What Jacobsen does

Jacobsen Creative Surfaces Ltd, trading as Jacobsen, is a privately-held New Zealand flooring distributor and curator founded in 1962 and headquartered in Auckland. The company sources and distributes flooring products from international manufacturers — notably Karndean, Tarkett, and Regupol — alongside its own-branded ranges, with a unified portfolio spanning carpet, vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), wood, laminate, ceramic and porcelain tiles, rubber, linoleum, cork, and accessories for both residential and commercial applications.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Residential demand is fulfilled indirectly through a national retailer partner network accessed via a 'Find a Retailer' locator on the company website. Commercial demand — covering offices, retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, and multi-residential projects — is served directly through three sales offices located in Auckland (St Johns headquarters), Wellington (Woolstore Design Centre), and Christchurch (Waltham), with quote-based project pricing. The technology stack is conventional distribution and specification: product catalogs, downloadable technical resources, project inspiration galleries, and brand-controlled content marketing across Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram. There is no proprietary digital platform, mobile app, or AI component disclosed.

Jacobsen generates revenue through one-time sales of floor coverings and accessories, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring contracted revenue streams referenced. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers are routed to retailers for residential quotes and to direct offices for commercial tenders. The company emphasizes a 60-year brand heritage, sustainability commitments formalized through an annual Impact Report, and curated access to world-class international flooring brands as its core value proposition.

Name

Jacobsen

Legal name

Jacobsen Creative Surfaces Ltd

Website

https://jacobsens.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jacobsen is a privately-held New Zealand flooring distributor founded in 1962, curating international brands and own-labeled flooring across carpet, vinyl, LVT, wood, laminate, ceramic, rubber, linoleum, and cork for residential homeowners and commercial projects nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Floor Coverings Distribution

NAICS

Floor Covering Retailers (449121), Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441), Other Building Material Dealers (44418)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031)

akta.pro primary industry

Resilient Sheet Vinyl & Linoleum Flooring Retail (CRAIAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flooring Installation Services (Retailer-Affiliated) (CRAIAGAK), Adhesives, Sealants, Caulks & Tapes Retail (CRAIADAL)

Keywords

• Flooring distribution
• Commercial flooring supply
• Residential floor coverings
• Luxury vinyl tiles
• Flooring specification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Flooring Products Sales: Jacobsen generates revenue through the sale of floor coverings including carpet, vinyl, LVT, wood, laminate, rubber, linoleum, ceramic tiles, cork, and accessories. Products are sold through their retail partner network and direct commercial sales. The company distributes internationally recognized brands including Karndean, Tarkett, and Regupol.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jacobsen is a New Zealand flooring distributor and supplier that curates and sells a comprehensive range of floor coverings for residential and commercial projects, including carpet, vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), wood, laminate, rubber, cork, ceramic and porcelain tiles, linoleum, wallcoverings, and accessories. The company distributes internationally recognized brands such as Karndean, Tarkett, and Regupol alongside proprietary Jacobsen-branded lines, selling to residential consumers via an authorized retailer network and to commercial customers (developers, specifiers) through direct sales offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

