Teddington Carpet Centre celebrates 60 years of business
This weekend saw Teddington Carpet Centre (TCC), one of the longest-standing businesses on Broad Street, celebrate their 60th anniversary. Employees, customers past and present, friends and family, all gathered to recognise this milestone anniversary at Bar Estilo in Teddington. It’s a testament to the owner, Rob Wilks’ larger-than-life personality and firm belief in getting to know his customers, that so many of them joined him in the huge celebrations.
Alongside this noteworthy achievement, TCC are hugely proud to have just been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2022 Contract Flooring Journal of the Flooring Industry Awards 2022 for their project ‘Flooring in Education – Schools’ at Hampton School, Hampton, London. This year the quality was extremely high so it’s a great accolade, and they are delighted to be nominated.
In 1962, Leslie Wilks founded the company, which is now run by his son Robert Wilks, who started working at the business in 1978. Ably assisted by Sharon Brewer, they both firmly believe the secret to their success stems from the ability to ensure excellent customer service, and to approach each job in the way they would want it done in their own home.
One of their key strengths is providing a high-quality, personal service. Alongside this, all key staff possess an in-depth knowledge of carpets, floor coverings and fittings, which enable the business to provide helpful advice to potential customers. It’s a testament to the service that they offer, as they now boast third-generation customers, who have been loyal to the business since it first opened 60 years ago.
To celebrate this milestone, the business is offering Free Fitting on all carpets to coincide with their 60th anniversary.
TCC is also taking this opportunity to mark the anniversary by updating their design and logo, as well as launching their Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/teddingtoncarpets/
Despite being called ‘Teddington Carpet Centre’ the shop has had to evolve with fashions and market demands over the years. It now boasts a wide portfolio of flooring products including laminates, engineered hardwoods, natural floorcoverings, vinyl tiles and much more. The patterned carpets, once all the rage, have been replaced with the much more popular choice of hard flooring, which now equates to 75% of their business. TCC is keen to support local businesses and most of their suppliers are British.
Reflecting on the last few years, Rob commented:
‘We had to become Covid-compliant very quickly in order to continue operating. Customers, staff and fitters alike were all instrumental in achieving this. We implemented a shop-at-home service and key drop access, to retain our supply chain and affect sales, deliveries and installations despite the shop being closed. This contributed to us continuing to trade very well during the pandemic.’
Rob is a key figure in the local community and is Chairman of Teddington Together. He is a huge supporter of the local community and is keen to work with local charities having worked with both Ruils and Crossroads Care.
Working near Teddington Hospital, Rob saw first-hand how hard it was for all the staff there during the pandemic. He was lucky enough to have a business that continued through Covid, so he decided to donate a regular fund to the local coffee shop to ensure doctors and nurses could pop in for a snack or drink during their shift.
Rob is also a keen supporter of helping school leavers find employment and runs a Kickstart Scheme with Richmond Borough.
Rob has witnessed wholesale change throughout the street during his career and is confident that his father wouldn’t recognise the place, were he alive today. TCC can now proudly state that it is one of the longest-standing businesses in Teddington, and Rob is extremely proud of the success of his family business. He certainly didn’t envisage the business celebrating 60 years when he started working there part-time as a 14-year-old.
Reminiscing, Rob commented:
“Dad used to stock rolls of heavily patterned stair runners – they used to retail at 35 shillings a yard in old money (about £1.75). Nowadays, Woven Axminster Carpets cost in excess of £80 per sq. yard. Memorably, the shop featured a heavily patterned lino on the floor – Thames Television asked Dad to lift it up for them because they said it was such a horrible pattern – and they wanted to put it on the set of Mr Rigsby’s Flat!’
For further information, interviews & photos please contact:
Sarah Lewis, Salt PR sarah@saltpr.co.uk 07985 780469
Instagram @teddingtoncarpets
Robert Wilks
Teddington Carpet Centre
13 Broad Street, Teddington, TW11 8QZ
020 8977 4562
