There was no chance of a North East flooring retailer being caught out when it officially opened a new store in Newcastle – one of eight launched across the UK on the same day.
That’s because the opening was performed by former Yorkshire and England international cricketer Ryan Sidebottom.
Ryan, who retired in 2017 after taking more than 1,000 career wickets, was the guest of honour at the opening of the new Flooring Superstore on the Blaydon Trade Park.
Bishop Auckland-based Flooring Superstore, which is one of the UK’s fastest growing retailers, has invested £100,000 in the new 3,464 square foot store, which has created three new jobs for local people.
Flooring Superstore Regional Manager Grieg Anderson said: “As a North-East business company, it’s always pleasing to be able to open a store on your doorstep and even better that we have been able to do so in a thriving city like Newcastle.
“It’s a sports-mad area so we were delighted to have someone of Ryan’s calibre to open the store on our behalf.
“His record for club and country speaks for itself and there are very few very people who can say they were on an ICC World Twenty20 winning team.”
The Newcastle store is one of 25 planned store openings in 2021, with County Durham-based Flooring Superstore continuing with its significant investment and growth strategy.
Newcastle was one of eight stores officially opened on the same day, the others being in Doncaster, Huddersfield, Norwich, Lincoln, Orpington, Basingstoke, and Hull.
Shoppers visiting Flooring Superstore in Newcastle will have access to an unrivalled range of carpets but also a huge choice of other flooring, such as vinyl, laminate, real wood, luxury vinyl tiles, EvoCore and the UK’s largest selection of artificial grass.
Flooring Superstore Regional Manager Grieg Anderson said: “It means we can meet people’s flooring needs under one roof, so they don’t need to visit several stores to get what they need.
“Plus, because we started life as an online retailer and have grown our tremendous e-commerce platform, we can also offer shoppers online pricing in our stores.”