Married couple Lawrence and Alice Bogan started trading from Park Road in 1948 – just three years after the end of the Second World War – selling patchwork carpets made from off-cuts. Tony McDonough reports
Bogans Carpets is one of Merseyside’s best-known independent retailers and this month it celebrates 70 years since it opened its first shop in the Dingle.
Married couple Lawrence and Alice Bogan started trading from Park Road in 1948 – just three years after the end of the Second World War – selling patchwork carpets made from off-cuts.
Family investment
In the 1960s, following investment from other members of the family, the business reacted to New Bird Street. In 2006, the site was sold to make way for apartments and saw the company move to its current site in Great Howard Street in the city’s north docklands.
Despite turbulent periods in the economy, Bogans has continued to expand, with father and son Peter and Nik Burrows at the helm, and now has two additional superstores; one on Claughton Road, Birkenhead which opened in 2011 and another on Parkgate Road, Two Mills, which opened in 2015.
Diversified offer
The company has also diversified its offering by selling laminate, hardwood and vinyl flooring, in order to meet customer demand and keep ahead of trends. Manager, Nik Burrows said: “Bogans Carpets has been proudly owned and run by our family for three generations.
“Over the years, we have overcome stiff competition from big retail chains and online businesses mainly because we offer permanently low prices all year round and beat any like-for-like quote.
“Customer satisfaction is at the core of what we do and we don’t turn anyone away, no matter the size of the job – we believe this is a big part of our success.”
Anniversary sale
To commemorate the special occasion, Bogans Carpets is holding an anniversary sale and will also be hosting an exclusive competition on its Facebook page.
Bogans now supplies and installs more than 300 floors each week to homes across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. It also works with a range of businesses such as bars and restaurants, schools and colleges, hotels, hospitals and office developments.
Nik added: “We are thrilled to be able to celebrate such a significant milestone and we’d like to thank our customers and also the flooring manufacturers who have supported us over this time.”