Birmingham) |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 9 stores |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Carpets |
Number of employees | 41 |
| Website | Allied Carpets |
Allied Carpets is one of the largest retailers of floor coverings operating a chain of large out-of-town superstores around the UK. It also has some High Street stores. It is the second-largest retailer of carpets in the UK.
History
It was formed by Harold Plotnek on market stalls Birmingham in the 1950s. In the late 1950s, a warehouse was opened in Birmingham. In 1974, a head office was opened in West Bromwich. In 1978, it was bought by the Asda Group. In 1980, curtains were introduced. In December 1983, it opened its first two out-of-town stores in Edinburgh and Chester. Beds were introduced in 1984. In 1985, the company was rebranded as just Allied. A Contracts Division and an Insurance Replacement Division were started in that year, and upholstery products were first sold. By 1989, the company had over 180 shops and the company changed its name to the Allied Maples Group Ltd.
Sale to Carpetland
In December 1993, it was bought by the Asda Group to Carpetland. Carpetland traded as Carpetland Carpet Centres Ltd, and had financially collapsed in 1990 then had a management buyout in August 1991 which resulted in the company having 85 stores. At the time of the Allied sale, it had about half as many stores as Allied. The company after the sale had about 250 stores. The Allied head office in West Bromwich was closed in March 1994. The company's name was changed from Carpetland to Allied Carpets. The upholstery part of the company was closed and it just sold carpets.
Public offering
In the summer of 1996, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange. At this point, the company was valued at about £200m. The company also owned Carpetland.
Financial irregularities
In July 1998, the company had its shares suspended when financial irregularities were recorded in some of the sales figures from its stores. This came from the practice of recording sales when they had been made, instead of after the carpets had been fitted. The managing director, Ray Nethercott, resigned in April 1999.
Twenty seven stores, including some of Carpetland, were bought by Carpetright in November 1998 for £12m.
Sale to French carpet company
In September 1999, it was bought for £84m by Tapis Saint-Maclou of Wattrelos, France; they are France's largest carpet retailer. At the same time TS-M bought Teppich Essers of Aachen, Germany, who also own Ihr Teppichfreund. In 2001 it opened thirty more out-of-town retail warehouse stores.
Media Agency
Appointed the7stars as their media planning and buying agency in 2010. [1]
Administration
In December 2008, it appointed Lazard, the investment bank, to find a buyer for its stores.
On July 17, 2009, it was announced that the company (Allied Carpets Properties) had entered administration. Allied was one of several high profile chains to fall into receivership during the recession of this time.
The administrators BDO Stoy Hayward immediately sold 51 of the company's 217 stores and the insurance part of the business to Allied Carpets Retail Limited, securing 400 jobs and saving the company from going the same way as other retail giants including MFI, Woolworths and Zavvi.[2]
Among the casualties was the store at Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands, which closed over that summer after 23 years in operation – having been one of the first retailers to take advantage of the Enterprise Zone that was designated in the area to relieve high unemployment when it opened that store in 1986. The store has since been taken over by HomeSense.
On 21st April 2012, it was announced that the company had entered administration again. On 24th April, it announced that the company had been sold to a company affiliated with Floors-2-Go in a Pre-Pack administration deal.[3]
Chief executives
- Geoff Brady 1999–2001
- Julian Lee 2001–
Products
Carpets account for 80% of its products. The other products are beds, wood and laminate flooring and curtains.
Structure
The company is based at Allied House, 76 High Street, Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley. It is near the junction of the A208 and A224. In Scotland, it runs the General George brand of shops.
See also
References
- ^ "The7Stars to help Allied Carpets move upmarket". marketingweek. 2010-01-21.
- ^ "Allied Carpets in administration". BBC News. 2009-07-17.
- ^ "Floors-2-Go affiliate buys Allied Carpets". Financial Times. 2012-04-23.