Article Number : 4356 |
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| Date | 4/6/2009 8:53:49 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=4356 |
| Abstract | By Matthew Spieler It’s no secret sales at all levels have slowed tremendously over the last two years— even at the once-thought-untouchable high end. But, the one place where sales are happening is at the upper price points, even at what might be considered the high end of the mid-point level... |
| Article | By Matthew Spieler It’s no secret sales at all levels have slowed tremendously over the last two years— even at the once-thought-untouchable high end. But, the one place where sales are happening is at the upper price points, even at what might be considered the high end of the mid-point level. Indeed, the wealthy continue to buy luxury items—albeit at a slower rate—and general consumers who are shopping are seeking products that provide a combination of high style and performance— in other words, they want a good value. To that end, laminate manufacturers feel pretty good about their position. For years they have been creating products to replicate the high-end luxury of wood, tile, stone and more with enhanced performance benefits and at prices far more reasonable than their natural competitors. Armstrong/Bruce Recognizing the consumer’s continuing desire for realism, Milton Goodwin, vice president of laminate and ceramic, said, “The only way to get that is go after the high end,” because they have the features she wants such as embossed texture and wider widths. To that end, the mill offers a number of products under both the Armstrong and Bruce brands that fall in the upper-mid to high-end range. Under the Armstrong name is Grand Illusions (tropical exotics), Grand Illusions Premium Domestic (domestic exotics), Rustics Premium and the Coastal Living Collection. Under the Bruce brand is Laminate Reserve Premium and Park Avenue. Each retails for about $4 per square foot, uninstalled. As for what’s new for spring, Goodwin said each moniker is offering something “enticing.” The new Coastal Living Collection captures the rich hues of caramel- dusted sand grains with hints of chestnut brown and white wash, he said. It is now available in three distinct visuals: Sand Dollar Oak, White Wash Walnut and Oyster Bay Pine. “White Wash Walnut is the newest entry just now launching at retail,” he noted, “but all three summon memories of lingering shoreline explorations in rugged simplicity.” On the Bruce side is the addition of natural cherry to the Laminate Reserve Premium Collection, capturing the visual appeal of premium hardwood, Goodwin explained. “It features true plank widths, beveled edge detailing and realistic wood textures, and a 30-year limited warranty, Bruce’s longest.” Formica The three new products the company has come out with for the spring “are completely unique to our current lineup,” said Ken Peden, COO of Kronotex USA, Formica’s parent, adding that the mill invested in consumer research “to create a line they want and from which retailers can profit.” The new products offer “a fresh approach to tile,” he said. First is Gianna, which features four tiles per plank and comes in two colors. It can be installed in straight lines or staggered for a more interesting look. Adding to the realism, he noted, is “our embossed-in-register finish, which provides a texture that looks and feels like genuine tile.” The other two collections— Ambra and Venetia—are modular patterns composed of a variety of different sized and shaped tiles. Both have embossed-in-register finish surface layers “for a texture that looks and feels like real stone,” Peden noted. Mannington When it comes to this year’s products, “high-end doesn’t always mean high price,” said Betsy Amoroso, director of corporate communications. “In today’s economy, high end refers to the look of a product as much as anything else.” Wanting to leverage the success of last year’s Time Crafted Maple in Revolutions Plank, which earned the mill a number of awards, Mannington added a walnut visual. As with the original Time Crafted product, it utilizes the company’s exclusive Variable Edge Technology, which creates a random bevel. Time Crafted Maple is available in three colors. Also, in its stone visuals, Mannington has introduced Mojave Slate as a follow-up to its successful Adirondack line. Available in a modular format, Mojave uses the mill’s 5-color ink process “to add depth and realism,” Amoroso said. Available in three colors, she noted it has “endless installation options.” Pergo Come April, the company will introduce the Endless Shine, a non-textured high-gloss collection. “Our current high-gloss products have been very well-received,” said David Small, vice president of sales, “and we anticipate that high-gloss finishes, in addition to our ultra-realistic décors, will remain an important element to future designs and programs.” Endless Shine will initially be available in three SKUs—with more decors to be introduced later in the year—on 5-inch narrow-width planks and come with Pergo’s 30-year warranty against wear, stain and fade. Quick•Step Like many, Roger Farabee, senior vice president of marketing, explained, “Although consumers’ flooring needs and their appetite for the highest levels of design and style have not diminished, the current, more challenging economic times realistically mean the resources available to Americans to meet their flooring needs have, in many cases, changed.” He noted it is up to manufacturers to be sensitive to those changes so as to provide the types of products consumers want at prices they can afford while still allowing retailers to earn a living. “The successful brand is the one that not only offers beautiful, quality products, but that is also market savvy and aware of the larger macro environment to tailor products to meet special overarching circumstances in which American consumers may find themselves,” Farabee said. To that end, Quick•Step is offering two new high-end collections— Allustra - High-Gloss Exotics and Sculptique - Lightly Hand-Scraped Rustics—in an 8mm platform. “The price/value characteristic allows Quick•Step to successfully offer consumers two of the hottest trends—high-gloss exotics and softly hand-scraped rustic decors—in price points that makes these unique premium visuals more affordable to a larger segment of the market.” Allustra highlights exotic wood looks with a smooth, glossy surface in six species looks, while Sculptique features subtle texture down the length of the plank creating the roughhewn textured look of soft-scraped wood, available in varying species represented in five decors. Shaw The luxury market is still be viable in the current and future marketplace but has taken on a new identity, said Emily Morrow, Shaw’s director of color, style and design. So much so that “consumer experts look to laminate as the ideal example of where consumers’ product preferences have shifted due to the value it offers and the vast innovations in materials and manufacturing.” With that, the company “lifted the mist” on laminate with its new Luminiere collection featuring what Shaw touts as the first high-clarity, extra-luster laminate made in North America. The first group of Luminiere products is four exotic visuals: African Vue, Caribbean Vue, Peruvian Vue and Brazilian Vue. Luminiere styles have enhanced scratch resistance on top of laminate’s already well-known durability. Aside from products that mimic wood, Shaw has introduced stained concrete and travertine visuals in its Touchable Texture collection. Morrow said the stained concrete look has really taken off with consumers, and with these products Shaw has created a concrete look “without the worries of hairline cracks [inherent in] actual stained concrete.” Tarkett While concrete looks are being strongly received by consumers, Tarkett has seen a significant appeal with [other] industrial styles as well, such as brushed aluminum and metallic floors, according to Lise LeBreton, residential creative director. As a point, she noted the company’s recently introduced glossy Journeys Concrete, available in three styles, that “received a tremendous amount of attention at Surfaces. We see continued success for these designs as they provide a distinctive style each consumer can call her own.” Part of Tarkett’s glossy offering of products, Journeys “can be used alone or makes a striking accent or border to the traditional wood designs,” explained Jeff Katz, residential director of laminates. LeBreton added, “They create an absolutely dynamic look when paired with stainless steel appliances.” Torlys At Surfaces, a totally revamped laminate offering was introduced as part of a company-wide effort to reduce its environmental footprint. As such, Jon Kocemba, vice president of marketing, said this spring Torlys will be launching a “progressive line of eco-engineered laminates.” While the total collection, consisting of 40 SKUs, will touch various price points, in the higher stratosphere of products is Manhattan. Available in both exotic and domestic wood designs, it features a square edge in 2- and 3-strip planks and comes in eight colors. Manhattan, like everything in the new line, consists of a new Smart Core, which is made with a minimum 74% recycled wood fiber. Kocemba believes the line will raise the bar for quality and value, and create floors that have a “wow” factor in the retail showroom.” |