Name: Alan Pollock
Age: 53
Company: Grosvenor Carpets Ltd., Dorset
Job Title: Joint Managing Director
How did you get into the flooring industry?
By accident really. I started working in a carpet shop in stock management after leaving school in 1982, and transferred to a sales role from there. I then worked my way up through the ranks before co-founding Grosvenor Carpets in 1992.
What’s been the biggest change in the industry over the past 10 years?
Customers’ tastes have changed in favour of smooth floors, such as vinyl, LVTs and wood, which we also install. There was a lot more carpet around 10 years ago.
Looking forward, what do you think will be the biggest change in the next 10 years?
I don’t think technological innovations will have a massive impact on carpet; the skills required to install carpet have remained the same for decades. It will stay very hands-on. However, flooring contractors will have to keep up with changing customer expectations of service, made possible by online channels, in order to stay competitive. I also think that recycling will become more prevalent, both in terms of recycling used flooring and incorporating recycled material into the manufacture of new flooring; we’ve recently purchased a carpet crusher, which enables us to send bales of used carpet for recycling.
What’s the worst job you’ve been on?
I can’t think of one particular job, but any project where you turn up on site and they aren’t ready for you to start. That causes all sorts of problems.
And what’s the best?
We were sub-contracted to install floorcoverings in a new Planet Hollywood in London. We had a small window in which to do this between getting in there and the official opening the next day. To encourage the fitters to work through the night, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger served them burgers.
Do you have a go-to product for certain jobs?
F. Ball’s Stopgap 1200 Pro. It’s a great product that does what it says on the tin and never lets you down.
What do you like best about the job?
It’s the diversity. You can be in a hotel in London one day, on a construction site the next day and in the office calculating a complicated quote the day after that. No two days are the same, and this variety means it’s never boring.
What is your least favourite thing about the job?
Managing financial exposure. The value of materials you are required to purchase ahead of projects can be significant. If you don’t manage what’s coming in and going out, you’re going to be in trouble, and any delays to projects have the potential to impact cash flow. You have to rely on your experience to plan ahead.