Consistent sales policy

Amorim is operating in the marketplace with three brands: “Corklife” for the DIY superstores, “Wicander” for the specialist flooring trade and “ipocork” for the specialist timber trade. Through this three-way division Amorim hopes to meet the demands of each individual channel of distribution. This year has now seen the full implementation of the policy of brand separation. “Now our major task is to further develop the customer service aspect for all three brands,” says Tomas Cordes, sales and marketing manager of Amorim Germany. “This includes both delivery times and training, as well as educational material and selling aids.” One of the central aims is to make cork flooring attractive to dealers. This is to be achieved through putting greater emphasis on the unique qualities of cork, especially important at the POS.
Cork flooring is now available in many colours.
Customers’ interest continues to be centred on natural cork when choosing products or decors for flooring or wall-coverings. However, there has also been a noticeable increase in the popularity of coloured designs. This is one aspect of the range that it is intended to further develop on a continuous basis. Future themes include products offering a mix of wood and cork, as well as cork and rubber variants. What is more, products that are capable of further reducing room sound are to be launched as well.
The Amorim international group of companies (with sales in excess of € 1 bn in 2003) has its headquarters in the Portuguese town of Mozelos near Porto. Today the group’s main business divisions are cork, hotels, real estate and textiles. The company, which was founded in 1870 and today employs a workforce of about 5 200, even includes a winery among its many and varied arms. Cork activities were combined within Corticeira Amorim in 1963 (2003 sales: approx. € 450 mio; workforce: approx. 4 000). The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of cork products, with a market share of around 30 per cent and activities in 103 countries. The wall-covering and floor-covering segments are combined in Amorim Revestimentos (2003: 716 employees and sales of € 110 mio).
Sales companies in the individual countries take care of opening up the individual markets. They are to be found in the USA, Japan, Poland (for eastern Europe) and Scandinavia, among other locations.