Dallas – October 25, 2012 – Quick-Step’s designer partner, Los Angeles-based interior designer/style expert Erinn Valencich, recently taught retail customers how to “stay within a budget and still create beautiful living spaces quickly, easily, and affordably” during free Decorating & Design seminars at Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring retail stores in New Jersey. Quick-Step’s Valencich regularly conducts free decorating and design seminars for retail partners as part of Quick-Step’s comprehensive merchandising program, designed to equip retail partners for even greater success with the Quick-Step brand.

“The Quick-Step brand excels at serving our retail partners by taking our superior product line and then wrapping it in an effective, comprehensive merchandising program,” said Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing for Unilin, Quick-Step’s parent company. “Providing our specialty retailers with Erinn’s free Decorating & Design seminars is just one aspect of our comprehensive merchandising program.”

“Erinn’s free seminars not only help drive the right kind of traffic into our retailers’ stores, but also raise awareness in their communities that these specialty retailers, and the Quick-Step brand, are strong and inviting resources for customer service and design advice when considering a flooring purchase,” said Farabee. “Our brand is very focused on offering added-value services to our retail partners in support of Quick-Step.”

“To be successful, specialty retailers must excel at offering the strongest customer service and the best purchasing experience available to consumers in today’s market,” said Sean O’Rourke, vice president of hard surfaces, Avalon. By providing customer service in the areas of style and design assistance, guidance through the selection process, and product knowledge, a specialty retailer such as Avalon can ensure the consumer takes home a product that accurately meets her needs, maximizing her satisfaction with her flooring purchase.”

“The recent Decorating & Design seminars not only provide an exciting, free design service to Avalon’s customers attending the event, but also reinforce in the local community’s mind that Avalon is a flooring retailer that offers design expertise and strong customer service, in addition to exceptional flooring product knowledge,” said O’Rourke.

During the recent seminars, attendees were encouraged to bring photos of a room in their home they would like to refresh. Quick-Step’s Valencich worked one-on-one with attendees to give them free, personalized design advice on these rooms. Also during each free Decorating & Design seminar, Valencich gave a formal design presentation that walked attendees through overall effective design techniques to achieve “big style through small changes”. Valencich provided practical advice on the use of color as well as several other key design principles. Her effective “room lift” techniques demonstrated how easily and affordably consumers could breathe new life and design flair into any room. Her room lift tips include easy, affordable DIY changes that are within the skill level of most homeowners.

A free Quick-Step floor was given away at each event, compliments of Avalon.

“Consumers can feel so intimidated by the thought of selecting a new floor that they sometimes abandon the idea before even beginning the process,” said Melissa Firth, interior designer and Avalon retail store manager. One of the recent Decorating & Design seminars co-sponsored by Quick-Step and Avalon helped highlight the October grand opening of Avalon’s newest retail store in Deptford, New Jersey, of which Firth is the manager.

“Erinn’s seminars offered very tangible design advice that showed attendees how doable and fun it can be to embark on a room refresh project, which includes the addition of a new floor,” said Firth. “Avalon’s experience and expertise then makes the selection and installation of this new floor easy and enjoyable for the consumer.”

“Industry research regarding the flooring shopping process has time and time again reported that one of the greatest frustrations the buying public has is ‘feeling overwhelmed’ by the prospect of selecting a floor,” said Farabee. “When the purchasing process seems daunting, many consumers abandon their quest for a new floor, before they even begin. Because purchasing a new floor is not something done frequently by consumers, they will definitely gravitate to those resources and selling systems that make the process less intimidating and result in the purchaser feeling confident in their final purchase. Retailers need to understand the importance of strong merchandising and selling systems and then partner with brands like Quick-Step whose value proposition includes this element.”

“To equip our retailers for success with our Quick-Step products, our brand offers not only in-person retail events conducted by our Quick-Step designer partner Erinn Valencich, but also a complete line of merchandising and marketing tools. Quick-Step’s merchandising systems guide the consumer through the purchasing process. Retailers like Avalon know that the selling systems we weave into our Quick-Step merchandising programs are designed to take away that overwhelming feeling, making the shopping process manageable and fun. It is key that specialty retailers partner with brands such as Quick-Step that provide tools to ensure consumers go home with the right floor for their needs, maximizing their satisfaction.”

About Erinn Valencich
Erinn, who has used Quick-Step floors in her own room designs, is known for her unique, contemporary-glam style and has designed rooms for numerous celebrities. In addition to her interior design business, she has introduced her own line of furniture and blogs for HGTV’s Design Happens, Decorati, and Erinn V Style. Erinn has hosted a number of specials for HGTV and has been featured in many design publications including Elle Décor, Town & Country, House Beautiful, and Better Homes and Gardens. View some of Erinn’s design tips and videos on quickstepstyle.com.

About Quick-Step
Quick-Step is a market leader in flooring, providing solutions for a wide variety of interiors. Quick-Step is a registered trademark of Unilin Flooring, a Mohawk Industries company. Mohawk Industries is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is a Fortune 500 company. To find the nearest Quick-Step dealer or for additional information, visit quickstep.com.

About Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring
Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring is recognized as a national leader in the flooring industry, now ranked number 7 among the nation’s top 75 flooring retailers. With over 50 years of service, Avalon serves the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware tri-state area with the highest quality of products, selection, and service — at the most competitive prices. Avalon’s experienced and knowledgeable staff guide consumers through the process of choosing the product that fits their lifestyle, taste, and budget. From selection of product to professional installation, Avalon’s mission is to provide consumers with outstanding customer service. For more information, visit avaloncarpettile.com.