UK carpet sales 'on the up'

There has been an increase in carpet sales in the UK, according to new figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

CBI data for the period showed that carpeting was among the product areas that are now seeing growth again after a "difficult year", helping to contribute to an overall increase in spending in the year to October and the most positive results for two years.

The connection between floor furnishings and the housing market was noted by CBI Distributive Trades Panel chairman Andy Clarke.

He said: "It is heartening to see signs of life in sectors related to the housing market, particularly those retailers selling white goods and furniture, who have had a torrid two years."

A recent boost for carpeting in the UK came when Hartlepool-based Whitestone Weavers announced it was bringing back production of some of its products to the UK from Poland.

It said it is now cheaper to make broad loom tufted carpets in Yorkshire because of the exchange rate between sterling and the euro.