November 21/28, 2016: Volume 31, Number 12
Lancaster, Pa.—Armstrong Flooring has developed a comprehensive program in support of its new retail support program, Elevate, to help specialty flooring retailers grow and capitalize on the burgeoning Main Street commercial business.
Since Main Street is about prospecting for new business, a proactive approach requires a new way of retailing, which is where Armstrong Flooring comes in. Main Street offers a wealth of opportunities for the specialty flooring retailer who has an educated sales staff and the range of products that can handle many varied projects, from local dentist offices to boutiques to hair salons.
“In conjunction with our distributor partners, we are aggressively engaging the specialty flooring retailer in Main Street,” said Lisa Kronmuller, channel marketing manager, Main Street commercial. “From training to customized in-store display systems and support materials that cover technical aspects and product details, we offer a targeted program that will help our retail partners build a robust Main Street business.”
According to the Small Business Association, big national chain stores consume 60,000 to 100,000 square feet of floor space at a time, while Main Street retail typical bites off much smaller pieces at 500 to 2,500 square feet. “That’s ideal for the specialty retailer,” Kronmuller stated. “In addition, Main Street activity was up last year, with strong demand for hard surface solutions like LVT.”
One thing to note, said Kronmuller, is much of Main Street Commercial is done outside of the showroom. Armstrong Flooring said it has the relationships, specifications, products, programs and selling tools to help dealers expand their sales and their business. The new Main Street Market Development Initiative centers on a playbook of best practices for the retailer.
“Our goal is to help them maximize their return on investment by assisting them in understanding trends, market dynamics and product category shifts. Working together, we’ll capitalize on these shifts and magnify their sales and profits.”
The Armstrong Flooring team met one-on-one with retailers to develop the plan to ensure the voice of the customer was seamlessly integrated into a comprehensive program to meet retailers’ needs. In addition, Armstrong Flooring offers a new Main Street certification program. Once completed by the business owner, the retailer’s business is identified as Main Street Certified on ArmstrongFlooring.com.
Armstrong Flooring’s Main Street program offers a diverse product assortment that draws from its extensive residential and commercial portfolio. Products range from low-cost, high-performance options like VCT to Medintech homogeneous flooring.
Within Main Street, luxury vinyl tile is currently trending, but so are 12mm laminate and performance hardwood that offer great looks and the durability needed in light commercial environments.
“We consider the specialty flooring retailer’s success to be the basis of our success, and we are committed to do all that we can to help their sales grow and businesses succeed,” Kronmuller said. “Our goal is to help retailers grow their business in the segments they currently participate in and make it easy for them to expand into new ones such as Main Street.”