1to1 Flooring

1to1 Flooring, independent flooring retailer in Hertfordshire

1to1 Flooring is an independent carpet and flooring retailer based in Hertfordshire (UK). The company presents itself as the largest independent flooring retailer in the county and operates eight showrooms in Stevenage, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Barnet, Leighton Buzzard, Shefford and Berkhamsted. Its activity dates back to 1968, according to its own website, and combines the sale of materials with a full installation service.

Luxury vinyl, wood and carpets

The company's catalogue covers several product families. In luxury vinyl (LVT) it works with the brands Amtico, Karndean and Moduleo, and claims to be the only establishment in the UK with the full range of all three under one roof. In wood it offers engineered floors from firms such as Ted Todd, Woodpecker, Kährs and V4, with contemporary designs and traditional finishes. In carpets, the showrooms have more than 10,000 samples, with options in wool, wool loops and synthetic fibres, as well as displays from the main manufacturers.

Showrooms and sales team

The company has eight points of sale, although in its presentation it particularly highlights those in St Albans, Harpenden and Barnet. The St Albans showroom houses the Amtico visualiser, a tool that allows you to see how the flooring would look in your own home. The sales team includes profiles with long careers: Matt Goss (St Albans showroom, since 2012), Mark Innes (St Albans, started as an apprentice in 1979 and has been an estimator since 2012), Kathy Simpson (Harpenden, joined in 2016 after 24 years in the carpets department at John Lewis) and John O'Hara (Barnet, with the company since 1996 and previously at Selfridges).

Installation service and guarantee

1to1 Flooring offers a comprehensive service it calls 'door to floor': it handles transport, delivery, installation, finishing and subsequent cleaning. Each installation comes with a lifetime guarantee on the fitting, according to the company. It also carries out home visits and free no-obligation estimates, and has its own apprenticeship programme to train fitters and estimators; part of the workforce has more than 20, 30 and even 40 years with the company.

Relationship with Amtico and other brands

The company identifies itself as an Amtico Partner and claims to be the largest independent partner of the brand in the UK, as well as the largest independent Karndean retailer in Hertfordshire. That relationship includes access to interactive visualisation software and its own interior designer so that the customer can try before buying. Its catalogue also includes the brands Moduleo, Ted Todd, Woodpecker, Kährs and V4.

History and family origins

The company's history is linked to the Hawes family. Colin Hawes, founder and managing director, started in the trade in his childhood accompanying his father, Keith Hawes, on carpet installation jobs; at the age of 15 he laid his first carpet and shortly afterwards joined the family business as a qualified Amtico fitter. Keith Hawes passed away in 2014. The company maintains an internal apprenticeship scheme that has trained a good part of its current estimators and fitters.

Headquarters and locations

Stevenage store: Phone: 01438 873306

St Albans store: Phone: 01727 854241

Harpenden store: Phone: 01582 765855

Luton store: Phone: 01582 570555

Barnet store: Phone: 0208 3442455

Leighton Buzzard store: Phone: 01525 657511