By K.J. Quinn
Decorating sometime means breaking tradition. Laminates, positioned by retailers as both revolutionary and remarkable, is a case in point. So advanced is the technology that many of the latest styles are hard to distinguish from natural materials. But Unilin Flooring, manufacturer of the Mohawk, Quick•Step, and Columbia laminate brands, has proven this not necessarily the case with all lines.

“Each brand has a unique personality and range,” explained Roger Farabee, senior vice president of marketing at Unilin, a Mohawk Industries company. “Together, these brands offer virtually every style, color, size and performance level a consumer could ask for.”

Indeed, Unilin equips each laminate brand to perform independently, offering something different to meet varying decorating tastes and budgets. All key price points are covered so each line offers a full range of product. And all share the Uniclic locking system and the high level of quality for which Unilin is known worldwide.

“Retailers prefer to carry multiple brands, so they can offer customers a variety of choices,” Farabee pointed out. “Understanding this need, we have positioned each brand and product assortment to appeal to different customer groups.”

While the brands are distinct, they do share a common bond in that each is designed to enhance the beauty, warmth and style of the home for years to come. Plus, there is no mistaking their durability, as each presents excellent alternatives for active rooms that need high style. Proprietary innovations enable these floors to withstand the toughest household activity while maintaining their beautiful appearance for years.

“There are trade-up opportunities for retailers to sell more laminates,” noted John Dale, product manager, wood and laminate for BPI in Memphis, Tenn., a Quick•Step and Columbia laminate distributor. “In our market, Quick•Step is much more appealing to the specialty retailer than low-end cash-and-carry stores because it’s positioned as a high-end product offering a wide range of design options.”

Mohawk, Quick•Step, and Columbia laminates come in many patterns and colors. For instance, consumers can opt for a hand-crafted, wood grain or parquet for a touch of elegance in the home while the beauty of the outdoors can be emulated inside with marble and stone patterns. Meanwhile, complementary moldings, borders, accent tiles and other decorative elements help create looks from subtle to striking and can smoothly transition a room from laminate to another type of floor.

Therein lies the difference and allure among the three brands—breadth of fashion: Mohawk covers a broad range of highly realistic, traditional wood and stone patterns; Quick•Step is positioned as a fashion-driven line available in rich, sophisticated premium looks, and Columbia is a well-edited assortment of exclusively domestic wood looks in traditional designs.

“With Mohawk, Quick•Step, and Columbia as the core of their laminate program,” Farabee said, “retailers possess a strong ‘something for everyone’ toolbox that enables them to capture more of their overall market than they otherwise would.”

With multiple brands working synergistically, Unilin is able to leverage its R&D resources to create unique products for each line that are technically advanced and offer a heightened level of design. For example, earlier this year, Unilin developed the ScratchGuard Advanced Finish Protection for select products in all its laminate brands.

“I like the rustic and handscraped looks, which are good imitations of wood and satisfy demand for these types of products,” observed Tarek Alkadri, vice president of retail store chain All American Flooring’s Dallas location. “These designs give retailers some options and uniqueness in laminate flooring.”

Among the three brands, Quick•Step has carved a reputation as a leader in both style and technological innovation, dealers say. “From my vantage point, Quick•Step offers the best looking laminates around,” said Anita Jones, general manager of Stone Mountain Flooring Outlet in Vacaville, Calif. “It is also probably the more known brand and offers higher quality products.”

New product development for the Mohawk and Quick•Step brands, in particular, center on maximizing opportunities in the mid- to low-end price points. To take advantage of pent-up demand at the entry level, competitively priced assortments were introduced for the two to stand up against the multitude of imports entering the market, including Mohawk’s Midland and Quick•Step’s Lockport collections.

Midland and Lockport are 7mm, three-strip, satin-finish products featuring random texturing. Both come with a 10-year warranty.

New mid-range offerings from Mohawk and Quick•Step not only reflect popular decors, they include the strategic choice to use an 8mm construction. “The resulting price/value characteristic allows Mohawk and Quick•Step to offer two of the hottest premium visuals to a larger segment of the market.” Farabee said.

Softly hand-scraped rustic decors are now available on an 8mm platform through Mohawk’s new Marcina collection and Quick•Step’s Sculptique collection, the latter of which is the direct result of the U.S. facility’s new capability to produce popular high-gloss finishes. Coming out this fall are Mohawk’s Boulevard and Quick•Step’s Allustra collections. “Both of these touch on two of the consumers’ hottest design buttons by combining exotic wood looks with a smooth, high-gloss surface,” he noted. Both are fully CARB Phase 1 compliant.

Compared to the Mohawk and Quick•Step brands, Columbia maintains a smaller assortment, but offers a selection of exclusively domestic wood looks in traditional designs. The brand recently underwent an extensive makeover based, in part, on market research on consumer tastes and buying habits. “Columbia offers a generous variety of product, making it a complete line that is well balanced, competitive at major price points, and complementary to Mohawk and Quick•Step,” Farabee added.

BPI’s Dale cited the parallel between Columbia’s hardwood and laminate designs. “You’ll find some of the hot selling wood designs in its laminate line. You’ll also find looks that are difficult to manufacture in wood but easier to replicate in laminate.”

Retailer incentives

Each brand is complemented with merchandising programs that leverage the strength of the Mohawk Hard Surface offering and retailer sales incentives. For instance, Mohawk and Quick•Step give retail salespeople the chance to earn points for each sale toward the purchase of travel, gift cards, electronics and many other items.

“The Mohawk Infinite Rewards and the Quick•Step Cash programs have set the standard for industry promotions by allowing reps to accumulate points from individual promotions throughout the year, rather than forcing them to redeem points only within the confines of a single event,” Farabee explained. “Points may be rolled over from year to year, so sales reps can earn larger rewards.”

Web-based programs from Mohawk and Quick•Step are designed to make it convenient for retailers to stay up-to-date on new products and innovative technology while offering points through the “Earn and Learn’ program. “Quick•Step has done a fantastic job marketing its products, whether it’s through the Internet or on TV,” observed Bill Mahone, president, Atlas Floors Carpet One in San Antonio. “It has really built a good brand.”

Not to be outdone, Columbia offers an incentive, debit card program that rewards retail sales reps with cash for branded products sold. This program is Web-based to maximize convenience for participants, Farabee said. “The dollars earned are credited weekly to a Visa debit card which can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.”

In addition to traditional incentive programs, value remains one of the most powerful motivators for salespeople to recommend any of the lines. “We feel the economic downturn has permanently changed buyers’ behavior,” he explained. “Consumers are more value conscious and interested in brands like ours that give them solid value for their money.”

Throw in the fact that Mohawk, Quick•Step, and Columbia are established and financially stable brands, and retail salespeople have a compelling story to share with customers. “Each one is able to still maintain our usual practices of development and investment in cutting-edge technology, product styling and design,” Farabee concluded. “Bottom line, retailers know that we will be around and still going strong long after the current economic conditions subside.”