Terry Burke is a business owner and member of the Institute of Mangement who lives in Knutsford Cheshire. He is the Managing Director of Mats Nationwide an online retailer of mats and floor coverings. Terry has previously had roles with Group 4 security and has been an inspector of plant operations at Faslane nuclear submarine base. We spoke to Terry in August 2010 to get his take on trading online and the issues facing an online business at a time when many businesses are struggling due to economic conditions as we move through the latter stages of a recession.
We started by asking what projects he is currently working on.
Terry: We are constantly trying to improve and innovate with our range of mats and floor coverings, we want to be able to give as wide a selection to our customers as possible. We are particularly focusing on mats for the corporate sector as our offering has the potential to save them significant amounts of money as many corporate still rent mats.
Mats Nationwide are in their second year of trading but Terry has big growth plans.
Terry: we are in our second year of trading online, it has been a profitable business, but we are in a position now to capitalise on this position and we have plans for significant expansion into the US market. America is a very large market and represents a huge potential for growth for Mats Nationwide.
We asked him what he thought was the biggest problem facing his business today.
Terry: There is no doubt that there are many new entrants to the market at the moment and this represents a unique challenge to us. But one thing we have noticed is that they don’t seem to hang around too long, You need an efficient business model and the right connections and experience to be successful in this industry, we have that, but many don’t seem to, which results in them falling by the wayside.
All businesses have a an eye on environmental issues at the moment what do Mats Nationwide do to be environmentally friendly?.
Terry: Nearly all of our products are made from recycled materials or have some part that is recycled. For example all the rubber parts of our mats are made from recycled tyres.
Finally we asked Terry what his vision for the future was.
Terry: We want to be the biggest online retailer of mats in the world, and we believe we can achieve this by providing the best quality products at the best price. For instance we have great capabilities for providing companies with branded logo mats and we also provide mats for specialist applications such as kitchens, boats and caravans, we also do regular door mats.
We pride ourselves on our expert team who have years of experience in the business.
And just as importantly, we value our customers.
Thank you Terry we wish you continued success with Mats Nationwide and your continued expansion.
Rhonda Evans is a writer for Key Business Profiles, a platform dedicated to capturing the evolving landscape of UK businesses. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for economic and social trends, Rhonda crafts insightful content that reflects the voices of business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs across various industries.
