Article Number : 4228 |
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| Date | 2/24/2009 9:23:31 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=4228 |
| Abstract | By Louis Iannaco While overall traffic may have been down at Surfaces, those who came were privy to everything from new collections and additions to existing lines, as well as more colors and textures than could be imagined... |
| Article | By Louis Iannaco While overall traffic may have been down at Surfaces, those who came were privy to everything from new collections and additions to existing lines, as well as more colors and textures than could be imagined. And with the market share of hardwood and ceramic tile in recent years creeping increasingly upward, mills have stepped up to meet the challenge utilizing state-of- he-art technology and placing more emphasis on innovation, fashion and design. Throw into the mix the green explosion going on, and dealers could not help but find something to take home for their businesses. Beaulieu of America In this time of economic gloominess, retailers and mills alike should be “obsessed with being better,” said Patricia Flavin, senior vice president of marketing, “that should be the focus for all of us.” And that’s exactly what the mill had in store for retailers by introducing Flirtation, a new collection to its Bliss line. “The woman out shopping for broadloom today wants to define herself,” she explained, “and be more individual in her style. She wants to be more daring. Based on this, we’ve come up with Flirtation, which features 10 styles of nylon designs. It’s edgier, flirtatious and daring.” The 10 styles represent 288 SKUs and are a first for Beaulieu in that they use variable twist technology in a pattern carpet made with the mill’s PermaSoft and PermaSoft Plus nylon. Styles in the new collection include Attraction, Daring, Diva, Envy, Fantasia, Making Waves, Savvy, Secrets, To Die For and Wild Side. Flirtation features a variety of different textures, weights (ranging from 40 ounces to 60 ounces), colors and patterns. For more information, call 800.227.7211. Blueridge Home The mill had a trio of broadloom styles it was introducing at the show—Casa Bella, Amicola Falls and Paradice. Blueridge, which features products made with recycled content, enjoyed a “pretty successful show,” according to Chris Dillon, general manager. In echoing a familiar theme, he noted, “I had fewer tire kickers this year. Everyone who has come over has been a serious customer. I’ve sold a lot of displays. Everyone who comes over here wants to do business, whereas in the past that was not the case.” The mill was so busy, he reported, that the afternoon of day three was the first time he had gotten a chance to sit down. A high-end commercial mill, Blueridge has not been hit as hard as many of the others in the industry but did suffer a bit of a downturn during the last three months of 2008. “That’s when we felt it the most. I see things picking up by the third or fourth quarter of 2009. We are still spending money, we are still coming out with new products; we haven’t stopped.” For more information, call 800.241.5945. Dixie Home “The right people were here,” said Paul Comiskey, president. “From a standpoint of having senior management talk to major retailers, the show was great. As far as getting broad-based industry support in terms of numbers, that didn’t happen.” What did happen for Dixie was the introduction of eight new products featuring P.E.T. DuraSilk polyester, which received a warm response in its booth. The mill utilized new technology to develop DuraSilk, a polyester continuous filament fiber system that provides a silky, super-soft hand, resistance to crushing, fuzzing, pilling, soil and stains. “It started last year and we’ve expanded the collection this year in our Lifestyles line,” he said. “We saw a lack of fashion product at a more affordable price point. Last year we launched Lifestyles, with Stainmaster, and expanded it as well as seven new products with our own yarn system, DuraSilk, which is as soft as any fiber out there. With it we have a fashion story at a value price point.” As you go room by room, Comiskey said, “consumers are really willing to take more chances, they are much more interested in making a fashion statement in that room, so they want things that are new, be it feel, comfort or style.” New designs from Dixie include three medium- to high-textured friezes—Archery Summit, Blueprint and Wishing Tree—as well as cut loop DuraSilk broadloom offerings Imagery, Handley, Martella and Waterstone, available in 32 colors. For more information, call 800.273.8546. Natural Carpet Co. The mill, which specializes in, you guessed it, carpet made of natural fibers, was yet another company that did better than expected at Surfaces according to its president, Norman Marks. Toward the end of day three, he noted, “We’ve been very happy with the quality of the people that were here. “Our existing clients,” he explained, “made a point to find us, and we got to actually spend more time with them than usual, which was good. Overall, we’re quite happy after not knowing what to expect. During the downtime, you can’t sit around and wait for business. Because when it comes back you might get buried.” Marks noted the company was seeing a lot more open-minded buyers at the show. “Not that they have more money to spend or that they are necessarily buying more, but what I am seeing is more of an open mind as to what they are buying. They are actively seeking to learn about new profit centers. With us being a niche company, we are finding people who didn’t have time for us in the past, are now making time for us.” The mill’s biggest attraction during the show was a sisal broadloom product from South Africa, Marks noted, which is the heaviest sisal product in the world. For more information, call 310.664.1420. Royalty Yet another company that was delighted by its results at the show was Royalty. “I would say we anticipated the attendance to be much lighter this year,” said Paul Engle, vice president of marketing. “And yesterday, the first day, we were pleasantly surprised because we had, I believe, a pretty good crowd. I would say it felt like attendance was maybe 20% lower, which was actually a plus compared to what it could have been. Today, we’ve got pretty steady activity.” While the company continues to bring out new merchandise in both branded and unbranded products, “We’re focused on special values. All the products on display racks on one side of our booth are ongoing roll programs. The others contain products that are all limited amount of product but we have lots of footage on them and are selling them at special values. For cut order dealers, we have a stimulus package. We’ve selected merchandise from both our Royalty and Camelot lines as running products, partnered with selected dealers in our marketing areas, and have given them special pricing.” For more information, call 800.854.8331. Stanton Carpet Once again showcasing the finest in decorative branded broadloom at Surfaces, this time in its largest booth ever at 2,500 square feet, Stanton Carpet had something for everybody. New products, displays and programs gave all who visited the space something to talk about. “The traffic has been consistent,” said Jonathan Cohen, COO. “We had certain expectations coming into the show. There is a good crowd here. We’ve seen a lot of customers. It’s been steady the whole time, so no complaints. The core customers come to Surfaces.” Among Stanton’s more than 100 introductions were several Antrim products that enjoyed excellent reviews, including Nadia, a textured loop in eight un-dyed natural colors, Aurora, a 60% wool/40% viscose hand woven blend, and Maddox, another hand woven product in a 50% wool/50% cotton blend. The company also touted its green story with a new compact display featuring its Royal Dutch Naturally Green offerings. For more information, call 800.452.4474. |