Article Number : 4732 |
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| Date | 8/11/2009 8:52:51 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=4732 |
| Abstract | By Steven Feldman OMAHA, NEB.—One year into its launch into the specialty retail channel, Avaire interlocking floating porcelain tile is building momentum much in the manner that glueless laminate, hardwood and LVT did in... |
| Article | By Steven Feldman OMAHA, NEB.—One year into its launch into the specialty retail channel, Avaire interlocking floating porcelain tile is building momentum much in the manner that glueless laminate, hardwood and LVT did in their infancy. Officially patented on June 9, parent company CoMc has orchestrated and executed a strategic growth plan that spans product, distribution, merchandising and segment expansion. “We continue to grow the business dramatically,” said Rob Tarver, vice president of sales and marketing. “Sales are up 382% through the distribution channel year- over-year. And same-store sales are up double digits despite the economic climate.” Avaire’s product line was bolstered this year by 15 new designs and an 18 x 18 format to complement the initial 6 x 6s and 12 x 12s. “We now have 24 unique designs,” Tarver said. “Our goal has been to create a strong portfolio that fits the U.S. market coast to coast. We also have designed the line to have both a residential and commercial feel in response to a residential trend for commercial-type visuals.” Specifically, Avaire’s new designs focus on the colorations that dominate the U.S. market— dark, medium and light beige, and gray—with more unique looks for commercial appeal like stained concrete and fossilized visuals. “One comment we often receive is that the design line is very strong in relation to the number of SKUs,” Tarver said. “Ultimately, this coincides with one of our goals to make tile easier in every way, particularly offering a strong design line without an exorbitant number of SKUs. A vast array of design options can be confusing for consumers and complicated for the retailer to sell.” Right now the line is divided into three collections: Standard, Choice and Select. Standard is comprised of four 12 x 12 colors at the $3.99 entry-level price point. Choice has 15 designs in 6 x 6 and 12 x 12, which allows the end user to mix the sizes to create unique installations. Retail is approximately $4.99. Select is constituted of five 18 x 18 options that should retail around $5.99. “The trend is to large-format tiles, and that’s where we will focus our new intros,” Tarver said. Speaking of commercial, Avaire just launched its flooring program at NeoCon (FCNews, July 6/13), where it captured one of only five Best of NeoCon Innovation Awards. Choice and Select are the two collections marketed to this segment, complete with a five-year warranty. So what did the A&D community like about Avaire? Two things that kept popping up, Tarver said, was speed of installation and sound absorption, where the product exceeds the sound transmission rating for most commercial installations. “Traditional tile needs a sound membrane in condominiums and multi-family installations.” As for installation, Neo-Con attendees were impressed with the fact that mechanics can immediately grout as they are laying the floor. “This means more square feet of Avaire can be installed in a day than traditional tile.” Merchandising Along with new products, Avaire is rolling out a new, high-tech, interactive merchandising unit with a touch screen TV. According to Tarver, when the company did its research on merchandising, one of the things it noticed was that every tile display looked the same. “Because we are an innovative and unique product, we felt we needed to be merchandised completely different. This helps further differentiate ourselves from traditional tile, because our story is unique.” He added that the presentation needs to be interactive because it generates curiosity. There are four video options. One is “About Avaire” (construction of the product itself); another illustrates the durability of the product showing the Robinson test and why it meets the performance level it does; another highlights the many design options, such as border, cobblestone, pinwheel, offset, etc.; and the last option is a time-lapse installation video, which shows speed of installation with Avaire being installed side-by-side to traditional tile. A significant number of displays have already been placed, attributed in part to the addition of three distributors: Tom Duffy (California, Arizona, Nevada), Midwest (Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho) and Lumber-men’s (Michigan, Indiana, western Ohio). These join Herregan (Midwest) and Pacific Home Furnishings (Hawaii). In illustration, Tom Duffy, a subsidiary of B.R. Funsten, has placed well over 100 merchandisers in just one month, according to Curt Thompson, president, although he stresses it’s more about quality than quantity. “The strategy is not about placing displays, it’s about finding the right channel. For example, there is a strong commercial play with this product, and you are not placing displays in this area. Then there are people who specialize in DIY-type business. We see a lot of that in Southern California and Arizona.” Jerry Silcox, vice president of sales for Midwest, took on Avaire because he believes the product gives the distributor the ability to attract new customers, particularly local home centers and retailers that focus on the DIY market. “This is a unique product in the tile category,” he said. “I think it’s designed well, and the product’s ease of installation should be very appealing to the DIY customer.” Thompson believes the key is placing Avaire with customers who know how to position this type of product and convey its value to the end user. “The tile may be more expensive, but when you factor in all the savings in installation and underlayment cost, you realize it’s a great deal.” He noted this will expose a whole new customer segment to tile. “Consumers can now get into a category they may not have been able to in the past because of the labor expense, the category’s highest component in terms of cost.” It is these types of distributors that fit with the company’s long-term plan. “When it comes todistribution, our goal is to establish the finest network in the country with the right partners for our product,” Tarver said. “We will do it methodically and correctly. The right partner is a strong, respected distributor that has a history of carrying new and innovative products and successfully introducing them into the market. They have to believe in the product as much as we do.” As more distributors are added, so will market penetration, which was also enhanced when Avaire became an approved vendor to the National Floorcovering Alliance and CCA Global. “Every group sees the trend in floor covering moving to floating floors, and we have a proven product that is very effective in the marketplace,” Tarver said. In fact, he noted that there have been virtually no claims. “Claims have cost us a total of about $140 in total revenue. We have not seen one issue that would be indicative of a systemic or design issue with our product.” Independent retailers who have taken on Avaire only have good things to say. Becky Rothman, owner of the eight-location Becky’s Carpet and Tile Superstores in the St. Louis area, has been having “tremendous success” since taking on Avaire in February. In fact, she said it is among her most successful launches. “Customers love the ease and speed of installation, they love the styling, the multiple sizes, the quick delivery time. They also love the fact they don’t have to put down underlayment, so it is less expensive in the long run. It’s like a laminate; it goes directly over surfaces where traditional ceramic may be challenged.” Specifics Avaire porcelain is mounted to a moisture impervious plastic tray with interlocking tabs on all four sides. Each tray is also equipped with a rubber grid backer that acts as both self-leveling and sound-deadening devices. This makes Avaire applicable for the multi-family segment, where traditional ceramic tile is rarely installed because of the sound barrier requirement. The product is also non-skid, so it remains in place during installation. Avaire is more cost effective than traditional ceramic installations because it requires no subfloor, no mortar and no underlayment, so fewer tools and accessories are required to install the floor. This also addresses speed of installation. “Once you install the floor you can grout right away as opposed to traditional ceramic installations, where you typically have to wait 24 hours for the mortar to cure before you can begin grouting,” Tarver said. Other benefits include: 1. Repairability: All you do is remove the grout, cut the tabs on three sides and replace with a new tile—which does have to be adhered to the floor—and re-grout. 2. Reusability: The interlocking system allows the floor to be disengaged and re-engaged multiple times. Just remove the grout on the floor and the tiles can be taken apart. 3. DIY friendly: It can be installed by novices and professionals to get professional results. 4. Versatility: Avaire can open up certain applications that had not been suitable for traditional ceramic tile because of subfloor instability. 5. Profitability: Retailers can make more money selling Avaire than traditional ceramic tile because some of the cost of the installation is built into the product. For more on Avaire, call 888.528.2473 |