Polyflor South Africa: Old Values, New CEO

Polyflor South Africa (SA) has a new CEO: Tandy Coleman-Spolander. Although Tandy is new to the position, she is the third generation of Colemans to play a part in the company’s long, international history. 

Polyflor originated in Radcliffe, the UK, where a company called James Halstead Limited was founded in 1915. Initially, the company had nothing to do with flooring – they waxed and shower proofed cloth for coats. In the early years, James Halstead Limited had just four machines and their three employees earned £1.60 for a 54-hour week! In the 1930s, the company started producing special rubberised mats for car floors and in 1954 the remaining textile section was sold off as the focus shifted to flooring.

Later, employee and pioneering young chemist, Bill Roberts, developed the revolutionary new vinyl product which gradually replaced the linoleum floors of the past and, with this novel formula, Polyflor was born. Now 101 years old, Polyflor UK distributes vinyl flooring to over 180 countries around the world, with an annual turnover of a quarter of a billion pounds.

The relationship between Polyflor Head Office in the UK and Polyflor SA dates back 58 years to when Louis Coleman established the first Polyflor agency in South Africa in 1958. The company ran successfully, with Louis at the helm of Sales, until his death in 1964. Five years later, it was bought and eventually closed by a local competitor and a 20-year restraint of trade was placed on the Polyflor name in South Africa.

During his tenure as CEO, Denver and his wife, Sheila, grew the business from a small entity in their home office into a powerful market player. Although regaining the company’s rightful position in the local market was no mean feat after a 20-year absence, we can now confidently say that Polyflor SA is once again a leader in South Africa’s flooring industry.But Louis had introduced his sons to the business of flooring and both Denver and Garry subsequently worked in the industry for most of their professional lives. In 1992, once the restraint of trade had expired, Louis’s elder son opened the doors of Polyflor SA once again and the company now supplies a range of high-quality, specialised vinyl flooring products throughout the country. Many other supplies and product ranges have been added over the years, complementing the UK-manufactured Polyflor range and offering great value to clients.

Despite this growth and evolution, and in an era during which many corporations lost their personal touch, Polyflor SA has maintained its strong family ties and a sense of belonging amongst employees. And this is the legacy which is now being entrusted to a new generation.

Tandy, who has a B. Com Accounting Science degree, is Denver’s elder daughter and has been involved in Polyflor SA since 1994. Having started at the company in a Sales and Administrative position, Tandy developed an understanding of all facets of the business as she established and maintained the company’s rapidly growing financial and accounting systems. After taking a break to spend time with her growing family, she returned in 2009 as part of the Management Team, responsible for the marketing portfolio.

And now the time has come for a new phase in the business. Denver appointed Tandy CEO on 10 March 2016, making her the third generation of Colemans to own and lead Polyflor SA. This proud tradition seems to be the Polyflor way: Polyflor UK is still run by the founding Halstead family, four generations later.Under the guidance of Denver as Chairman, Tandy and the Management Team of Pieter Du Plessis, Sandy McLardy and Charles Davids have been responsible for the ongoing steady and substantial growth and development of the business. Polyflor SA continues to expand into new markets and industries, using cutting-edge technology and outstanding people skills to ensure exceptional client service.

As a company, we wish Tandy and her team everything of the best as she steers Polyflor SA through new challenges and achievements. We know our strong family values and that special sense of belonging will continue to flourish under her leadership.

To find out more about Polyflor or to get a quote from our team of industry-leading experts, contact us.