Scott Enno, the founder of Flooring Xtra which is Australia's fastest-growing flooring brand, recently visited Cambodia for the first time along with other business delegates to explore opportunities in the market, B2B Cambodia sat down with him to find out more about his visit.
Who Are Flooring Xtra?
Flooring Xtra claims it is Australia’s fastest-growing flooring and blind retail brand and is located in more than 100 stores across Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Hobart. "Our international buying power through a 150-store network gives us access to better deals at a competitive price." As the founder, Scott Enno formed the business more than 20 years ago. His family has a rich history in flooring & furniture - his grandfather ran a furniture and flooring business, while his father sold carpets, so he Scott saw an opportunity for him to enter the industry as a 21-year-old. Flooring Xtra has grown over the two decades but maintains a strong customer focus. "Flooring Xtra is a retail flooring brand, and we offer a variety of flooring products in store. A big part of what we do is meet customer expectations and servicing people which is important in retail" said Scott. "There is a high entry point for this type of business in Australia in terms of meeting regulations and we are constantly learning so you have to wear many hats".
Adapting to International Markets
Although this was Scott's first visit to Cambodia, Flooring Xtra has had to adapt its business to a growing change in consumer demands in Australia, which is where the hard flooring has become more prominent compared to carpets - its a preference among Asian customers in particular. From a business point of view, Flooring Xtra has grown into a foreign business and offers more varied products from carpets and timber. The migration into Australia impacted business as more people wee seeking hard flooring in their homes. Scott said of the challenge and adapting “you don't know what you don't know”.
Impressions of Cambodia
"I think from what we've seen so far, it has been interesting and eye-opening in terms of opportunities. I think that there is a clear appetite to grow the economy and the government wants to bring more business in. I think that's always positive when the government has a desire to do this" he said. In addition, he feels that the US dollar-based economy is important for businesses especially local manufacturing and the financial sector and said "it's a big asset." On retail in the Kingdom, he added that in comparison, "Retail in Australia is as good as anywhere in the world. With Cambodia being an emerging country and growing wealth, there will be demand for higher-end retail and it will come here." While he is exploring entering the market, he feels that the time is not right now for retail for them but perhaps in supplying products. On a parting message on his overall impressions of Cambodia, Scott Enno added: "The friendliness of the people (in Cambodia) was a pleasant surprise and the country is much further advanced than I thought."