Hicksville, N.Y.—With spring finally in the air, consumers across the nation are beginning to put time and money into renovation and remodeling projects. And, with the cocooning of America still playing a vital role in the thought processes of so many, the home as a castle continues to be a goal for end users to strive for. Whether it be carpet mills, fiber producers, ceramic tile companies, laminate and hardwood manufacturers, the flooring industry will be armed with a vast array of springtime promotions for dealers to handle the onslaught of busy end users improving their homes.

On the soft surface side, Milliken Carpet’s retail division has announced its spring “It’s About Color!” promotion to celebrate the success and color diversity of its new Pattern Mates—a multi-colored frieze available in 103 colors—and Rock Stratta—a new introduction featuring tonal and contemporary designs on textured frieze broadloom collections. The promotion runs through May 17 with a cash incentive program for retailers on qualifying orders of Pattern Mates and Rock Stratta broadloom products. In addition to the cash incentive program, “It’s About Color” includes P-O-P signs, tags and 3X3-in. counter cards featuring a color chameleon and CD advertising kit including newspaper and radio ads as well as discounts on Capture—an all- in-one maintenance system for carpet. For more information, call the company at 800/241-8666.

From the beginning of April through May 31, Mohawk Industries will be running its Stainmaster Cup Series promotion, a race for guaranteed premiums, weekly races for sweepstakes, and an overall Grand Champion sweepstakes offering the winner a choice of a brand new Ford Thunderbird, BMW Z3 Roadster or a Corvette convertible. Retail salespeople are eligible for bonus points based on qualifying sales using special passes available through DuPont or Mohawk representatives. Orders must be of a Mohawk DuPont Stain-master style and a minimum of 40 yards. Shaw Industries has a campaign which gives double Shaw Rewards points to dealers who sell items from the Kathy Ireland Shades of America color wall, a collection available to Shaw aligned retailers only. The points will allow dealers to select from many different pieces of merchandise. The promo runs through the end of June. Those interested should call 800/441-7429 for details.

Fiber In the fiber arena, Honey-well began several promotions at the beginning of 2002 which will run through the end of the year. This year, retail salespeople participating in Anso nylon’s Capture the Spirit program, one of the largest incentive programs in the industry, can now use their reward points to purchase items through an Anso Capture the Spirit Debit Card. The new MasterCard debit card can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Purchases can be made in-store, over the phone or online at www.ansocts.com where more than 120 merchants such as J. Crew, the Disney Store and Hickory Farms are listed in 14 different categories. Participants can also redeem rewards for cash at ATMs nationwide, tracking their account activity through the Web site. Up until Dec. 31, salespeople will earn $100 for every 5,000 square feet of carpet they sell made with Anso nylon. Earnings will be automatically loaded on the user’s card once a month. Participants in last year’s Capture the Spirit program will automatically receive their card upon earning $100 in 2002. New participants can enroll by logging onto www.ansocts.com or calling 800/936-2234.

“We’re committed to providing retail salespeople with incentives that are rewarding, easy to execute, and ultimately drive sales,” said Ann Merino, advertising and merchandising manager for Honeywell’s carpet fiber division. “The Master-Card debit card program is a great purchasing tool for today’s consumer.” Retail salespeople can earn an additional 1,000 square foot bonus to their Capture the Spirit account by completing Anso nylon’s interactive CD-Rom and Web-based training program, “Pump Up Your Sales.” To order a free copy of the CD or for more details, retail salespeople can log onto www.anso4sales.com. For carpet dealers, Anso nylon is now offering its 2002 incentive travel program, “Caress Your Senses with Anso Nylon.” One hundred of Anso nylon’s top supporters and their guests will be pampered and “caressed” for five days and four nights at the luxurious five-star Bacara Resort and Spa in Southern California in May 2003.

Top performing dealers will be able to participate in a variety of activities including wine country tours, spa treatments, horseback riding, golf, fishing and tours of the local area. “For the past few years, we’ve taken pride in building relationships with our dealers through meaningful programs, such as our travel incentive trips,” said Merino. “As with our previous trips to Africa, Spain and the Galapagos Islands, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will create many treasured memories.” Anso nylon is also inviting retailers to participate in the program, which began in January and runs through Dec. 31. Qualifying dealers can register online at www.caressyoursenses/ ansoadvantage.com until April 30.

Dealers will be qualified for the trip upon increasing purchases of carpet made with Anso nylon by 20% over 2001 and selling 30,000 square feet during 2002. Dealers’ sales will be tabulated and closed at the end of every month, and the results will be posted and updated monthly at www.ansoadvantage.com.

