Every year, the Flooring Design Awards bring our nationwide network together to celebrate what makes a strong franchise system: committed people, high standards, shared knowledge and the collective satisfaction of seeing each other succeed.
For individual franchisees, the awards are an opportunity to pause and recognise the progress made over the past year. Running a successful flooring business takes much more than offering quality products. It means building trusted local relationships, developing a capable team, delivering excellent service, maintaining a compelling showroom, understanding both residential and commercial customers, and continually looking for ways to improve.
The Flooring Design Awards acknowledge that breadth of effort. Categories recognise business performance, sales growth, marketing, design innovation, store presentation, team culture and customer service. They also recognise the employees, suppliers and franchise owners whose individual contribution helps strengthen the whole group.
This year’s award recipients offer a great picture of the talent and commitment within the network. Total Care Flooring Design Wairarapa was recognised with the prestigious Franchisee of the Year award, alongside awards for Design & Innovation and Dual Market Sales Excellence. Jackson’s Flooring Design Napier earned recognition for both Top Business Performance and Top Residential Sales, while Flooring Design Commercial Hawke’s Bay received awards for Top Commercial Sales and Top Total Sales.
Elsewhere across the group, Flooring Design Whakatāne was acknowledged for Top Store Presentation, Family Flooring Design Pukekohe for Excellence in Marketing, and Flooring Design Rotorua for Most Improved Store. These awards reflect different strengths, but each demonstrates the value of having motivated business owners who are focused on doing the best possible job in their local markets.
One of the most meaningful awards of the evening is the Contribution to Flooring Design award. This year it was presented to Amber Carr of Simons Flooring Design Tauranga, recognising the positive contribution she has made across the wider group.
That contribution can take many forms. It may be sharing a useful business idea, supporting another franchisee, contributing practical experience, helping develop a better way of doing things, or simply bringing a constructive and generous attitude to the network. Strong franchise systems are not built by head office alone; they are strengthened every day by franchisees and team members who are willing to share what they know and help others succeed.
That sense of collaboration is a real feature of Flooring Design. Franchisees are independent business owners, but they are not operating in isolation. They have the benefit of a recognised brand, established systems, supplier relationships and the experience of other people who understand the challenges and opportunities of the flooring industry.
The annual awards are a reminder of how valuable that shared experience can be. Franchisees can learn from a store that has improved its presentation, from a team that has developed a successful local marketing initiative, or from an operator who has achieved strong results across commercial and residential work. Good ideas travel, experience is exchanged, and the whole network becomes stronger as a result.
Of course, the occasion is not all about trophies and results. The awards are also a chance for the group to relax, reconnect and enjoy each other’s company away from the day-to-day demands of business ownership. These occasions serve as an annual reminder that a successful network should also know how to have a good time.
For anyone considering a Flooring Design franchise, this culture matters. You are joining a business system with expectations, support and accountability but also a group of people who celebrate achievement, recognise contribution and take pride in helping one another move forward.
The awards are not simply a night on the calendar. They reflect the shared ambition behind Flooring Design: locally owned businesses, supported by a national network, working towards common standards of service, growth and success. The breadth of this year’s awards demonstrates that excellence can take many forms and that it is recognised across the Flooring Design group.