Announcing a fall in annual sales last week, Carpetright said the Republic of Ireland "remains an important market" for the company.

For the year to the end of April, Carpetright's underlying pre-tax profit slipped almost 8% to £56.7m ( 81.9m) compared to the previous year.

Turnover fell 2.4% to £451.4m ( 652.2m).

Carpetright chairman and chief executive Philip Harris said the past year had been difficult for the company as laminate flooring sales plummeted by 38%. Homeowners are reverting to carpets. Harris added that laminate is "too noisy, very difficult to lay and children fall over on it".

Carpetright, which is Europe's largest flooring retailer, is expanding its range of rugs and carpets to address changing consumer tastes.