Former Carpetright director launches new flooring chain: Tapi

Tapi, the new flooring chain from ex-Carpetright director Martin Harris, has launched its first store in London with two more to follow shortly ahead of a national roll-out.

Mr Harris — son of Carpetright founder Lord Harris and a seasoned flooring executive in his own right — opened the first Tapi store on Tooting High Street last week.

A second store will launch this weekend in a former Paul Simon unit on the Pasteur Retail Park at Great Yarmouth with a third to follow — also in East Anglia — at an as yet undisclosed location in Ipswich.

Mr Harris, who is launching the chain with a host of former Carpetright executives, hopes to roll out the Tapi concept across the UK with a reported 200 store target.

Sir Harry Djanogly, a former Carpetright non-executive director, is to become Tapi chairman and heads a long list of associations with Britain’s largest floorcoverings retailer among the Tapi management.

Besides Martin Harris, the Tapi board is comprised of his brother Charles Harris, Philip Saunders, Garry Postle, Paul Jacobs, Terry Moore, Willem Tijink, Johanna Constantinou, Tracey Skea, Stephen Davies and Karen Knighton.

Tapi’s offer is pitched at the mid-market and comprises carpets and smooth floorcoverings with a predominantly own-brand offer. Investors have pumped nearly £5m in equity into the business and include the DFS founder Lord Kirkham, according to trade journal Retail Week.

The company — CWH Projects — appears to also have agreed further finance, with Barclays lodging details of it being granted security over assets at Companies House in recent weeks.

Source : The Furnishing Report
http://www.thefurnishingreport.com/index.php/news/floorcoverings/676-harris-flooring-chain-live-with-5m-equity-investment