In Solutia’s multi-faceted promotion, retail salespeople earn $.25 per square yard on styles of Ther-ma-Sealed and Dura-Soft Wear-Dated products, while Traffic Control styles pay $.50 per square yard. Solutia is also offering retailers more money for increasing the number of brand extension styles in their product mix. According to the company, an overlay program for qualifying Master Dealers can earn them significant bonuses. For more information, call 800/237-8289.

Hard Surfaces On the resilient side, Armstrong World Industries is running a spring promotion which offers cash back incentives for salespeople whose dealers are a part of the resilient company’s automatic sample plans. From the beginning of April through May 31, retailers can earn $25 per job for sales of Stencil Craft, Etchings, Jaspe, Urban Settings, Starstep/Candide II, Rhythms and Bellissimo. Dealers can earn $15 per job for sales of Achiever, Traditions, Memories and Successor.

In commercial, dealers can earn $25 per job for Marmorette linoleum, Translations, Perspectives, and Natural Options lines. Dealers are the beneficiaries with Mannington Mills’ “Spring Into Bucks” program, which runs from the beginning of April through May 31. The promotion pays retailers their transaction fees up to six percent and will also offer spiffs to the salespeople who help make the transaction. The products which qualify are: NatureScape, Mannington Naturals, Luminesse, Mannington Villa, Ceramica, Affinity and Quicksilver. “Spring Into Bucks” will also be available for the company’s laminate and hardwood flooring. Mannington also has a spring campaign which focuses on saving the consumer money.

Starting April 1 and running through May 31, the manufacturer’s sales incentive promotion, “Big Nothing” offers consumers no down payment, no interest and no payment down on several resilient lines. The company will also be running the “Big Nothing” rewards system promotion on it hardwood flooring. The terms of the hardwood promotion are also no down payment, no interest and no payments for 12 months. Qualifying wood products include Mannington’s entire Gold Series collection, featuring both its American Rustics and Classics collections.

Finally, Mannington will run its “Big Nothing” promotion for its laminate flooring. The company will once again offer consumers no money down, no interest and no payments for 12 months. The offer includes its Exotic, Traditional, Nature Form, and Historic collections, as well as the new M-Lock moisture-treated collection. For more information on Mannington’s promotions, call 856/935-3000.

Witex laminate flooring will be getting a boost at the retail level with its “Spring Spectacular” spiff program offered through the Witex distribution network. The “Spring Spectacular” runs through April 30 during the height of the home decorating season. Incentives provide for bonuses for every carton of the following products sold: $4 for every carton of LocTec glueless laminate flooring; $5 for every carton of LocTec Comfort; $7 for every carton of Country LocTec, and $8 for every carton of Country LocTec Comfort. “Witex has embarked on an aggressive advertising and promotion campaign to build the Witex brand of hard surfaces flooring by leveraging the power of distribution,” said Stephen Newman, president/CEO of Witex USA. “This incentive program promoting Witex brand laminate flooring will be delivered to the wholesalers to offer to their authorized Witex retailers and is designed to send a strong signal to the channels that we are committed to supporting our product lines with effective promotional programs.” For more information, call 800/948-3987.

Armstrong plans to help dealers sell more laminate flooring in the spring by offering $25 per job for those retailers who push the Armstrong Classic, Nature Gallery, Origins or Arbor Real brands. Exclusive CCA Global Partners laminate products also qualify. From April 1 to May 31, Mohawk Laminate Flooring Learn & Earn promotion allows retail salespeople to earn $4 cash per carton on Mohawk’s laminate styles: Avalon, Heritage and Paramount while earning benefits for both the consumer and the retailer.

Ceramic Getting a jump on the spring selling season, Daltile’s Premiere Points program, which helps dealers earn points toward merchandise, travel packages and airline tickets on each dollar spent on Dal-tile purchases, continues in 2002. Retailers can earn extra points on select products for a limited time in the spring. American Olean is offering its A1 Prime Payout which encourages dealers to sell the company’s residential line by offering back $.10 on all new products from wholesalers. The promotion runs through Nov. 15. Those interested should call 214/309-4097 for details.

Florida Tile’s ongoing sales promotion offers Galleria dealers quarterly rebates of $.08 per square foot sold on selected products. Call 800/352-8453 for details.

Finally, Laufen USA/United States Ceramic Tile is offering a seasonal discount on its Universal Display system. The unit, which holds 40 boards, usually sells for $650 but will be sold for $300 if purchased before April 30. Interested dealers should call 918/428-0693.