Yorkshire Living Magazine Article

‘Phil Cavalier-Lumley takes a lead role in the day-to-day running of the business, and says: “Winder Carpets has grown organically over the years. We started small, and we worked with other small businesses. As they have grown, we have grown with them. “Because of our expertise, quality products, and reputation for hard work, they have continued to ask us to work with them, and this has assisted in us getting larger projects. We are bringing our experience and knowledge to these projects. And the local people love us being involved with heritage buildings in the area.” The business was started back in the early 60s in the village of Idle, near Bradford, by John Winder, who was later joined by his brother, Tony.

In 1985 they moved to their current premises in Norman Lane, just three-quarters of a mile away from the original shop. Having a warehouse at the back allowed them to handle a lot more carpet, as well as other flooring products. When he was just 10, John’s son and current co-owner, Paul, started to help in the shop after school and at weekends. Although his ambition was to go into catering, the lure of working in the family business (plus a regular wage) was too great, so he became a full-time employee when he left school at 15. Tony’s son, Leon, now also a co-owner, came into the business at 19, having completed sixth form, and a jaunt around Australia. Both had siblings who took different paths, but Paul and Leon helped to build up the business until John retired about 15 years ago, and Tony officially retired three years ago, although he didn’t finally ‘down tools’ until 2016. Phil says: “Because the boys had many years working in the business with their fathers, there has been a smooth transition from one generation to the next. “In the time that they spent with John and Tony, Paul and Leon have experienced the very high standards and personal customer service set by their fathers. They are both experts in their field.” It was Paul’s expertise in planning of traditional carpet that won them the contract for the Devonshire Arms. He calculated that if they reduced the size of the pattern slightly, they could significantly cut down the amount of carpet wasted in the pattern-matching, thus saving money for the Chatsworth Estate.

With over a thousand carpet options on site, and working with all the leading flooring suppliers, the staff all know their products, and always strive to give the customer the right advice for their needs. Everyone’s requirements are different, so they find out what is best for each customer, what the dynamic in the household is – for example, are there children or pets which will create quite a lot of wear and tear? “Customers come in looking for different things,” explains Phil. “They might bring in a cushion, or a piece of fabric, that they are trying to match up with the right colour carpet. Or they might already have a budget in mind, and we will help them to find something within that budget. We will also show them something just under and just over that budget, so that they have some choice. “We allow the customer to be in charge of what they spend.  There’s no hard-sell – none of the staff work on commission.

So, whether you’re looking for a carpet at £10 per square metre, or £132 per square metre, you will get the same high standard advice and service. We will only sell the customer a product that they want. Furthermore, all our installations are to the same exacting standards regardless of the price of the product.” The proof of the success of this practice is in the repeat custom that they get, and the requests for a particular member of staff to assist a customer or fit their flooring. “Quite recently, a lady who had bought her carpet from us 30-years-ago came in to ask if we would change her underlay.” says Phil. “She had bought a good quality carpet originally, so that didn’t need changing, but it was time for new underlay.” The importance of underlay can’t be emphasised enough. It acts as a shock absorber under the carpet, so it’s worth buying a good quality. Phil says: “Carpet is a floor covering. Apart from the pile, there’s no padding. Underlay is 50 per cent of the carpet performance. It must be appropriate for the room and the usage, and we will help you choose.” The vast range of flooring allows the customer to choose the right thing for them at that time.

Traditionally, carpet was the floor covering of choice, but these days wood flooring, tiles and vinyl are just as popular. The customer might only want something that will do for five years, as they might be thinking about a change of décor by then, so they won’t want to spend too much. Or they might want to spend more on very good quality flooring that they want to last for many years. “One of the lovely things about Winder Carpets is that we always have a full diary for installations,” says Phil with obvious pride. The future is looking bright for the company. Whether they are providing flooring for one room in a local home, or involved in a major project for an historic house, Winder Carpets offer them all the same Yorkshire promise. They just want to do the right thing by the customer.’ – Yorkshire Living Jan 2018