Orlando, Fla.—Even before they entered the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center here, most Carpet One members and suppliers knew this year’s summer convention, Winning By Design, would be a special event. And, judging by the reaction of the nearly 1,200 people in attendance, they did not leave disappointed. “This was probably the best show we’ve ever had,” said Aaron Pirner of Wichita Carpet One in Kansas. “Each year it seems to get better and better but, because of the introductions, this one really topped all others.”

What made the co-op’s five-day meeting special was the launching of two exclusive selling opportunities designed to not only differentiate members from the competition but expand each dealer’s business to new customers. Topping the list was the official unveiling of the Liz Claiborne Flooring collection and merchandising system. Three months ago, Carpet One and Liz Claiborne announced they entered into a partnership in which the buying group’s members would be the exclusive sellers of the fashion designer’s new flooring line (FC-News, June 10/17). The Liz Claiborne Flooring collection consists of every type of floor covering—carpet, area rugs, hardwood, ceramic, resilient and laminate. Products are designed by Liz Claiborne and produced by a variety of manufacturers.

The only instance where a particular mill is mentioned is on the ceramic collection which is only coming from Armstrong World Industries. In this case, Carpet One has taken advantage of two powerful consumer brands by labeling the line, Liz Claiborne by Armstrong. To the delight of the membership, Alan Greenberg, co-chairman and co-CEO of Carpet One’s parent, CCA Global Partners, told them the agreement with Liz Claiborne is no fly-by-night deal. “This is a long-term partnership; 12 years to be exact.”

Howard Brodsky, co-chairman and co-CEO of Carpet One’s parent, CCA Global Partners, noted this was done so that members can really establish themselves in their communities as the place to go for Liz Claiborne Flooring. Just like LensCrafters is the place to go for Liz Claiborne eyewear. “Liz Claiborne is one of the most recognizable brands in the fashion industry,” he said. “Having the flooring line exclusively gives our members something no one else has; the products cannot be shopped. Plus, the brand is a traffic driver. Consumers not only recognize the name, they have no negative feelings toward it.”

To alleviate any concerns about whether consumers will purchase a floor covering just because it says Liz Claiborne on it, Brodsky noted the designer has a very loyal following. So much so that shortly after the company launched its eyewear line with LensCrafters, it became the number one selling brand in the country. Dean Marcarelli, Carpet One’s co-COO, said Liz Claiborne, which started out as a brand for women’s clothes, “has successfully ventured into numerous categories. Floor covering is the first step into branding big ticket, home furnishing items such as paint and furniture.” “Liz Claiborne Flooring is an important first step in building the foundation for the all encompassing home program we are seeking to build,” said Barbara Fried man, president of licensing for Liz Claiborne, Inc. “Liz Claiborne has served women’s apparel and accessories needs for decades. A flooring concept is a natural extension of the brand and enables us to provide the same design expertise for our consumers’ homes.”

Marcarelli said part of the reason for Liz Claiborne’s success is, “it spends over $20 million in advertising annually.” Brodsky added, “The Liz Claiborne brand can be found in every major department store in America, 2,200 locations. And, in just about every case, it is one of the best sellers. And, the people who are buying her clothes and accessories are our target audience, women age 35 to 54.” Citing a number of studies on brands and how consumers feel about them, Carpet One executives noted Liz Claiborne consistently received high scores in quality, style and value. In fact, a survey done is three shopping malls found 83% of the participants would rather have a Liz Claiborne product in their home over other noted design and fashion personalities.

While the brand is important to get the attention of consumers, it is the presentation of the products that count once she enters the store. “It’s all about perception and presentation,” Brodsky said. “Liz Claiborne speaks in a language the customer understands. Her color story evokes emotions your customers can relate to.” To help members get the most out of the Liz Claiborne line, the two companies not only combined their talents and resources to develop products, they created a total merchandising system. “We did our homework within home furnishings to create a complete line of hard and soft surface offerings,” said Sandy Mishkin, CCA’s president. “The Liz Claiborne Gallery is a store-in-store concept and is a golden opportunity to boost sales and increase the bottom line.”

All products originate from the Liz Claiborne Signature Color Palette, meaning everything is designed to coordinate. Though members were shown the merchandising system, Carpet One executives noted much of it was still in the prototype stage and, since the official launch is planned for January, there is still time to get feedback and make adjustments. Based on the membership’s reaction, not much else needed to be done. “Liz Claiborne is definitely a great addition to Carpet One,” said Kristy Ridilla of Cliff’s Carpet One in Latrobe, Pa. “There is a great deal of synergy between Liz Claiborne’s primary customer and ours. This will certainly give us an edge over the competition.”

Tom Jennings, president of Bud Jennings Carpet One in Lawrence Kan., and newly elected president of the World Floor Covering Association ( FCNews, July 8/15), noted, “Her image fits great with us, as we are a mid- to upper-end store. Liz Claiborne is a credible name that our customer really knows. Not only does she know the label, she understands what it stands for. And this will give us an edge because we all know there are really no known brand names in floor covering.”

Charlie Vogel of Arcade Carpet One in Maryland, said when the partnership was first announced he was skeptical, but after doing his own market research and seeing the collection, “I’m pretty excited about adding it to my store. The kicker is having the Milliken ColorSource technology involved (FC-News, July 8/15). It will help make Liz Claiborne unique as opposed to just sticking a label on an everyday type of product.” And, even though Brodsky reported that every member in attendance bought into the program, Pirner summed it up best by noting, “The Liz Claiborne name is so well known among females who make up our primary audience, anyone who doesn’t take it on is missing the boat.” (Editor’s note: Next issue, we will look at the other big introduction Carpet One made to its members at the convention. Here’s a hint: Selectafloor for wood.)