Tarkett

Tarkett S.A., known until 2008 as Sommer-Allibert S.A., is a French multinational corporation specialising in the production of floor and wall coverings. Headquartered in La Défense, near Paris, the present company was formed in October 1997 by the merging of two others: French Sommer-Allibert and German Tarkett AG. These companies were in turn formed by the combination of various smaller companies in Sweden, Germany and France. The name Tarkett came from a product developed by a Swedish predecessor.

==History== ===Sommer-Allibert=== In 1972 Allibert, a company established in 1913 which had developed into plastic products for the automotive and housing industries, and Sommer, a company established in 1880 which specialised in floor and wall coverings, were merged to form Sommer-Allibert. The merging was designed by then-Allibert CEO Bernard Deconinck, which became the leader of Sommer-Allibert. The Nanterre-based company was expanded on the next years, mostly through the acquisition of smaller rivals. The group's automotive business, while a core revenue generator, was mainly centred on France. The floor and wall covering business (especially PVC coverings) expanded through Europe, North America and Asia, including a joint venture with American manufacturer Rubbermaid between 1989 and 1992. In 1989, Deconinck became the chief of a holding (owned by the Deconinck family) with a significant share of Sommer-Allibert and the day-to-day management was transferred to Mark Assa.