Fort Lee, NJ – November 12, 2008 - - In a major tactical move designed to significantly reduce production costs for its Hospitality Concepts Division, Couristan Inc. has entered into a long term partnership with The Thailand Carpet Manufacturing Company Ltd (commonly known as Royal Thai). Under the terms of the partnership, Couristan will relocate its Axminster looms currently employed in the United Kingdom and commission them for production in Royal Thai’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Bangkok. Production in Thailand is slated to be fully operational by summer 2009.

In moving the production of Couristan’s custom Axminster products from the UK to a far eastern country with such significantly lower operational costs, Couristan is poised to become considerably more competitive and support its continued dominance within the custom contract carpet sector. In addition, the installation of Couristan’s Axminster looms will double Royal Thai’s annual production capabilities, creating a mutually beneficial partnership that offers both businesses dynamic growth opportunities.

“Couristan is the undisputed world leader of custom carpet design for the hospitality industry and what has earned us that respected reputation is our constant ability to grow and evolve with the changing needs of our expanding customer base,” stated George Couri, Chairman of Couristan, Inc. “Utilizing the expertise of Royal Thai’s seasoned team and incorporating our Axminster production into their seamless operation will enable us to serve our clients with even more competitive advantage, from reductions in turn-around time to better cost efficiency.”

This new deal marks Couristan’s second strategic partnership in the last two years and solidifies Couristan as a dominant figure in the global marketplace for premium-quality Axminster carpeting. In January 2007, the company partnered with China’s largest carpet manufacturer and formed Couristan Carpets (China) Ltd. That joint venture now operates a 1.1 million square foot facility in Weihai City, located in Shandong Province on China’s east coast. Couristan also manufactures select custom Axminster products in Poland.

As a leading vendor in the hospitality industry for over 40 years, Couristan’s custom-designed broadloom carpeting can be found in some of the most prestigious locations, including exclusive hotels, luxury spas and resorts, five-star restaurants and top-rated casinos located throughout the United States and abroad.

Established by the Couri family in 1926, Couristan is the trusted name in the floorcovering industry, offering a vast assortment of exclusively designed power-loomed and handmade area rugs, as well as quality residential broadloom. Couristan is also known throughout the industry as the pioneer in new construction and color techniques, which are used to create exquisitely designed area rugs and residential broadloom products that are crafted from all over the world. Couristan products are available through department stores, home furnishings catalogs, specialty floorcovering and furniture retail stores. Couristan’s global headquarters with full showroom is located in Fort Lee, New Jersey, at Two Executive Drive, 800.223.6186, or visit our website at www.couristan.com.