U.K.’s United Carpet: Prospect Remain Stong

London, England, October 30, 2007--Flooring retailer United Carpets Group said it is continuing to trade in line with expectations and that its longer term prospects remain strong, according to the Birmingham Post & Mail.

The company yesterday said that its strategic decision to focus on maximizing revenue from existing outlets was paying dividends.

However, it added that in line with its growth strategy, there was a strong pipeline of new stores and potential franchisees, and that it expected to open more in the second half across northern and central England.

"Currently, there are 61 stores, 13 are corporate stores managed by United Carpets and the remaining 48 are run by franchisees.

"In the future, we aim to maintain a core of at least six corporate stores and are actively sourcing quality franchisees for the remainder," the group said in a statement.

At its annual general meeting yesterday, the company said initial results from its key trading period from October to December had been encouraging and the overall business was continuing to perform well despite the challenging retail environment, increased interest rates and the volatile financial markets.

It said that its core floorcoverings division remained the primary driver of the group's improved performance.