Seven decades of British manufacturing, family values and commitment to the flooring industry at Cormar
Neville Cormack visited an industrial machinery exhibition in Manchester in 1955, and made a purchase. He was26 years old. The following year, he founded Cormar Carpets. He had been working for textile component supplier Greenwood and Coope, where his father had been finance director. Rather than buying one machine though, he bought two.
It was a brave decision for a man who knew relatively little about carpets, but as he said throughout his life: ‘No one else knew much about tufted carpet in those days.’ It had only just been invented in the US. The machinery allowed him to be a pioneer in a revolution in carpet production: with tufted carpet much quicker and less expensive to produce than woven.
By 1959, Cormar had expanded from Nunn Hills Mill in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire to Brookhouse Mill, where it still is today. As demand for tufted carpet continued to grow in the 1960s and 1970s, the company expanded with a warehouse in Swanley, Kent and amalgamated the contracted delivery fleet into its own in-house transport operation.
Today Cormar still owns its fleet of more than 70 vehicles, having focused on delivery as a point of difference with its competitors. In 2017, Cormar expanded again, moving into its 130,000sqft distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead to service customers in southern England. Cormar has grown to be the largest independent carpet manufacturer in the UK, employing over 400 people at its mills and distribution centres, together with a sales team of more than 30 covering the UK and Ireland.
Part of the company’s success has been its family business philosophy and the team of people working behind the scenes to deliver a first- class service for customers, whether in the sales team, those delivering carpet, or within the offices and mills. Driving that philosophy, at the helm Cormack worked in the business for 50 years as md and then chairman, joined in 1987 by his son David as marketing director. The company has also always valued external, non-family expertise. In the mid-1990s David Judge joined as md, and during his leadership the company accelerated its expansion, while more recently Paul Barratt joined as ceo in2024. Cormar is still very much a family business with Edward Polito, Neville’s grandson joining as commercial director in 2023. Helen Polito, his mother, remains chairman.
From its early days of producing narrow-width carpet, the company has moved and developed its product base in line with the market. Initially producing synthetic carpet, with bestselling lines such as Carousel and 4 Star, by the latter part of the 20th century it was principally producing wool carpet for the dominant twist market, with its Warwick range being one of the standout collections. However, after 2010, Cormar again moved into man-made carpets, with the launch of Sensation, the first of its soft-style ranges, together with the Primo easy-clean twist ranges. Today the company has a balanced portfolio of wool and man-made fibre cut and loop pile ranges, all principally focused on the residential market.
Over the years, Cormar has won more than 50 trade awards and in 2025 was voted Best UK Carpet Manufacturer by Interiors Monthly readers for the thirteenth consecutive year, underlining the strength of its reputation within the sector. Its new Silken Serenity range secured the accolade of Best Bedroom Flooring at the Ideal Home Awards 2026, again highlighting product excellence in the consumer market.
Throughout its history, Cormar’s position could not have been sustained without continued investment, made possible by sustained profitability. At its Holme Mill and Brookhouse Mill sites, machinery is constantly updated along with IT infrastructure. The award-winning trade portal is also continually refreshed, with 70% of Cormar stockists placing orders via the 24/7 online service. With distribution taking place via the regional centres in Hemel Hempstead and Bury, the distribution fleet has a rolling replacement programme, to ensure a fast, reliable delivery service to customers, alongside a growing network of over 40 collection centres across the UK and Ireland, which offer next day collection, among several benefits.
Cormar continues to play a leading role in supporting the transition to a more sustainable and circular flooring industry, becoming the first major carpet manufacturer to achieve full certification from Innovate Recycle for its polypropylene ranges: recognised as 100% recyclable and awarded its Tuft Accreditation. By working in close partnership with industry bodies and continually refining production efficiencies, Cormar demonstrates that premium quality and environmental responsibility can and should go hand in hand.
‘Celebrating 70 years of Cormar Carpets is a hugely proud moment for everyone within the business. From starting out as a family-run company and evolving into one of the UK’s leading carpet manufacturers, we’ve always stayed committed to the values that defined us: quality, service and reliability. This milestone is a tribute to the dedication of our colleagues, the loyalty of our retail partners and the continued support of customers who have embraced Cormar carpets in their homes,’ says David Cormack.
