Greendale Carpets & Flooring will again be exhibiting at the INDX National Flooring Show and highlighting what sets it apart from other buying groups.
‘Greendale has a unique standing among buying groups in that we have our own warehouse, where we store stock bought for the sole use of our members. This will include exclusive colours and ranges available only to Greendale members,’ says Eamonn Prescott, Greendale chief executive.
Greendale is also the only buying group with mutual trading status. ‘Mutual trading status is very important to us as we are a member-owned cooperative: we only sell carpet to our members. They can access all the leading suppliers through our buying system, and it means that the group is exempt from corporation tax. This allows any surplus that we make to be placed back to the members tax free.’
Greendale is also actively involved in charitable work including reuse schemes with The Salvation Army and No Floor No More. ‘Our aim is to reduce our waste-to-landfill year on year. We have numerous projects to achieve this, such as upcycling old tombolas and lecterns. We have also found ways to donate our discontinued samples to local charity shops for them to sell to raise money.
‘Our largest and most rewarding project is working with charities such as The Salvation Army and No Floor No More, who are carpeting rooms and homes of people less fortunate than others. So far we have donated carpet with a retail value of more than £40,000 and seen some fantastic photos of our carpets being installed into rooms that previously had just bare boards. This is what makes this group so special. Our members have a special place in their local communities,’ says Prescott.
