By Steven Feldman
PITTSBURGH— Karndean International, a major global supplier of luxury vinyl tile with offices in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., continues to grow its North American business at double-digit rates.

With a blend of residential and commercial business, the company promotes its product as “affordable design flooring” and is seriously targeting the independent retailer with a series of U.S.-inspired introductions.

The latest additions to the Karndean lineup are Oak Royale and Island Limestone, although the latter will not hit the streets until the fall. Oak Royale, which Todd Gates, vice president of sales, believes is arguably the company’s “proudest achievement to date,” is a 7 x 48 plank featuring the popular handscraped embossed wood texture. Beveled edges enhance the realism, and a 30 mil wearlayer increases the floor’s performance.

The wide planks of Oak Royale replicate the most popular sizes of antique wood. Each of the four colors bring out the character of each plank: Spring, which features versatile blonde tones and unfinished looks; Summer, which is marked by warm, golden tones; Autumn, which recalls deep russet tones, red oaks and cherrys; and Winter, featuring dark chocolate tones. Retail price is approximately $5.20 a square foot.

Ed Perrin, CEO, could not be happier with the initial response from the marketplace. “Rack placement has been phenomenal after two weeks,” he said. “This product has gotten us into retailers where we’ve never been before. I’m expecting it to become one of the company’s top sellers.”

He added that it’s all about the design. “We aim to recreate the look and feel of natural products, whether 7 x 48 handcrafted wood plank or 16 x 16 tiles. No other vinyl manufacturer replicates the look of wood as well as we do.”

Island Limestone draws on the character and beauty of natural limestone that would be found in the north Atlantic, hence the naming of the four shades: Jersey (honey-beige), Guernsey (walnut), Alderney (white) and Sark (sandy fawn). The collection is unique in that it comes in 36 x 36 slabs featuring multiple size tiles to create a truly random pattern when installed. Dave Bleivik, marketing manager, said it will fit as well in a kitchen as it will in a restaurant.

Island Limestone has been hugely successful in the U.K. and the company is expecting similar results here. “We’ve had it on the floor in the showroom for a few weeks,” Perrin said. “Everybody who has come in has raved about it. When we told them we didn’t have a price yet, they said they didn’t care and left with samples.” Retail price point will be around $7.50 a square foot.

Commitment to North America

While Karndean may not be a household name in North America, the company has carved out a reputation across the globe as a market leader in design and quality at very competitive prices, Perrin said. In illustration, he noted Karndean was the first company to come out with a 7 x 48 plank five years ago via the Van Gogh collection.

Perrin also cites Karndean’s service as a point of differentiation. “We want to make it as easy as possible for the independent retailer to sell Karndean. So we invite the local trade to use our showroom as their showroom. We have trained staff to work with designers. We want to supply one carton for a bathroom as well as 30,000 feet for a hospital.”

Karndean’s distribution model is a blend between traditional wholesalers and direct sell. “We started with traditional distribution, but as we added more territory, we went more direct,” Perrin said.

At the end of the day, Perrin says Karndean is simply about helping the retailer, especially in this tough market. “We have a product that can make him money. We have a unique product and a product not every retailer in town will have. So the retailer won’t get shopped around town. We want this product to be one of the highest-margin products in his store.”