Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week we asked: What area of business is showing the most activity for you today?
Here are their responses:
“Our main business is—far and away—the in-store retail customer. I believe our customers shop at Bob’s not only because they are looking for a wide variety of flooring in all types but also for the professional sales staff. Having someone to answer questions and steer you in the right direction gives customers the peace of mind that their money is being well spent.”
——Ashlie Butler Bob’s Carpet & Flooring Tampa, Fla.
“Contract commercial has been the strongest sector for us, and we anticipate it will continue to be for at least the next 12-18 months.”
——Sam Locher A.J. Rose Carpets & Flooring Burlington, Mass.
“Retail is still very strong for us. We have been lucky enough to have the Mayo Clinic here in town and, therefore, are fortunate to always have people remodeling homes. Commercial is also great.”
——Joe Elder Hiller’s Flooring America Rochester, Minn.
“We’re heavily skewed toward commercial/builder and both segments have stayed steady. However, we are noticing growth in our renovation/retail business as well, fueled in part by the steady rise of interest rates. Homeowners are more hesitant to purchase new and are now more willing to renovate with the hopes of increasing their home value and creating more equity.”
——Rebecca Tonowski BFC Flooring Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
“The [education] segment of our business is up this year. That’s because Illinois school districts, which have spent less than half of the roughly $7.8 billion the state got in federal COVID-19 recovery money, are now spending.”
—Kevin Rose, Carpetland USA Rockford, Ill.
