NEWCOMER: Thomasville Flooring made its debut in the fall at Home Depot—exclusively. The hardwood flooring unit is a part of Thomasville Home Furnishings, a division of Thomasville Furniture Industries. The launch was a rather quiet one, probably because the brand is highly recognizable and its entire production goes to Home Depot, a safe bet. The idea that the giant retailer was down-sizing its flooring department seems to contradict reality. The new line features three “fashion-forward” options: Jatoba, Walnut and Mahogany, in 1/2 x 5 engineered planks, natural wood grains, tongue-and-groove construction, micro-beveled edges and ends, and pre-finished, UV-cured polyurethane and aluminum oxide coating.
Price: $4.47 per square foot

TAX TIP: In our last issue, Bart Basi’s “Financial” column, “What’s New for 2007,” discussed income tax changes currently in effect. He has since learned that a telephone excise tax, which was originally enacted in the 1800s to fund the Spanish American War, is now a refundable credit on 2006’s tax return. The credit is taken on line 71 of this year’s 1040. The refund is based on telephone service between Feb. 28, 2003, and Aug. 1, 2006. It may not be a windfall, but take the tax credit when you file your 2006 return. Can’t hurt.

GOOD DEED: The Long Island Floor Covering Association (LIFCA), an affiliate of the World Floor Covering Association and an ardent supporter of the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF), donated most of the proceeds from its golf outing last summer and held a dinner in January pledging all earnings to the Foundation. Keith Campbell, chairman of Mannington Mills and chairman of the FCIF, was the keynote speaker and, his impassioned talk on the merits and essentiality of the FCIF was outstanding (see story on page 49). His clarion call defined the cause: If you are involved in this industry in any capacity, you are a part of this great venture and it is your responsibility to participate. He was eloquent and persuasive.

HOUSING BOOM: For years China has been a haven for Western big box retailers seeking to have goods manufactured for less money. Now China presents a fertile market on the other end of the spectrum—an outlet for international manufacturers to sell their products. The country’s exploding population of affluent people and the flourishing of new home building is an inviting prospect. Several major retailers in the United States and Europe have already made substantial investments in the new generations of Chinese homeowners, who crave fashionable furnishings, modern appliances and stylish comfort. Such luxuries were previously unattainable and are in demand now because of higher incomes and improved quality of living in the country. In much of China retailing consists of mom-and-pop stores offering a jumbled array of necessities and flimsy home improvement help. That paved the way for larger retailers, like Home Depot, to come in and cash in on this growing market.

FAMILY TIES: In January, Shaw Industries held its Flooring Alliance convention in Orlando, Fla., and it could be called Shaw Family Alliance. The first convention in 1998 attracted 1,200 people, 400 of whom were dealers and 300 children. This year, 3,600 people attended, 950 were dealers and 1,000 were children. For the dealers, it was Shaw; for the kids it was Disney World. As part of the biennial convention, there was a Town Hall meeting featuring Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway is Shaw’s parent company, and Vance Bell, Shaw’s CEO. The speakers were informative and entertaining (see story on page 3). But Buffett, who has a significant equity position in Coca-Cola, measured the attendance at this event this way: At the 1998 convention, 10,800 bottles of Coke were consumed. This year, 31,500 bottles were drunk. And to put it into perspective, 1.3 billion 8-ounce servings are sold every day. I’ll drink to that—a Coke, of course.