Isle of Wight flooring retailer John Keyworth has retired after 50 years in the industry.
Management of Islandwide Carpets has passed to his son Martin.
Keyworth Sr has also been a board member of buying group Metro for a quarter of a century and chairman for three years.
Joining Ryde department store Hills aged 16, Keyworth worked in the flooring department for a decade before joining Islandwide as manager in 1983, before buying the company in 1991.
The only thing I would want to change is how flooring is seen by the general public. As the only real money was ever spent on discount advertising by the big boys, the general perception became that carpeting was cheap when we all know quality carpet, vinyl and good fitting is not. We should as a trade never have let that advertising become the accepted norm,’ he says, reflecting on his time in the industry.
‘Being the RNLI operations manager for our station at Bembridge will get a lot more of my time, as will my boat and the fish in the Solent. Martin will from time to time get me to do things for the business I’m sure. Fortunately Madeline is not to impressed with my ironing or house cleaning skills, so I can’t see much of that coming my way. I think the winter months will be the hardest with the bad weather so I may have to find a new hobby or two,’ he says on his retirement.
