National Tiles and Carpet Call businesses reopen in renovated West End building
Riding high thanks to strong demand from builders and DIY customers, National Tiles and Carpet Call have reopened in a new location. See where.
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A mixed-use property in Townsville’s inner city has changed hands for the first time in 75 years, after being snapped up in an off-market deal by a major national retailer.
Townsville couple Dean and Tamara Parfrey have operated the dual national franchises of National Tiles and Carpet Call at 301 Bayswater Rd, Garbutt, since 2019.
With over three decades experience as a tiler, Mr Parfrey was motivated to launch the businesses to share his expertise and passion for the products.
National Tiles has grown to be a market leader in wall and floor tiles and hard surface flooring, while Carpet Call has gone from humble beginnings to become the largest Australian-owned flooring retailer.
Off the back of a surge in do-it-yourself (DIY) home renovations during the pandemic, and strong demand from local builders for their diverse range flooring products, Mrs Parfrey the businesses had steadily increased their sales volumes over the years.
“We really work hard to have a good mix between our DIY and our builder market, and that’s been a great business decision for us. It allows us to have tiles and flooring go out the door, for builders, but that DIY market balances it out, so there’s cash flow,” she said.
“On the Carpet Call side, we have strong sales with our vinyl planking, while in the tiles, we sell a lot in the 450mm pressed (tiles), but we’re certainly starting to see a trend more into the rectified edge 600mm sized tile.”
Mr Parfrey said their tiling business was backed by a massive Brisbane warehouse holding $30 million in stock, with daily transport north ensuring their NQ customers had access to a broad range in a short time.
Keen to buy their own building and the freedom to shape it to their vision, the couple enlisted help from Knight Frank sales and leasing executives Dan Place and Mark Fitzgerald.
Mr Place recommended the vacant property at 151-155 Ingham Rd, West End, which had previously hosted businesses selling mowers, second-hand furniture, and archery equipment.
The couple spent $1.87 million purchasing the building, and another $200,000 on renovations to add window frontage, remove the suspended ceiling, upgrade the airconditioning, while also adding a new trade section, backed by a warehouse with twice the space.
Customers have been impressed since the businesses reopened on August 23.
While the former-owners of the West End property had not been actively looking to sell, Mr Place said they negotiated an off-market deal that was an “attractive transaction for both parties”.
Mr Fitzgerald said one of the major drawcards for the buyers were the high-profile location of the property – just 3km from CBD – and its significant traffic exposure.
“The property was sold with vacant possession, which was another benefit as it allowed the buyer to complete a fit-out and occupy the building immediately,” he said.
Originally published as National Tiles and Carpet Call businesses reopen in renovated West End building
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