A business built to last

Pictured above: Jacobsen has a good reputation in the commercial flooring space.

For more than 60 years, Jacobsen has been laying the groundwork for quality in New Zealand’s flooring industry. Under the leadership of CEO Renee Jacobsen, the company is stepping confidently into the future guided by a commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Renee Jacobsen doesn’t just lead one of New Zealand’s most enduring flooring companies – she grew up with it.

“People sometimes ask how long I’ve worked in the company. It’s hard to describe, because it feels like my whole life,” she says.

Founded in 1962 by her grandfather and later transformed by her father, Jacobsen has constantly been in Renee’s life – from school holiday jobs stuffing envelopes to eventually stepping into the CEO role two and a half years ago.

With generational knowledge, Renee also brings distinct personal passion for interior design and wellbeing.

She’s always been fascinated by how interior spaces impact the way people feel, and her interest deepened during an interior design course she took while raising her third daughter.

Today, she channels that insight into curating global products for New Zealand’s homes, schools, hospitals and commercial spaces.

Half a century in healthcare

Jacobsen has carved out a strong reputation in the commercial flooring space, especially in technically demanding environments such as healthcare.

“Premium healthcare spaces demand performance at every level: Hygiene, durability, even psychological comfort,” Renee says.

“The quality control and technical requirements for medical centres are very high.”

Whether it’s seamless welded vinyl for operating theatres or slip-resistant surfaces for senior living, Renee says that Jacobsen’s healthcare offering is highly specialised.

“We think deeply about how flooring can contribute to healing,” Renee says.

Recent research in environmental psychology and evidence-based design has underscored the importance of colour in influencing mood, reducing stress, and aiding recovery, particularly in healthcare environments where patients may feel anxious, vulnerable or disoriented.

She says that Jacobsen leverages this science to create palettes that support emotional wellbeing, drawing on calming tones found in nature to establish a sense of safety and reassurance.

“Our latest collections feature a lot of soft greens, muted blues, and warm neutrals, which are consistently shown to evoke feelings of calm and restoration. Greens can promote tranquillity and healing, while pale blues have been linked to reduced heart rate and blood pressure.”

She says that timber-look finishes add warmth and familiarity, helping clinical spaces feel less sterile and more inviting.

“There’s a quiet but powerful effect when a space just feels right.”

Walking a sustainable path

For Renee sustainability is another big focus at the business.

The most powerful form of waste reduction, Renee believes, is extending a product’s life.

“If you’re replacing a floor every 10 years, you’re adding to landfill. If it lasts 30 years or more, the environmental impact is significantly reduced.”

The business also works to reduce end-of-life waste, collaborating with installers and suppliers through their industry leading product stewardship programme, Re.Form, to recycle flooring materials and partnering with Habitat for Humanity to donate pre-used, sample, and obsolete stock

Renee acknowledges the complexity of circularity in construction, particularly given the number of stakeholders involved, but says the company is committed to improving.

“It’s not a perfect system yet, but we’re progressing.”

Many of Jacobsen’s suppliers now design products with circularity in mind – a development Renee sees as critical for the future.

“We want to offer the best material health, the lowest emissions, and ideally, cradle-to-cradle solutions,” she says.

Jacobsen has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50 percent since 2018, achieving their emissions target five years early. A major contributor was an over 50 percent drop in airfreight emissions, thanks to smarter planning and tighter controls.

Global partnerships with a local lens

While proudly New Zealand-owned, Renee says that Jacobsen’s strength lies in its long-standing partnerships with world-leading flooring manufacturers, particularly in Europe.

The company represents an exclusive portfolio of international brands, including Tarkett from Europe, Shaw Contract from Georgia, USA and Karndean from the United Kingdom, each known for innovation, sustainability and design leadership in their respective categories.

“We work closely with [these suppliers] to bring those innovations to New Zealand and make sure they perform in our conditions,” Renee says.

One of Jacobsen’s key roles is filtering global trends through a distinctly Kiwi lens. For example local customers increasingly align with European style: Natural materials, muted palettes, timeless tone.

But it’s not just about style. New Zealand’s high UV exposure, humidity levels, and unique building code mean imported products must be tested for longevity and compliance.

“We love big windows, open spaces and natural light, which can impact how materials wear over time,” Renee adds.

Navigating global disruptions with local solutions

Like many importers, Jacobsen has weathered significant supply chain turbulence in recent years. From geopolitical disruptions in the Suez Canal to container delays in Singapore, the company has had to adapt quickly.

Renee says the business has changed its procurement model to stock more inventory and holds $15 million worth of inventory on hand.

With that, and robust financial governance, Renee says the company has been able to buffer its customers from many of these disruptions.

“Our job is to absorb the complexity, so our clients don’t have to.”

Renee says that Jacobsen’s future is grounded in its existing (and new) strategic partnerships as well as a commitment to culture.

The business is preparing to roll out a new collaboration with global brand Karndean, offering fresh merchandising opportunities across retail and commercial space.

 At the same time, it is investing in talent and team cohesion. “I’m really proud of our people. We have a strong culture of accountability, high performance and care. That’s how we navigate challenges – together.”

Later this year, Jacobsen will take that education on the road, touring the country with a branded training trailer.

The mobile unit will deliver hands-on sessions to customers, contractors and apprentices in regional centres.

“It’s about empowering the whole ecosystem with best practice,” says Renee.