Tile Mountain acquires Walls and Floors
Published: 9 May 2019 - Fiona Garcia
L-R: Mo Iqbal and Jeremy Harris have completed the acquisition of Walls and Floors, making their Tile Mountain venture the largest privately-owned tile retailer in the UK
The latest deal to take on Kettering-based business Walls & Floors has secured Tile Mountain Group’s place as the UK’s largest privately-owned tile retailer
Established in 1987, Walls and Floors is headed up by Duncan Lewin and Richard Greenbank. It currently employs nearly 200 people and has an annual turnover of more than £30million. Tile Mountain’s acquisition of the business forms part of chairman Mo Iqbal and managing director Jeremy Harris’ ongoing expansion strategy, which has already seen the company take on Coventry-based Capitol Tiles and online retailer Tons of Tiles.
The move has significantly increased Tile Mountain’s share of the market and positioned the once online-only business as multi-faceted operation now able to compete in multiple markets including e-commerce, store-based retail, wholesale and contracts.
As part of the deal, Tile Mountain has also taken ownership of Walls and Floors’ retail, distribution, and specification divisions.
Tile Mountain chairman Mo Iqbal said of the deal: “Over the years, led by Richard and Duncan, Walls and Floors has developed into one of the major players in the UK tiling industry and I am excited about leading the company into the next phase of its growth”.
Walls and Floors has been trading online for around 15 years and operates tile showrooms in Putney, Bristol and Kettering, as well as a trade counter in Kettering. The retailer’s strong online offering, coupled with its established brand footprint and positive customer sentiment, has been a key driver in the acquisition. Tile Mountain’s management team aim to develop the long-established firm further by utilising their years of expertise in the market and Tile Mountain’s best-in-class IT resource, which has helped bolster the company’s growth to date.
Tile Mountain managing director Jeremy Harris said: “Walls and Floors has a significant supplier base and great customer loyalty, both online, across its distribution and contracts networks and in store. We’re relishing working with suppliers and customers and developing opportunities further, with the ultimate goal of improving our offering across all our brands.”
Tile Mountain was founded in 2013 by Mo Iqbal along with fellow former Topps Tiles directors Jeremy Harris and Nick Ounstead. The company has experienced significant growth since its inception in 2013 and saw it invest £10million in a purpose-built 120,000sq ft warehouse, showroom and office complex in Stoke on Trent, to which it relocated in April 2017.