James ­Sturrock joins Tapi Carpets on Monday // Tapi Carpets hires former Eve Sleep CEO James ­Sturrock to take top job // Tapi Carpets was set up by Carpetright founder’s son, Martin Harris Tapi Carpets has reportedly appointed the former chief executive of mattress retailer Eve Sleep, James ­Sturrock, to run its carpet-selling business. They arrived today! It has 114 stores but is now slowing the pace. “We looked at Waitrose towns actually, not Carpetright stores,” he says tetchily. You can find our flooring and carpet stores all over the UK - we have over 140 carpet shops in major towns and cities across England, Wales and Scotland so you're sure to find one near you. It is Tapi Carpets’ 114th store since the company launched in 2015. They sort if rectified 2 but have been now told by the sales manager after him coming to see damage that they won’t be taking my complaint any further. Harris, a yoga novice at the time, set himself a Bikram challenge, requiring him to contort his body every day for a month in a heated studio in Canary Wharf, where he realised that sloping off to the other side of the world wasn’t an option and a return to retail beckoned. Broke my skirting board. Carpetright sources have accused the Harris family of using their inside knowledge to open Tapi stores directly adjacent to its rival’s best stores, which Harris denies, although evidence suggests otherwise. “I see my role as more of a CIO, which is a chief inspiration officer, I think that’s my main role. “Really to become known is a check book, you just advertise a lot. Growing up in retail and working alongside his family has also shaped his managerial style. “We are bang in line with where we thought we would be, we’re on our way to profitability,” he adds. Browse the map or enter your town or postcode in our flooring store locator to find a Tapi … Martin Harris has gone from Carpetright veteran to the founder and chief executive of main rival Tapi Carpets in just four years. Everyone at Tapi is excited to be able to create a modern brand that fits the traditional family values of the Harris Rugs. The Retail Gazette spoke to him to find out more about his story. Martin Harris sold all his shares in Carpetright and left the business in 2014, making no secret of his plan to set up another flooring chain. Join Facebook to connect with Martin Harris and others you may know. “I could tell it was going in a direction I didn’t believe it should go in and I couldn’t influence it.”, “I see my role as more of a CIO, which is a chief inspiration officer, I think that’s my main role.”. Tapi was launched in 2015 and has more than 100 stores in the UK. Harris is currently an advisor and shareholder of Tapi Carpets, a flooring retailer set up recently by a number of the old Carpetright management team. “I felt that I was suggesting a lot of things and none of those things were getting on the table and moving forward,” Harris says about his last days at Carpetright. It is founded by Martin Harris, son of Carpetright owner, Lord Harris of Peckham. “It’s OK the first time you hear it, but by the end of the day it drives you nuts,” Harris admits. I knew I had spent long enough in the business and knew it was time for a change for me. Commenting on the arrival of Stringer, new Tapi CEO Sturrock told Essential Retail: “We are expanding our technology capability and continue to recruit into the digital team. Arcadia Group “legally robbed by the Greens”, says peer. He has made Tapi’s new shops more inviting, with artwork, sofas and its own scent, piped in to seduce shoppers and put them in a calm mood. “Actually, that’s probably one of our biggest strengths as I see it. “We feel that we now have a platform that is now nice and solid, we’re now in a position to continue developing our business.”. “I left Carpetright in September 2014 at the AGM,” Harris tells Retail Gazette. active. They are simply "a big family"! “We felt like this proposition was more suited to a discerning customer.”. Filter appointments ... TAPI CARPETS & FLOORS LIMITED (09247255) Company status Active Correspondence address 1a, Spur Road, Orpington, Kent, England, BR6 0PH. In 2015, the third-generation Martin Harris had a vision. The longer you wait the more technology improves.”. We’ve seen retailers do very good jobs here like Oak Furniture Land, where they became a household name just through repetitive advertising.”. Don’t use Tapi carpets. Martin Harris will hold the positions of Founder, Managing Director of Retail and Vice Chairman and will be focused on extending Tapi’s leadership in physical showrooms. To be selected by Homebase as its flooring partner of choice is proof that Tapi is doing what it set out to do, which is: provide excellent service and products at great value. All rights reserved. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. “I can’t remember the last time that I was in a Carpetright store.”. Harris, son of retail veteran and Carpetright founder Lord Harris, told Retail Week now is the “perfect” time to set up a big-ticket business. CEO of Tapi, Martin Harris commented : "Tapi is delighted to be partnering with Homebase to provide customers with quality flooring products for projects, big and small. “One of the things we learnt from Carpetright was that we didn’t want 500 plus stores.”