Bjelin UK · Hardwood flooring · Sweden
Building demand across commercial and residential flooring markets
Developing Bjelin’s UK residential market through distribution, alongside its established commercial presence. Eve leads UK marketing with the UK team, localising Swedish assets and connecting strategy with delivery.
- Engagement
- Marketing strategy · Trade PR · UK market development · Distributor support · Events
- Period
- 2026 · reported November 2026
01
The business
Bjelin is a Swedish flooring innovator, part of the Pervanovo Group and sister company to Välinge Innovation, inventors of the click floor. Its patented Woodura® technology produces real hardwood floors that are more durable than conventional engineered wood while using a fraction of the timber. The range runs from planks and herringbone to tile formats, for residential, boutique hospitality and commercial interiors.
02
The situation
Bjelin had established a strong foundation in the UK commercial sector through its commercial distribution partner. The opportunity was the residential market, reached through a distributor network, without weakening the commercial presence.
The UK residential sector requires a distinct approach from commercial specification. Success depended on clear positioning in a crowded residential flooring market, distributor enablement that equips partners to sell confidently, dual-market communications that speak to both commercial specifiers and residential consumers, and leveraging existing assets from the Swedish team while localising for the UK market.
03
Eve's role, and who did what
Eve leads UK marketing for Bjelin alongside the UK team: positioning the brand, building the content and opening the market.
- Led by EF Consulting
- Marketing strategy and communications plan
- Trade PR across commercial, residential and consumer press
- E-marketing campaigns
- Full delivery of the UK trade show presence
- A UK CRM built from scratch for the sales team
- Dealer and specification channel development; sales support materials
- Content adapted from Swedish assets for UK trade and specification audiences
- Supported or advised by EF Consulting
- UK objectives and audience alignment for paid digital
- Briefing documents and approval workflow with the Swedish marketing team
04
Strategic direction
Successful market penetration requires more than marketing. It requires strategic PR that builds brand authority, generates media coverage and creates the industry conversations that drive specification and sales.
The plan treated the UK as four audiences with four messages: residential distributors, commercial distributors, architects and designers, and end users, each hearing something different about the same product. Demand was to be built where the UK already looks for it, in the trade and specification press and at the flooring shows, with the Swedish assets localised rather than translated.
One product · four distinct audiences
- 01Residential distributors
- 02Commercial distributors
- 03Architects and designers
- 04End users
05
The work
Documented in the quarterly reviews to the client.
- Strategy and planning
- Four-week marketing strategy with a 12-month integrated marketing and PR roadmap
- Six-month communications plan by audience and channel
- UK media target list across flooring trade, consumer interiors and commercial design press
- Trade PR
- A programme of press releases and product editorial
- Editor relationships across the UK flooring, specification and architecture titles
- Award entry support
- E-marketing and CRM
- Solus email campaigns through trade publications
- A UK contacts database built from scratch for the sales team
- Events
- Full event delivery for a national flooring show: stand builder briefed and appointed, exhibitor portal, literature and point of sale, invitations, social, filming and photography, post-show follow-up
- Sales and distributor support
- Materials, messaging and trade relationship support for the UK sales team and distribution partners
- Point-of-sale recommendations and industry introductions
- Working with head office
- UK-relevant content created and adapted from the Swedish and global channels
- Event briefings and approval workflows with the Swedish marketing team
From the project archive · Bjelin UK
The work, in context.
06
Outcomes
Reported in November 2026. Outcomes supplied and approved by Bjelin UK.
- Award-winning
- Woodura flooring named Product Innovation of the Year at the 2026 National Flooring Awards, one of three awards won in 2026
- PR
- To date 24 press releases and placements in 2026, with coverage across more than a dozen UK trade, specification and interiors titles
- E-marketing
- a 40% open rate on trade solus campaigns, with the trade campaigns producing a direct retailer lead
- Own email channel
- launched from scratch, with monthly campaigns to three audiences: specifiers, housebuilders and independent retailers
- Events
- full events program fully delivered, including Flooring Show South, INDX and Harrogate
- Sales infrastructure
- a UK CRM built from scratch, and a six-month campaign running with the flooring buying groups
07
The bigger picture
This is the pattern for a manufacturer entering the UK with a strong product and a head office elsewhere: understand the audiences the UK actually has, position for them, build demand in the trade press and at the shows the UK trade attends, equip the distributors, and keep the head-office assets working here rather than translating them. Marketing that supports the sales team and the distributors, rather than running alongside them.
“Working with Eve has been very positive for our business. Her knowledge of the industry and ability to help us pivot and take advantage of new opportunities driven by professional PR and marketing assets have been invaluable. Eve works exceptionally well with the team and is a partner to the leaders and a guiding hand for the wider team. It's always a pleasure.”
08
Next step
From understanding UK audiences to equipping the distributors who reach them.
UK market entry, for manufacturers outside the UK06 · Start a conversation
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