May 26/June 2, 2014; Volume 27/Number 28
By Steven Feldman
Riviera Beach, Fla.—There’s been a lot going on at flooring distributor Suncrest Supply over the past year: a new president, new products and a big push to take its private-label brand, Nuvelle, national.
It is the latter that led owner Jerry Burtt to hire industry veteran Dewevai Buchanan as its president in June of 2013. Burtt has owned the $50 million-plus, under-the-radar distributor since 1995; Buchanan has been on the manufacturing and sourcing side for his entire career. Together, they believe they can provide a solution for larger retailers and distributors across the country that want an exclusive wood, laminate and LVT assortment and can purchase in container quantities directly out of China and other countries, all supported with backup stock in the U.S.
“We saw the ability to build a brand based on our infrastructure here in Florida and in China, and provide a service—be it product knowledge, logistics, quality control or sourcing—to mid to large retailers and distributors that don’t have the capabilities or desire to do that on their own,” Buchanan said. “Between my experience at Mohawk—we started out as a sourcing business—along with the infrastructure at Suncrest, we feel we have a compelling reason for customers to work with us.”
Burtt believes brand exclusivity is the differentiator. “We can partner with the right player in a market and not be pressured by a volume-driven manufacturer to sell to other retailers in that market. That’s the key to our expansion across the country.”
Of course, it all begins with product, and Burtt and Buchanan believe they have a quality, differentiated lineup that targets the better and best segments of the marketplace. For example, on the wood side, Buchanan claims Suncrest, with territory that includes the entire state of Florida and extends as far north as North Carolina, will be the first company to bring wide-width, reclaimed exotics to the marketplace at a reasonable price and with consistent service. “We are targeting unique styling and design that will appeal to the masses but also allow the retailer to make a nice profit margin.”
The Nuvelle wood collection, which will have more than 100 SKUs, will also include another wide-width, tropical exotic series that is “relatively unique in the marketplace,” Buchanan said. “These include jatoba, Santos mahogany, Scandinavian beech, African padauk and wide-width tigerwood—things you don’t readily find. Many retailers are moving toward boutique brands vs. the mass-marketed brands because they can make more money with brands that are limited in distribution.”
The Nuvelle laminate assortment, which will also focus on the better and best price segments, is a category Suncrest knows all too well. When Burtt bought the business in 1995, it only distributed Formica solid surfacing until November 2001, when it took on Quick-Step. By 2006 it was doing $25 million with the brand and today Burtt believes Suncrest has the best laminate penetration of any distributor in the country.
With Nuvelle, Burtt said retailers can purchase a particular product for about half of what they would pay from the major manufacturers. In turn, they have the option of either making a higher margin or selling that product less expensively than a competing product.
Visuals will replicate everything from character-grade woods to wide widths, random lengths and varying gloss levels through 60-plus SKUs. “We have the capability to replicate wood to the point where the average person will not be able to tell the difference,” Buchanan noted.
The Nuvelle LVT collection will feature 20 wood-look planks. “We got into that business about a year ago,” Burtt said, “with a 2mm product line that combined 100% virgin vinyl, 48-inch lengths and aluminum oxide. When we first introduced the line it was the only 2mm product that combined all these attributes. The customers responded well, so now we have introduced a 3.2mm click version that features embossed-in-register designs with wide widths, long lengths and on-trend styling. Retailers can make a strong margin.”
Suncrest has already proven to be serious about investing in its Nuvelle brand. The distributor has opened an office in Shanghai, where a full staff manages logistics, quality control and coordination with nine-plus factories. The group has also exhibited at Surfaces and will have space at Surfaces East. In addition, trade advertising is on the horizon. “We have also invested in our web development with FloorForce and are hosting a customer appreciation event to present our manufacturers’ brands as well as the Nuvelle brand to our customers.
For more information, call 800.236.7642.