The UK leisure industry is a multi-million pound market, attracting millions of users every year.
Not only is there fierce competition in the health and fitness, leisure and sports centre sectors to recruit new members and customers, but standards of equipment, service, hygiene and surroundings must meet or exceed consumers’ expectations.
In such a demanding environment, specifiers want fixtures and fittings that not only look stylish and reflect the image of the organisation, but they must be good value, durable and easily maintained, with a technical performance perfect for their intended purpose.
Whether it is sports halls, gyms, weight rooms, offices, meeting rooms, treatment rooms, reception areas, changing rooms, staircases, shower blocks, or kitchens and cafeterias, international vinyl flooring specialist Gerflor has long experience of matching the right product with the specific needs of leaders in sport, fitness, leisure and academia, including Wigan Warriors RLFC, David Lloyd Leisure and Loughborough University.
For instance, speaking after the installation of Taraflex sports flooring in the badminton hall, Gavin Bailey, of David Lloyd Leisure in Derby, commented: “David Lloyd Leisure aims to deliver products and services in line with high consumer expectations and feedback from our members about the surface has been superb.”
With more than 70 per cent of sales made from products brought to market within the last three years, Gerflor is committed to designing and delivering future-proof floors with cutting edge performance, an up-to-date, wide choice of colours that allow design to be an enduring part of a building’s identity and ever-improving environmental sustainability. The speed and ease of installation, with some products able to overlay existing surfaces, means Gerflor can be specified for new-build or refurbishment projects where time is absolutely critical.
Best-selling solutions include:
- Taraflex offers international standard sports flooring that’s tough enough for sustained use. Used in every summer Olympic Games since 1976, Taraflex surfaces offer performance, comfort and safety for difference uses. It’s the first floor in the P3 shock absorption category, meaning fewer bumps, bruises and friction burns for users.
- Tarasafe safety flooring is ideal for heavy traffic applications where enhanced slip resistance, durability, hygiene and easy maintenance are required. Entirely recyclable at the end of its long life, Tarasafe is lighter in weight for easier handling and can be used in kitchens, toilets, reception areas and dry cloakrooms.
- Creation Clic System, an award-winning solution, is described by Malcolm McPhail, chief executive of Life Leisure, as “the most universal floor in this industry”. He added: “It can be used in any number of applications, it looks great and is durable enough if weights are dropped on it.” With its looselay interlocking planks in a variety of wood plank effect designs, it is a sophisticated, low-maintenance product.
- Artline and Creation Luxury Vinyl Tiles offer highly realistic designs with embossed/grained finishes in wood and mineral effect planks and tiles. Durable and attractive, both are suitable for cafeterias, while Creation is also ideal for offices.
- Taralay multi-layered flooring is suitable for public high traffic areas, while Taralay Premium Comfort offers excellent shock absorption and acoustic performance (16dB).
- Finally, GTI looks smart and its 2mm wear layer and 6mm thickness overall means that the ranges can withstand constant footfall, bear the heaviest static loads, or cope with heavy deliveries and even forklift trucks, making it perfect for storage and delivery spaces.
Gerflor Sports manager Darren Wood commented: “Our flooring solutions are underpinned by the latest technology so whichever part of a building they’re focusing on, specifiers know the product will deliver a consistent high performance for its entire lifespan, while designers have so many colours and styles to choose from in creating strong identities for their clients.”
