Carpet GIANT

Carpet GIANT, a family-run flooring chain in South East England

Carpet GIANT is a flooring retailer that presents itself as one of the leading flooring suppliers in South East England. The company describes itself as still family run and states that it stocks thousands of rolls of carpet and vinyl, hundreds of rugs, plus laminate and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). It also lists underlay, beds and artificial grass among its product categories. Alongside its own stock, the retailer says it holds more than two thousand additional carpet and vinyl samples from market-leading manufacturers, which it presents as the basis of its buying power and pricing.

Product range

The catalogue is organised around the following categories:

• Carpets
• Vinyl
• Laminate
• Luxury vinyl tiles (LVT)
• Rugs
• Underlay
• Beds
• Artificial grass

The company also advertises 0% interest free credit as available at Carpet GIANT, and states that it offers discounts for a variety of customers.

From Romford to a multi-store network

The business was formed in February 2004 by Mark McCarthy, described as a former manager at Carpet City and later an area manager for Carpetright in London and the South-East. He opened his first store in Romford in March 2004 under the ‘Carpets For All’ banner, as a concession inside Essex Beds, which ended when Essex Beds went into liquidation.

The first store under the Carpet GIANT name opened in Croydon in February 2006 and is described as the largest stockist in its area. In September 2006 Mark's son Sean joined as a warehouse assistant, and in August 2008 a second store opened in Orpington, on the ‘Nugent’ development next to Toolstation, Tile Giant, Costa Coffee and M&S. Orpington became the flagship store and head office. Mark's other son, Patrick, joined in September 2010 at the age of 16, working in the Orpington warehouse.

Maidstone became the third store and central warehouse in September 2011, allowing the company to hold a core stock of more than 80 quality carpets. In January 2014, following Mark's ill health, Sean and Patrick took over day-to-day running, with support from Gavin in Maidstone and Donald in Orpington.

Later expansion across Kent, Sussex and Berkshire

The company's own timeline records the following openings:

• March 2017: Sittingbourne, extending service to the Isle of Sheppey, Rochester, Chatham and beyond.
• September 2018: Bracknell, to the west, extending service from Windsor and Ascot through Camberley and Wokingham to Reading.
• September 2020: Ashford, serving towns as far as Canterbury, Folkestone and Tenterden.
• October 2020: a second Maidstone store, taken over under the ‘Carpet and Flooring Superstore’ name, adding coverage in Kent villages such as Marden, Staplehurst and Headcorn.
• December 2020: Charlton, described as the eighth and largest store, serving Woolwich, Blackheath and Greenwich, and positioned to become the new flagship.

The current store list published on the site covers Ashford, Charlton, Croydon, Maidstone – Park Wood, Maidstone – Town Centre, Orpington, Sittingbourne and Uckfield, the latter marked as now open. Bracknell does not appear in that list.

Staff, fitters and service model

Carpet GIANT states that it works with over 30 staff in its stores and 24 teams of sub-contracted floor layers. It describes its team members as hand-picked or home grown and says it recruits experienced senior staff while training new talent. The company presents its service level as that of a personal, family-grown business and says it works with expert installers to finish floors. A customer testimonial published on the site describes staff providing quotes, an easy booking process for fitting and installation two days later.

Store network and contact points

Each branch has its own telephone number and email address, and enquiries sent through the website form are routed to the chosen store. Head office correspondence is handled through the general company email address.