. Tapi’s website describes the company as “one big Tapi family”, and this ethos extends to his hands-on approach with employees. From Samsung to Walmart, family businesses account for some of the most prominent and successful financial entities on the planet. Despite declaring last year that the business would be profitable by the end of 2018, Tapi is still to make a profit. According to Harris, this is both his advantage and his intention. He is indebted to his father, “Carpet King” Baron Harris of Peckham, for his career in the retail industry. To make his dreams come true, Martin convened a close team of the industry's best professionals and experts. "At Tapi, we place our customers firmly at the centre of everything we do - and it works! Tapi has been modelled on a partner-owned structure. I am shocked about the treatment I have received from Tapi Carpets. “I think you should be (hands on),” Harris tells Retail Gazette. But revenues grew from £30 million to £57 million, Companies House accounts say. The business was founded by Martin Harris, after his family’s departure from fellow flooring retailer Carpetright, which was founded by his father in 1988. Tapi, founded by Martin Harris, saw losses rise to £9.1 million for the year to December 30, from £8.5 million. “It was child labour,” he laughs. Tapi Carpets. Martin Harris, who left Carpetright last year after 23 years at the business, said he hoped to open the first store this summer. To make his dreams come true, Martin convened a close team of the industry's best professionals and experts. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. They make a sale but terrible follow up service when you have an issue. Follow. “Lastly we have fantastic landlords which help us get some really good sites which help us expand our business. He says: “Tapi is delighted to be partnering with Homebase to provide customers with quality flooring products for projects, big and small. Read our community guidelines in full, Martin Harris remains bullish about Tapi's future, in spite of the company not yet making a profit, The tough retail backdrop, a clutch of expensive loss-making stores and an aggressive new entrant almost pushed Carpetright to the wall this year, Questor: Dixons Carphone is misunderstood and undervalued. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. It is Tapi Carpets’ 114th store since the company launched in 2015. Martin Harris will hold the positions of Founder, Managing Director of Retail and Vice Chairman and will be focused on extending Tapi’s leadership in physical showrooms. “We’ve probably been a little bit slow in developing our website, that’s not the teams fault, if you had to place criticism anywhere it’d probably be with me,” he says. Harris claims that Tapi has been performing better than the broader furniture market with positive like-for-like sales. Martin Harris will hold the positions of Founder, Managing Director of Retail and Vice Chairman and will be focused on extending Tapi’s leadership in physical showrooms. Harris’ calm and collected demeanour appears to be justified. That was until Martin Harris left Carpetright, the company his father founded, to set up its key rival Tapi Carpets. “One of the things we learnt from (Carpetright) was that we didn’t want 500 plus stores, we’ll get to 150 quite quickly and then very slowly organically growth the rest from there,” Harris adds. “I’m in the bad books at the moment,” the 49-year-old boss of carpet chain Tapi says sheepishly. Find out more, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. In addition to the City of Las Vegas Municipal Courthouse, some of the firm’s recent, notable projects include: Tapi tip: we advise removing the plants before you get in! Martin Harris - CEO Willem Tijink - Buying Director. Martin-Harris Construction’s other 2020 ENR rankings, based on construction contracting-specific revenue, included: #8 Southwest Top Contractors, #82 Top 100 CMAR Contractors, and #160 Top 400 Contractors. He sold his first item – a doormat – when he was just five years old and spent his wistful teenage years as a shop assistant in his father’s store instead of going to music concerts. Please ask Mr Harris to contact me , I would like to tell him about the totally unprofessional treatment I have received as a costumer from the Edmonton store , the area manager , and the recorded messages with a member of staff on the TAPI messenger site . “We have a lot of customers coming over to us very quickly, but we’re not known,” he reflects. TAPI CARPETS & FLOORS LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity. Martin James Harris has been working at TAPI CARPETS & FLOORS LIMITED since 03 October 2014, currently, he/she works on the position of a Director (COMPANY DIRECTOR). Martin-Harris Construction was founded by Frank Martin in December 1976, and was licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board in February 1977. “If we ever have a question and we’re not quite sure, I’m very lucky in that I can just ask my dad what he thinks about an area, he has a good memory even at his age, he’s a great person to just have on tap,” Harris continues. Lord Harris, who previously has been an advisor to the Company, joins the Board as Honorary President, with a … Building on 75 years of family experience, Martin Harris has established a new genre of flooring retail outlet, which has seen exceptional growth across the UK since its inception. Bath time with @simplelifewiththree featuring our gorgeous Vie Rotat... ion vinyl. “They say if you ever get into a position where you need support we’ll be here, its an extension of the family ethos we have.”. “It gave me a really good fundamental base to understand retail, when retail really was retail as well,” he explains. Harris is aware of family duties more than most. Bath time with @simplelifewiththree featuring our gorgeous Vie Rotat... ion vinyl. Tapi was set up by Martin Harris, son of the founder of larger rival Carpetright, Lord Harris. So how would he feel if Carpetright went bust? BACKERS of fast-growing carpet and floorcoverings retailer Tapi have taken total investment to almost £24 million as the company closes in on 70 stores nationwide. HSF have been retained by the Harris family (over 50 years of carpet retailing experience, Carpetright founder) to acquire 200 stores nationwide. Although Harris’ decision to leave and create Tapi attracted some media attention, its rapid expansion to 105 stores since its inception in 2015 has gone largely under the radar. “I’m not pitting us against them,” Harris argues. