Downpatrick men floored on firm’s 25th anniversary

30 June 2021

TWO Downpatrick men are at the at the helm of one of Northern Ireland’s leading wood flooring wholesalers which is celebrating 25 years in business.

Wood Innovations offers an extensive range of wholesale products in the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland and in the ever-changing industry, and has gone from strength to strength.

It has achieved this by developing and extending its customer base through its expansive range of products including the Lignum Design Brand including Lignum Strata, Lignum Pure and Lignum Fusion, Pergo and much more.

With flooring partners in Europe and Asia, the team at Wood Innovations — headed by founders brothers-in-law Philip Martin and Dan McCreanor — works tirelessly to source new and exciting product ranges, in order to offer Wood Flooring that is fit for every room in the home and also for many commercial applications.

The business started trading in June 1996 and since then has transformed in terms of scale, product mix and the market place in which it trades.

But the essence of the business does not differ much from how it set out all those years ago, with Philip and Dan remaining very hands-on in growing and refining the business model whilst bringing on board the right people to ensure the business progression.

Reflecting on the past quarter of a century, Philip explained that during this time trading, “everything has changed but nothing has changed because the business has always revolved around strong relationships amongst our colleagues and with our customers”.

Wood Innovations has evolved from simply importing and distributing smooth flooring and accessories to becoming a key player in developing and marketing new products and services, in what has become a fast changing, fashion market for wood flooring , in all its guises.

At the company’s inception, the aesthetics of both laminate and real wood flooring were limited to mainly natural oak, beech, maple and cherry options, in plank or three-strip alternatives. Now both the real wood and man-made decors are mostly oak based, though the shading and colour choices are almost limitless.

Over the years, the owners have remained focused on delivering a high level of customer service, whilst increasing the emphasis on providing the right marketing tools to support its retail customers in growing their businesses, in close partnership with our team.

Since its inception, when the company traded from portacabins and a small warehouse facility at the existing headquarters site in Warrenpoint, it has been growth driven and made huge strides in sales turnover and staff numbers, which have grown from 4 to 30 people.

Wood Innovations now trades from two depots, with the GB depot having moved to a larger warehouse and office facility in Walsall, near Wolverhampton, in recent months.

At its core, the business could be simply described as “a buyer and seller of wood flooring, in its various guises”.

However, the reality is much more complex insofar as its success is dependent on many people and skills, including purchase and sales expertise, focussed marketing and branding, strong inward and outward logistics and robust financial controls.

Without motivated people behind all these functions the business would not have survived and thrived and it is this strong emphasis on individuals, by the owners and senior management team, that has guaranteed its success.

A ‘family business’ sentiment is perhaps best represented by the fact that the very first employee in Wood Innovations, Ms Edwina Flynn, has re-joined the business last year and has become, and will remain, a key player in the future strategy and growth of the business.

The senior management team, in consultation with all of the staff, is currently refreshing the company’s five-year business plan to include significant growth objectives for both GB and Ireland, strategies for personal growth and wellbeing for all employees and setting down clear goals to minimise Wood Innovations’ carbon footprint at all its locations.

Edwina added: “I am delighted to have re-joined the company and look forward to using my strengths in personal leadership and my business acumen experience to further enhance the business and deliver the vision and strategy in the years ahead.”

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