June 26: Volume 32, Issue 1 By Reginald Tucker A gradual build-up of stateside production and capacity of laminate flooring in 2016—combined with an increase in European-made product—was partially neutralized by the continued drop-off in imports from China that began in earnest in early 2015. The end result was a category that grew marginally in terms of value but slightly more with respect to volume. FCNews research showed U.S.
Laminate
June 26: Volume 32, Issue 1 The flooring industry in 2016 continued its recovery from The Great Recession. While growth rates pale in comparison to the mid-2000s heydays, the industry last year continued to post steady gains across the board with increases of 5.1% in dollars and 3.8% in volume. This comes on the heels of 4.4% growth in dollars and 3.2% in volume in 2015; 3.6% growth in
May 22/29, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 25 By Reginald Tucker In the perennial slugfest with the home centers and big discount merchants, specialty floor covering retailers who sell laminate continue to find ways to differentiate themselves from low-end providers. Successful strategies range from focusing on higher-end goods (12mm or thicker), promoting private-label branded products that can’t be shopped around and providing professional installation services. A prime case in point
April 24/May 1, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 23 By Lindsay Baillie When asked to identify the best flooring introductions of 2016, retailers cited a bevy of wood, laminate, carpet and LVT/WPC products. One highly regarded product was Mannington’s Adura Max, which received praise from multiple retailers for its new visuals. Other notable 2016 introductions touched on key product innovations spanning wood, laminate and resilient lines, soft carpets/rugs and industry-wide updates
Emerging design trends mirror those of competing category April 10/17, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 22 By Reginald Tucker It’s no secret that laminate flooring suppliers are focusing their product design and development efforts on more accurately mimicking natural materials, especially hardwood. (A cursory review of the various laminate designs and patterns introduced at Surfaces bears this out.) But what is newsworthy is the rapid pace of new product development
February 27/March 6, 2017: Volume 31, Issue 19 By Reginald Tucker Heading into 2016, many laminate flooring manufacturers, distributors and retailers were dealing with the fallout of the 2015 “60 Minutes” Lumber Liquidators report about excessive levels of formaldehyde in laminate flooring planks imported from China. The end result was the palpable departure of many laminate flooring products imported from Asia combined with a simultaneous and dramatic influx of
Performance enhancements tout water-resistant capabilities January 30/February 6, 2017: Volume 31, Number 17 By Reginald Tucker No longer content with ceding market share to competitive categories such as WPC and LVT, laminate suppliers are taking a page out of history by touting the features that first garnered consumer attention when the category first launched in the U.S. in the mid-1990s. Specifically, the category’s ability to go where other hard surfaces,
January 16/23, 2017: Volume 31, Number 16 By Reginald Tucker Following two decades of serving primarily as a European private-label laminate supplier to the industry, Kronospan is focusing squarely on the North American market. Initiatives range from expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint, developing stylish new products geared for American consumers and putting more emphasis on the Kronospan brand. First and foremost, its stateside division, Kronospan USA, is demonstrating its commitment
January 16/23, 2017: Volume 31, Number 16 By Reginald Tucker In the laminate price battle with the big boxes, specialty retailers may have another advantage: the willingness to promote thicker, beefier products that are not only designed to perform better over the long haul but also provide higher margin opportunities compared to base-grade, entry-level product. While the home center channel is able to drive traffic pushing laminates in the $1.99-$2.99
January 2/9, 2017: Volume 31, Number 15 By Reginald Tucker If there’s one category that lends itself to customization, it’s laminate flooring. From the many design options available through mixing and matching random-width, random- length planks in the same SKU to altogether different patterns, consumers have a wide choice of scenarios when planning an installation. Manufacturers, for their part, are working to help inspire retailers and their installers to present
January 2/9, 2017: Volume 31, Number 15 By Reginald Tucker To say that HF Design is excited about its new programs for 2017 would be an understatement. Given the scope of what it has in store for its channel partners this year, the company is betting the house that its distributors and retailers will be thoroughly pleased. “We expect Surfaces 2017 to be the biggest show ever for us, not
December 5/12, 2016; Volume 31, Number 13 By Reginald Tucker No one is expecting the laminate category to generate double-digit growth rates in 2017; after all, it is a fairly mature category in the U.S. On top of that, the segment is facing intense pressure from competing hard surface sectors, including LVT, WPC and, of course, hardwood. However, don’t expect the segment to roll over in the face of fierce
November 21/28, 2016: Volume 31, Number 12 By Reginald Tucker In an increasingly competitive market segment such as the mid-range to high end, hard surface suppliers are focusing their efforts beyond core product construction and performance to differentiate themselves from other players in the field. For manufacturers like Divine Flooring, it’s all about marketing and optimal brand positioning. As a supplier of hardwood, LVT, WPC and laminate flooring products for
October 24/31, 2016: Volume 31, Number 10 By Reginald Tucker Laminate flooring manufacturers across the spectrum are employing advanced surface technology to develop products that more accurately convey not only the look but the feel of real hardwood flooring. These methods run the gamut from improvements to the traditional embossed in register (EIR) process to more recent advancements in dual gloss technologies. “Over the past three to five years there
October 24/31, 2016: Volume 31, Number 10 By Ken Ryan The popularity of hardwood flooring seems impervious to the rampant growth of the LVT/WPC segment. No matter how many new market segments the resilient product taps into, no matter how many “wood looks” marketers come out with, in some precincts at least, there is no substitute for the genuine article. Distributors agree there is a sizable segment of flooring consumers
Floor Covering News