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. He built the business into Harris Queensway, before selling it in 1988. The brutal retail market has made it even tougher for the new entrant. A soundtrack of spa-style tunes plays in the background before the sudden interruption of a shouting “Underlay, underlay!” jingle; a toe-curling carpet pun on the “Andale, andale!” catchphrase once used by cartoon Mexican mouse Speedy Gonzales. Martin Harris has gone from Carpetright veteran to the founder and CEO of its main rival Tapi Carpets in just four years, the Retail Gazette spoke to him to find out more about his story. His goal is to make carpet shopping more than a necessary chore. Martin Harris - CEO Willem Tijink - Buying Director. The company’s most recent accounts reveal it made a loss of £11m last year, although sales had doubled from £30m to £57m. Tapi’s backers include the DFS founder Lord Kirkham, the Chicago investor David Herro, textile mogul Sir Harry Djanogly and of course the “king of carpets” Lord Harris of Peckham. His seemingly relaxed approach to online sales would serve as a red flag for retailers in any other sector, but flooring retailers like Tapi only receive around five per cent of their total income from their online operations. Arcadia suppliers left unsure on payments following administration, Arcadia brands halve in value as collapse prompts heavy discounting, Primark takes £430m hit from second wave lockdown closures, Arcadia gift cards now only cover half the price of purchases, The best Christmas window & light displays this year, Westfield hires Kate Orwin as new UK leasing director, Tesco appoints Karen Whitworth as non-executive director, Retail Gazette Loves: John Lewis teaming up with Charlotte Tilbury to break a Guinness World Record. ... HARRIS, Martin James Correspondence address 1a, Spur Road, Orpington, Kent, England, BR6 0PH There is a two-month lag before Tapi books revenues from new stores, he explains, as it only counts sales once carpets have been fitted. AVOID this company. “I have some great shareholders who support the business all the way through and really believe very strongly in us,” he explains. Using a proprietary combination of scales, pressure sensors, RFID tags and readers, as well as... © Copyright Retail Gazette. TAPI Carpets and Floors is budgeting for nine-figure sales next year, according to Lord Harris, founder of Carpetright and now adviser to the emerging floorcoverings retailer. How to create a digital in-store retail experience for less with... Big Interview: Debbie Bond, Chief Commercial Officer, Lovehoney, Big Interview: Paul Kendrick, CEO, Studio, Big Interview: Cas Paton, Founder & CEO, OnBuy. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Tapi’s rapid physical expansion and revenue growth, alongside its chief executive’s deep rooted and extensive knowledge of retail have put it in as good a position as any retailer could hope for to succeed in the current retail climate. Martin James Harris has been working at TAPI CARPETS & FLOORS LIMITED since 03 October 2014, currently, he/she works on the position of a Director (COMPANY DIRECTOR). Join Facebook to connect with Martin Harris and others you may know. Martin Harris, who launched Tapi two years ago, said the cost of opening new stores was to blame Deirdre Hipwell Wednesday October 18 2017, 12.01am , The Times “It’s a big market, I’m not competing with just them … If that’s what Wilf [Walsh, Carpetright boss] thinks, that’s what Wilf thinks”, and for a moment his yogic calm evaporates. Lord Harris, who previously has been an advisor to the Company, joins the Board as Honorary President, with a … How can Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group revive Debenhams? These cookies do not store any personal information. For over 75 years the Harris family have kept their customer service values at heart, and in 2015 third generation Martin Harris had a vision. They are simply "a big family"! Porter, Larry C. “A Study of the Origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, 1816–1831.” PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1971. “Martin Harris—Witness and Benefactor to the Book of Mormon.” Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1955. Commercial: 07401 241 979, UK: Four Cavendish Square, “And if you do that for long enough you think ‘why am I here?’ Eventually they said ‘do you want to go?’ and I said ‘I do, I’m really not enjoying it,’ and so they said ‘Go’.”. “A lot of sane people will see that, and we have other competitors to them like ScS – we aren’t the only two national flooring brands that exist and there’s lots of mamas and papas shops out there too”. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. Harris is conscious that carpets are a “big ticket” purchase – the first area of retail to come under pressure when consumer spending is squeezed. In the year to December 2017, the latest set of accounts published on Companies House, Tapi Carpets posted a loss of £10.9 million, despite making sales of £56.9 million. To be selected by Homebase as its flooring partner of choice is proof that Tapi is doing what it set out to do, which is: provide excellent service and products at great value. Martin Harris remains bullish about Tapi's future, in spite of the company not yet making a profit. I will be takibg this further. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. “The economy is starting to hot up, people are desperate to find homes and there’s not enough choice out there,” he said. Since launching Tapi four years ago, with financial backing from his father, British textile manufacturer Sir Harry Djanogly and Lord Kirkham, the founder of furniture brand DFS, the company has been opening shops at breakneck speed. Since then, MHC has expanded throughout the southwest and currently operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas and Utah. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Martin Harris. As a start-up, Tapi has been able to take an innovative approach to all aspects of the business and the “edgy, modern-facing” flooring brand … Martin Harris has been dashing about carpet shops too much to spend time with his three-year-old grandson lately. 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