Brintons to open on high street

Upscale carpet manufacturer Brintons, which holds a Royal Warrant, is to open its first town centre store. Brintons sells its products through store groups including Allied and Allders, but will open its own shop in Kingston-upon-Thames later this year.

A Brintons spokeswoman said the intention is not to compete with retailers, but to demonstrate and experiment with new ways of selling carpets and to test new products. Retailers of Brintons' product will benefit from the venture.

It is understood that Brintons is also looking for a flagship store in central London to open in 2004. Brintons has a factory outlet in Kidderminster offering defective and discontinued carpets.