October 13/20, 2014; Volume 28/Number 9
By Ken Ryan
Flooring dealers have their reasons why Elegance Exotic Hardwood flooring is a good fit for their showrooms. For Eric Mondragon, hard surface buyer at R.C. Willey with stores throughout Utah, Nevada, California and Idaho, Elegance represents a great product for the value. For Kelly Cosgrove, flooring buyer for HOM Furniture in Minneapolis, it’s about exclusivity. And, Larry Flick, owner of The Floor Store in Northern California, said it’s about the claims—or lack thereof.
All dealers agree on one thing: Elegance is a valuable and trusted partner.
“Finding a reputable source can be a challenge, but Elegance stands behind its products,” Mondragon said. “We had a previous relationship with Elegance on the furniture side, so that was one reason for bringing them on. In the end, it came to a whole program that offered something with a great value. The product has done great for us; there are no problems, and our salespeople love it.”
HOM Furniture is another flooring dealer that previously partnered with Elegance on the furniture side. Because of the existing relationship, adding flooring was a seamless transition, Cosgrove said. He now carries nine SKUs of ash and birch.
“We like the fact no one else in our market will have the product, and we want to keep it that way,” he said. “Exclusivity is a wonderful thing.”
Cosgrove said the level of trust HOM Furniture has forged with Elegance isn’t readily found in the retail world. “I’ve been in the industry for close to 30 years, and I can tell you the integrity of the company is beyond reproach. Elegance does what they say they will.
Carpet Supermart of Greensboro, N.C., is another retail outlet that values the exclusivity with Elegance, which is one reason the dealer is carrying 12 SKUs. Store owner Arthur Jordan said he has been selling Elegance solid and engineered hardwood products since June 2012; he noted his Elegance business is up 30% in the first eight months of 2014 compared with the year-ago period.
“Several things come to mind regarding Elegance, in particular the quality of their product offers a lot more value than anything else we have seen,” he said. “In addition, the wear layer is much heavier than your average engineered product, and that’s been a selling feature—it has really impressed builders in particular. Their price and value is like nothing that we have seen.”
Flick, who operates eight showrooms, said he likes many things about Elegance, but what stands out is how well it performs regarding claims. “For a product line sourced from China, it is outstanding,” he said. “In terms of claims, I am seeing less than half a percent, which is extraordinary for a Chinese product. Overall, I am doing very well with it.”
Product development
First shown at Surfaces 2014, Elegance has launched three new products in the African species this year, as well as a new click product through a licensing agreement with Välinge. “We are really excited about the click program,” said Lukasz Piatek, vice president of key accounts.
Elegance has been known for carrying a deep inventory of products, but in a departure the company is narrowing its focus to four, maybe six, potential home runs, and will go deep with those products.
“We don’t want to line up support for a line and then run out of our best color,” Piatek said. “If you are out of stock for eight to 10 weeks it kills your momentum. Even four to six weeks will screw you up.
“With football players, the most important ability is availability. A football player can be the best in the world but if he is not available, it doesn’t matter how good he is. That’s how we feel about products: They must be available.”
HOM Furniture has been selling Elegance products for two years. At first, the wide plank look, particularly the 5½-inch birch, was not selling in the Midwest. But as of late, it has taken off and is now a consistently good seller, according to Cosgrove.
“We pick up from their furniture plant each week and flooring is at the same location, so it is a nice synergy,” Cosgrove said. “You can’t beat the logistics, and the value of their products is what I am looking for.”