Broadloom producers offer state-of-the-art looks, textures Article Number : 4284

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Date	3/12/2009 9:45:42 AM
Written By	LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services
View this article at:	//floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=4284
Abstract	By Louis Iannaco With the hardwood and tile segments gaining market share in recent years, carpet mills have had to spice things up a bit in order to get consumers to take a second look at broadloom. Throw into the mix a sagging economy, and stepping up to the plate with new textures and looks has become more critical for carpet producers...
Article	By Louis Iannaco With the hardwood and tile segments gaining market share in recent years, carpet mills have had to spice things up a bit in order to get consumers to take a second look at broadloom. Throw into the mix a sagging economy, and stepping up to the plate with new textures and looks has become more critical for carpet producers. As innovations such as soft fibers continue to grow in popularity, others are introduced, such as green features including recyclable and pet-resistant products, different textures, more weights and a multitude of styles and patterns. The carpet mills not only saw the writing on the wall but by using state-of-the-art technology have answered the call. Gulistan Tony Prespitino, vice president of sales and marketing, reported the “A accounts are here, while the B and C accounts decided to stay home this time. We were slammed last year on day one, to a point where you couldn’t talk to everybody. This year we were busy, but you got to spend quality time with people, which in a way was pretty good.” Gulistan has 14 new introductions for 2009. “On the design side, we have a new product called Galavant with Tactesse Stainmaster fiber,” he said. Other new products include a diverse mix of textures, patterns and friezes— Jubilee, a casual texture; New Eloquence, a small-scale cut and loop pattern; Sumptuous Splendor, a rich luster texture; Forest Creek and Abbott Lane, a pair of multi-tone pattern cut and loop styles; Frisco Lane, a frieze, and Velvet Beauty, a plush offering in a palette of modern pastels. Kraus According to Henry Bendik, product manager, the gloom-and-doom aspect of the show may have been overestimated. “The big draw for us was offering several specials, such as roll goods, palette goods, items like that. That’s what excited attendees. We also saw many more Canadians than in the past; it was a nice change.” Another exciting aspect of the show for Kraus was the rollout of offerings featuring its new Perpetual carpet fiber. “It’s our new P.E.T. polyester product. I believe many carpet manufacturers are searching for what is going to be the hottest thing in the future, and I believe that’s polyester, for all of us. We developed this new brand, Perpetual, which is recyclable and soft. We’ve got five new styles. We got everybody’s input, and it was quite positive.” Masland In response to discerning buyers who prefer the tradition of wool carpets, Masland had 16 new wool styles on display at the show. “This year’s wool introductions were met with enthusiasm on many levels,” said Kennedy Frierson, president. “In addition to styling and innovative designs, our wools offer the environmental friendliness buyers seek.” Two of the 16 new looks offered by the mill, which received much fanfare, were Trafalgar, a Wools of New Zealand product featuring subtle blends of colors available in 17 colorways, and Notting Hill, another Wools of New Zealand product. Notting Hill is a cutloop tonal featuring a woven look in a classic medallion motif available in 16 colors. “No synthetic fiber can match wool’s natural softness, resiliency and stain resistance,” he said. “Our customers appreciate both the aesthetic benefits of wool as well as its sustainable qualities.” Monticello Paul Yacobucci, vice president of sales and marketing, was ebullient by the results of the market and said, “The show for us was fantastic. The customer base that came in has been really good. Our turnout was a little bit higher than we expected.” The company has put an emphasis on its volume movers, featuring “very simplistic products,” he explained. “We’ve limited the colors to three or four. Two weights, three colors, that type of thing.” The mill, which has reorganized/restructured since being sold in November, has taken some older styles made under its previous parent company, Thomas Industries, and carried them forward. However, it was a new style, La Paz, a residential frieze, made of 100% solution dyed nylon, that “probably has gotten the best reception at the show,” Yacobucci said. “We are offering in it in two different weights, a better, best type thing. In challenging for market share, we’ve found there is a market for either the low or high end; the middle is not selling well at all. So, we’ve gone toward the lower end with a couple styles toward the middle. We’ve been quite successful with that.” Oriental Weavers The long-time area rug producer is now offering woven patterned broadloom as well as rug padding. “We actually had a very good show,” said Mike Reilly, president of Sphinx by Oriental Weavers. “It was the first time we’ve shown our broadloom line at a market. We considered it a success.” While its rug business was down 17% in 2008, Reilly noted, the word for Oriental Weavers moving forward is diversification. “The rug business is shrinking. We don’t anticipate that coming back anytime soon. We had a great first quarter, but it was just a bloodbath toward the end of the year. That’s why we expanded into rug padding, broadloom and other categories. Overall, however, we had a good year in 2008.” With its expansion into woven patterned broadloom, Reilly believes what the mill has to offer is just as good as its competitors. “We’re the only one making these types of products in the U.S., so we’ve got some good advantages going for us. Overall, there is more opportunity for us today than there has been in 10 years. We’re seeing people we’ve been selling for 15 years consolidate vendors. I’m hearing from many major customers, they are coming back to the strong companies they have relationships with. It’s cool. We’re telling them, ‘we’ve got all this stuff; this is the time.”