Real Business - The Champion of UK Enterprise

Dawn Gibbins: the barefoot entrepreneur

By Rebecca Burn-Callander, published 2 years ago in Business Woman.

Gibbins sold her commercial and industrial flooring company, Flowcrete, for £35m in April. Earlier this month, she sealed a  £1 million deal to buy extensive premises on the outskirts of Macclesfield in Cheshire as the home of her new venture.

“Barefoot Floors will provide seamless flooring that offers the latest in technological advances to deliver a sophisticated look, creating inspirational space from the ground up,” says Gibbins.

“It provides a canvas underfoot that caters for discerning customers looking to create homes that look and feel good – and empowers them to lose their shoes and feel the invigorating freedom of barefoot living.”  

Initially, Barefoot Floors will be offered within the Cheshire area only, with a UK-wide roll-out programme – under a franchisee package – launched in the New Year.

This latest venture fuses Gibbins’ business acumen with her passion for healthy living. A keen Feng Shui practitioner, she has devised a “Barefoot philosophy” which brings a holistic approach to UK lifestyles.

Gibbins uses the same holistic approach with her new offices. Nestled in picturesque hills around the Bosley area, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, Gibbins says: “It’s the perfect location for the Barefoot brand. For the future we are looking at a range of initiatives from the new offices including a social enterprise to support healthier living in the UK.”

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