Burnsville, MN (Grassroots Newswire) July 27, 2007 – Floor To Ceiling Interior Design Showrooms, headquartered here, announced today that it had acquired the assets of the Michigan-based, World of Floors franchise.

According to Steve Sindlinger, CEO and President for Floor To Ceiling and newly appointed CEO for World of Floors, “The purchase of World of Floors results in substantial synergy for both Floor To Ceiling and the World of Floors organization. Not only will both groups benefit by the greater buying power, but by the added efficiencies of consolidated advertising, merchandising, displays and promotional efforts. Likewise, this gives our members the opportunity to offer a second brand and expands their potential customer base.

“Traditionally,” Sindlinger says, “the typical Floor To Ceiling customer has been more likely to be focused on a complete project, such as remodeling a room or even an entire house. Flooring was just one part of that overall project, along with cabinetry, lighting, window treatments, and more.

“The World of Floors customer, on the other hand, is usually looking for a competitively priced solution to a flooring problem. The merger of these two companies extends access to a new kind of customer for each group,” says Sindlinger. “Both consumers and contractors, will benefit through more aggressive marketing programs.”

World of Floors was formed in 1998 as an offshoot of the previous, New York Carpet World. The group is headquartered in Macomb, Michigan and offers a broad range of soft and hard flooring options, including custom order and stock inventories of most major brands of carpeting, area rugs, hardwood, laminate and tile flooring. It currently operates 17 franchise stores in Lower Michigan, plus a showroom in Wilmington, North Carolina and one soon to be announced in Florida.

In making the announcement of the acquisition, Sindlinger said that World of Floors founder, Emil Pedick, would remain as president of World of Floors, reporting directly to Sindlinger. Pedick expressed optimism with the new relationship and his expectations that the momentum of the successful Floor To Ceiling model will help fuel World of Floors’ growth plans. “We understand the importance of advertising, collective merchandising and new technology in growing our franchise’s businesses,” Pedick said, “but most importantly, we have created an open dialogue with our members, so that our systems work very well for them. Floor To Ceiling will provide the wherewithal to take these practices into other markets.”

Sindlinger then added that while Floor To Ceiling has enjoyed national success, he was certain that there was much to be learned by the regional experiences of World of Floors. “The systems and communications practices of World of Floors will help us become an even better business partner to our members,” Sindlinger said. “Of course, we will also be looking for new members that have those same kind of expectations and commitment,” he concluded.

Founded in 1990, Floor To Ceiling® is a national marketing organization specializing in a one-stop interior design and decorating shopping experience through more than 200 franchised showrooms. It offers design and decorating counsel and brand name products in flooring, cabinetry, countertops, plumbing fixtures, window treatments, lighting, and decorative accessories. For more information, visit www.floortoceiling.com or www.worldoffloors.com.