Reno, Nev.—As Floors To Go enters its third year since its acquisition by Abbey Carpet Co., it has made the most of its opportunities in order to create more and new choices for members. With more than three fourths of its members turning out for the four-day convention, here, it did just that by offering a compelling package of products and programs designed to improve both sales and profitability for its members as well as including a full-day of seminars and breakout sessions. Stephen Silverman, president and CEO of Abbey, told members, “Our goal has always been to bring you the most powerful and potentially profitable merchandising, marketing and business-to-business programs possible. “This is only the beginning,” he continued, “and it’s only going to get better.”

Top on the list was a partnership with Invista. Floors To Go presented its dealers with The Royal Stainmaster Collection, an economic and space-conscious, four-unit maple display featuring products from Beaulieu of America, The Dixie Group, Gulistan Carpet and Royalty Carpet Mills. Included in the collection are 72 Stainmaster styles—Masterlife, Stainmaster, Tactesse and Xtralife—to be offered in a variety of constructions in order to allow the customer to easily understand the difference between a $15 and $20 product. “It allows her to upgrade herself,” explained Silverman. “It puts her in control, and because the Stainmaster brand has a 95% name recognition, it also instills trust and confidence.” As an added benefit to the enhanced warranties and private label of this collection, members who take it on will automatically become a Floors To Go Stain master Master Store.

“The Royal Stainmaster Collection was the hit of the show,” noted Gene Presson, executive vice president of Floors To Go. “This is the biggest introduction of Stain master we have ever had. This offer was made to our dealers—$299 delivered. It includes 12 sets of 27X18-in. samples. Invista’s management was very pleased with the number of displays it placed at convention.” “The way Abbey is moving the Floors To Go group toward a branded product not only benefits membership growth, it allows Invista to grow as well—now and into the future,” added Wayne Leathers, Floors To Go account manager for Invista. “It’s a plus for both sides.” So impressed with the collection, multiple Floors To Go store owner, Randy Arnold of Indianapolis said, “I was very impressed. Until you see the final outcome, in this case the Royal Stainmaster Collection, you don’t truly realize how much effort is put into making us look more professional. The presentation and support is unparralleled. For some stores this will be 20% of their business.

“I can’t wait to get the racks,” he continued. “They’re on their way. For now I took digital photos to show to my salespeople. They are just as excited about the whole collection as I am.” A credit program with Wells Fargo Financial was also introduced to the buying group. The credit program will provide members with more flexibility necessary to support an advertising campaign throughout the year as well as an ongoing commitment for an aggressive approval rate which will exceed the consumer’s initial purchasing requirements. “The opportunity to sell-up by deferring payment and allowing stores to increase the quantity and quality of product sold was received extremely well,” said Presson. “The opportunity to access a variey of promotionally priced programs to meet an individual store’s marketing requirements provides the necessary flexibility to utilize the program throughout the year under a below market competitive pricing structure.”

In order to provide more diversity to its showrooms, Floors To Go, in conjunction with MS International, presented a program consisting of privately labeled ceramic products including marble, travertine, sandstone, onyx and granite, to name a few. Floors To Go also rolled out a new Insurance and Restoration program to gain additional market share for its members. “The insurance and restoration business is said to generate $5 billion in annual floor covering replacement sales,” noted Presson. “Any supplier who hopes to be ‘approved’ by the insurance companies,” he continued, “must offer a network of dealers who are willing to take steps necessary to provide the required services on a timely basis. To capture some of this business we have put together a program which will focus on the top 10 insurance companies across the nation that have a total of 62% market share in the replacement and restoration business.”

Presson hopes to continue the group’s upward motion and take on more members. “Our goal for this year is to add 77 new dealers,” he said. Presently, there are 198 storefronts. “This group has had a lot of growth over the last year,” reflected Trevor Brockie, general manager for Accu-Cut/Brockie International. “It has been a great show for us and we look forward to continue to grow with it.” Arnold added, “What’s nice is, all the suppliers and the people at Floors To Go who we deal with on a day-to-day basis are all here and we can talk to them face-to-face. No other event comes close to this because it has all been put together specifically for us.” “The overall show had a positive and upbeat atmosphere,” concluded Presson. “The Floors To Go management team strives to make each convention better, and this is only accomplished by listening to our members.”