More than half of Carpetright’s stores could be at risk even if they are bought by rival Tapi, Retail Week can reveal.
More than 150 of Carpetright’s 270 stores are located within a few miles of a Tapi, leaving the future of much of its estate in question should a sale to its competitor go through.
Struggling Carpetright filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators last week. Kingfisher, The Floor Room, Alteri and Gordon Brothers are all reportedly interested parties in a pre-pack sale.
However, according to The Times, the frontrunner to purchase Carpetright is rival Tapi, the flooring retailer set up by Lord Harris and his son Martin. Lord Harris was the founder of Carpetright.
Retail Week research found that of Carpetright’s 270-strong store estate, 152 Tapi stores are located within six miles of the business it is reportedly intending to buy. Many are within yards of each other. Of Carpetright’s 20 London stores, 13 are within three miles of a Tapi. Tapi has 170 stores in total.
Areas where Tapi is underrepresented, which could be solved with a buyout, include Northumberland, the West Midlands and Somerset. In Lancashire, Tapi has one store versus Carpetright’s four. In Manchester, it has two branches versus Carpetright’s seven.
Should a sale go through, a purchase of Carpetright could supersize the Tapi business, buying it entry to Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands where it currently does not trade.
Tapi has been approached for comment.
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