Farnham, Quebec, Canada—One year after Tarkett announced it was embarking on a new identity and branding initiative, the world’s second largest hard surfaces manufacturer is set to throw a coming out party at Surfaces 2004. “We are ready to showcase a new Tarkett,” proclaimed Ulf Mattsson, president and CEO. “This will be a comprehensive showing of all the different elements that make up Tarkett working together as a single company.” The change is not just taking place in North America, but throughout Tarkett’s worldwide operations to utilize its $1.5 billion in global resources. “This is the final step in consolidating all our acquisitions over the years into one cohesive company,” he added. “It’s the last step, but the most important.”

Though Tarkett decentralized its operations by creating just three divisions—residential, wood and commercial—over a year ago, the effort to bring together the various businesses and brands operating under the Tarkett umbrella began to take shape when the company hired former Pergo president Lars von Kantzow to study the manufacturer’s position in the marketplace with respect to its perception by employees and customers (FC-News, Jan. 6/13, 2003). While the company scored high marks in terms of product quality and professionalism, “there was a great deal of confusion in terms of not knowing which brands and products were part of Tarkett,” von Kantzow said. One of the major things that came out of the perception study is the company did not always get credit for product innovations, market presence and its overall size.

The confusion will end starting with Surfaces, Mattsson said. “For the first time in our history, we will have the same look and feel across all product categories and it will show how much of a strong presence we do have at retail.” At Surfaces, von Kantzow said Tarkett’s booth will be just that. “Everything in the space will be exhibited to showcase Tarkett as a single company, from the signs to the displays. And, as a way to emphasize its market presence, in the middle of the space will be a retail store concept dedicated solely to Tarkett. “The reaction should be one of ‘wow,’” he continued, “because not only is the new merchandising eyecatching and stunning, it is very user-friendly, allowing for the consumer to shop in a way she can understand and feels comfortable with.” Using a three-step process, Tarkett’s selling system is based on consumer lifestyles. “This is totally different from anything Tarkett has every done” Mattsson added. “We did a tremendous amount of research to create this system. And, while each unit is very uniform in its appearance, each product category is distinctly shown.”

And, even though Surfaces is generally regarded as being primarily a market for residential products, Tarkett’s commercial division will also have a strong presence at the show. “Surfaces gives us the opportunity to showcase the full strength of Tarkett,” Mattsson explained. Another first for Tarkett will be the bringing together of its distributors of each company product line, including wholesalers of Tarkett, Domco, Harris-Tarkett, Tarkett Sommer, Azrock and Nafco, the night before Surfaces opens.

At the meeting, distributors will be shown the company’s new philosophy, which includes a new vision statement, business concept and branding position. Each is as follows: • “Vision Statement: Tarkett will focus on becoming the best hard surfaces flooring company in North America through continuous improvements in the areas of customer, employee and shareholder satisfaction; • “Business Concept: The strategy of Tarkett is to design/develop, manufacture and market a wide range of innovative, fashion-forward flooring products for residential consumers and commercial end-users, sold to distributors, specialty retailers, flooring contractors and home centers in the North American new construction and renovation markets. “We will succeed by establishing a strong channel to market, supported by a well-recognized corporate identity, by optimizing our manufacturing capabilities and enhancing the expertise and commitment of our people, and • “Brand Positioning: The brand essence of Tarkett will be based on professional expertise, pride of the rich corporate heritage and the quality of workmanship.

“The personality of the brand should project style, pride, experience, know-how and, most of all, trustworthiness.” “It’s a new world,” Mattsson said. “We can’t live in the past. The key for us and our customers is to make sure they have the best products and programs with which to be successful.” So far, he said initial reaction by wholesalers and dealers to the new Tarkett “has been very positive. Everyone sees we needed to something and while they have had some questions, once we explained our reasons for the way things are going to be they not only understand it, but appreciate what we are doing.” Beyond a new identity, Tarkett will be introducing plenty of new and innovative products and loyalty programs, Mattsson stressed. “Every category we participate in will offer something exciting, including resilient, wood and laminate. “We are even going to be introducing a new category with FiberFloor,” he added.

“We’ve merged targeted research and technology with the launch that stretches the imagination,” said Jan Lembregts, president of Tarkett Residential. FiberFloor consists of an engineered fiberglass interlayer encapsulated between two PVC layers with a comfort backing. The result is a floor covering that is more flexible and bendable than traditional resilient which enables for a quicker, easier installation since it is not only easier to handle but also offers a glue-free method to lay it down. While Surfaces will mark the beginning of a new era for Tarkett, Mattsson said the coming out party is just the first step in a new way of acting, thinking. “The entire process is going to take a few years but there has to be a starting point and this is it.”