Product overview

Jacobsen is a New Zealand flooring company with over 60 years of experience, curating world-class flooring products from around the globe. The company's unified product portfolio spans both residential and commercial segments, organized into major flooring categories including Carpet (Loop Pile, Cut Pile, Carpet Tiles, Broadloom, Axminster), Vinyl (Residential and Commercial variants including Smooth, Safety, Wetroom, Acoustic, Sports, and Wallcoverings), Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT in Timber Design and Tile Design), Wood (TimberTop and Bespoke lines), Laminate (Everlast), Ceramic & Porcelain Tiles (Interior, Exterior, Pool), Rubber (Regupol Everroll and Tarkett Rubber), Wallcoverings, Linoleum (Tarkett Originale, Style Emme, Style Elle, Veneto, Trentino, Etrusco collections), Cork (Walkeasy), and comprehensive Accessories. The portfolio includes both proprietary Jacobsen-branded products and partner-distributed brands from manufacturers like Karndean, Tarkett, and Regupol. Products serve diverse market segments from residential homes to commercial offices, hospitality, healthcare, and specialty applications like sports facilities and wetrooms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Carpet Carpet flooring products for residential homes, covering Loop Pile and Cut Pile constructions for everyday Kiwi interiors, offering comfort and warmth.
• Residential Vinyl Flooring Residential vinyl flooring sub-lines including Traffic 250, Traffic 200, Iconik 240, and Trend, designed for moderate to high-traffic home areas with contemporary design options.
• Residential Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) Residential luxury vinyl tiles in Timber Design and Tile Design variants, providing realistic wood- and tile-look flooring for residential applications.
• Residential Wood Flooring Residential wood flooring including the proprietary TimberTop line and custom Bespoke made-to-order wood floors for clients with specific design requirements.
• Residential Laminate Flooring (Everlast) Everlast laminate flooring for residential use, designed to withstand everyday wear while maintaining appearance.
• Residential Flooring Accessories Residential flooring accessories including Karndean Floor Care, Stair Nosing, Edging Trims, and Transitions to complete installations.
• Commercial Vinyl Flooring Commercial vinyl flooring portfolio covering Smooth, Safety, Wallcoverings, Wetroom, Antistatic, Acoustic, and Sports variants for offices, healthcare, education, sports facilities, and specialist environments.
• Commercial Carpet Flooring Commercial carpet offering including Carpet Tiles (West-ELM lines such as Zeal, Zest, Spark, Chisel, Grit), Residential Carpet adapted for commercial use, Broadloom, premium Royal Thai Axminster for hospitality, and Rugs.
• Commercial Wood Flooring Commercial wood flooring including the Jacobsen TimberTop brand and Bespoke custom wood solutions for commercial projects with specific design requirements.
• Commercial Laminate Flooring (Everlast) Commercial-grade Everlast laminate flooring for business environments.
• Ceramic & Porcelain Tiles Ceramic and porcelain tiles for commercial interior floor and wall applications, interior wall-only applications, exterior floor applications, and specialized pool tiles.
• Commercial Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) Commercial LVT in Tile Design and Timber Design variants for commercial spaces.
• Rubber Flooring (Partner Brands) Rubber flooring distributed from partner brands Regupol (Everroll) and Tarkett (Tarkett Rubber) for commercial applications.
• Commercial Wallcoverings Commercial wallcoverings in Vinyl and Wetroom variants for commercial interior wall and wetroom applications.
• Tarkett Linoleum Collections Commercial linoleum flooring distributed from Tarkett covering Originale, Style Emme, Style Elle, Veneto, Trentino, and Etrusco collections.
• Cork Flooring (Walkeasy) Walkeasy cork flooring for commercial applications, offering comfort and sustainability.
• Commercial Flooring Accessories Commercial flooring accessories including Stair Nosing, Nosing Inserts (Tredsafe DiamondTred), Transitions, Edging Trims, Weld Rod, Acoustic Underlay, Entrance Matting, Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, and Installation products.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Ockham ResidentialflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOckham Residential is a New Zealand real estate developer. Jacobsen worked closely with Ockham on The Greenhouse project in Ponsonby, Auckland, a flagship residential development. Jacobsen provided flooring solutions that complemented the building's aesthetic while meeting high performance standards.
• TarkettcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJacobsen distributes Tarkett products in New Zealand including Tarkett Rubber, Tarkett Originale Linoleum, Tarkett Style Emme, Tarkett Style Elle, Tarkett Veneto, Tarkett Trentino, and Tarkett Etrusco linoleum ranges.
• KarndeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJacobsen distributes Karndean luxury vinyl tiles and floor care products in New Zealand, including the Karndean Floor Care range and Karndean Design flooring products.
• RegupolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJacobsen distributes Regupol Everroll rubber flooring products in New Zealand for commercial applications.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Carpet Court: New Zealand's largest flooring retail franchise network, directly competing with Jacobsen's residential retail partner channel in carpet, vinyl, timber, and laminate. Highly comparable in product breadth, target customer (homeowners/DIY), and country-specific market positioning.
• Flooring Xtra: NZ-owned flooring retail franchise group offering carpet, vinyl, timber, laminate, and tiles through a multi-store dealer network. Operates a similar dealer-partner model in the same residential flooring category as Jacobsen's residential channel.

Regional players

• Heritage Carpets: New Zealand-based supplier of residential and commercial carpet and flooring products. Comparable as a domestic NZ floor coverings distributor serving overlapping residential and commercial segments.

Broad incumbents

• Harvey Norman Commercial (NZ Flooring): Major NZ retailer carrying flooring as part of a broader home furnishings and electronics portfolio. Competes with Jacobsen in residential flooring but does not specialize in commercial specification — comparable as a broad incumbent in the same end market.
• Forbo Flooring Systems: Swiss-headquartered global manufacturer of linoleum, vinyl, carpet tiles, and entrance flooring. Competes with Jacobsen's portfolio in commercial linoleum and resilient categories; analogous as a global incumbent in overlapping product lines.
• Interface: US-based global manufacturer of modular carpet tiles and resilient flooring, dominant in commercial specification. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same commercial specification, healthcare, and education flooring budgets Jacobsen targets.
• Shaw Industries: US-based subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the world's largest flooring manufacturers, supplying carpet, hardwood, LVT, and tile. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose products could be imported into NZ and compete with Jacobsen's residential and commercial ranges.
• Beaulieu International Group: Belgian global manufacturer of flooring solutions including carpet, vinyl, and wood. Comparable as a vertically integrated broad incumbent in the same product categories Jacobsen curates for the NZ market.

Others

• Karndean Designflooring: UK-based manufacturer of LVT flooring whose products Jacobsen distributes in NZ. Comparable as a competing channel owner in adjacent geographies and as a supplier-partner that shapes Jacobsen's commercial range.
• Tarkett: Global flooring manufacturer whose rubber, linoleum, vinyl, and LVT ranges are distributed by Jacobsen in NZ. Comparable as a vertically integrated flooring manufacturer-distributor that Jacobsen partners with and that could enter the NZ market directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jacobsenflooring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobsen
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacobsenflooring
• Pinterestpinterest.com/jacobsennz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacobsen