Wood, WPC and laminate lines please dealers
July 4/11, 2016; Volume 30, Number 27
By Reginald Tucker
Movie stars and celebrities abound in North Hollywood, Calif., but among many specialty retailers based here Eternity Flooring is the star of the show. Specifically, the company’s dealer partners are reporting brisk activity with Eternity’s engineered hardwood, laminate and WPC lines.
“Across the board, the Eternity Flooring lines are excellent,” said Abe Bashir, owner of Flooring Town Group in North Hollywood. “It’s clearly one of the best I’ve ever had.”
Beyond the trendy colors, designs and patterns, Bashir said his customers are increasingly gravitating to the performance attributes of the various offerings. The WPC products in particular are generating a lot interest and traffic. “Consumers really like the waterproof WPC right now. With this product you can wash it, drive on it, whatever—it will take all kinds of beatings.”
Bashir is not alone in his assessment. Mike Qudsi, sales manager at Refloors, also based here, is positively smitten. “Eternity Flooring’s lineup is really extensive—they have so many different products,” he said. “Plus, they always ship to me the same day or next day; none of my others vendors do that.”
In his market, Qudsi sees many of the Eternity Flooring lines that he sells going into common areas of the home, i.e., living rooms, entryways, etc. With Eternity’s new WPC offerings, he says those areas have expanded to include kitchens and bathrooms—sections prone to water incursion. At the same time, he has seen an uptick in demand among non-residential clients. “We are also selling a lot of commercial jobs with the WPC, such as retail mall stores and some office spaces and small showrooms. [Eternity] even has a laminate that’s AC4 rated.”
Refloors, which has been merchandising the Eternity hardwood and laminate displays for about nine years, has benefitted from the brand’s popularity in his market. Now, with the addition of WPC, consumers have another reason to come back. “A lot of times when customers come in looking for laminate and WPC, that’s my go-to display,” Qudsi said. “And, once customers who have installed it in one area of the home, they come back asking for it for other rooms Eternity has a good reputation in the marketplace.”
A big part of the allure, according to Doron Gal, owner and CEO of Eternity Flooring, is the company’s laser focus on quality manufacturing. “We deal with a top-of- the-line factory in China,” he explained. “We haven’t had any problems so far.”
What’s even more remarkable, dealers note, is the fact that Eternity Flooring maintains high quality levels and near-zero claims despite relatively low pricing on its various products.
Expansion plans
Eternity Flooring is looking to parlay the success it has achieved in its local market and extend that to neighboring states. The company recently opened a warehouse in Phoenix and is looking to branch out into Utah and New Mexico next year. The average warehouse size, Gal figures, will be in the 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot range.
At the retail level, Gal estimates Eternity Flooring has more than 2,000 displays in place. Naturally, that number is expected to rise as more stocking facilities become operational in Arizona and Nevada.
Meanwhile, the company plans to continue servicing its growing base in California, which has demonstrated a clear affinity for the line.
“I really love the designs they’ve come out with,” Qudsi said. “It’s a great-looking, quality product.”