Dalton, GA, March 15, 2012 — Mohawk has formed an exclusive partnership to market SmartStrand carpet with the women’s lifestyle and entertainment program, The Better Show, which is produced by Meredith Video Studios and airs in more than 150 markets coast-to-coast.
Meredith is known for brands like Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies’ Home Journal, Family Circle and Parents magazines.
Those tuning into The Better Show will see celebrities make their debut on the Mohawk red carpet, while co-hosts Audra Lowe and J.D. Roberto anchor the hour-long show each day from a set carpeted with SmartStrand.

Show guests will be encouraged to make their mark on The Better Show carpet, giving Lowe and Roberto an opportunity to demonstrate the stain and soil resistance of SmartStrand. The Better Show viewers will repeatedly see that SmartStrand cleans with just water and needs no additional chemicals.

Floor Daily. Mohawk, The Better Show, in Partnership. March 15, 2012.  http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Mohawk_The_Better_Show_in_Partnership.aspx

Anderson, SC, March 14, 2012 — Anderson Hardwood Floors said it is opening a retail concept store in Shanghai, China to introduce American made wood flooring styles to the Chinese consumer.

Anderson said it is the culmination of over four years worth of intensive marketing and research effort into the Chinese market,

The store opening will be held on Monday, March 26, the day before Domotex Asia opens.

Floor Daily. Anderson To Open Concept Store in China. March 14, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Anderson_To_Open_Concept_Store_in_China.aspx

Washington, DC, March 9, 2012 — The National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Production Index (MPI) showed steady improvement in the apartment and condominium housing market for a sixth consecutive quarter, NAHB said.

The MPI, which measures builder and developer sentiment about current conditions in the multifamily market, increased from 47.3 in the third quarter to 48.9 in the fourth quarter, the highest reading since the fourth quarter of 2005.

The index measures three key elements of the multifamily housing market: construction of low-rent units, market-rate rental units and “for-sale” units, or condominiums.

Any number over 50 indicates that more respondents report conditions are improving than report conditions are getting worse. In the fourth quarter of 2011, the MPI component tracking builder and developer perceptions of market-rate rental properties recorded an all-time high of 64.3, while low-rent units increased as well to 55.5. For-sale units remained steady at 30.6.

“The apartment and condo sector continues to be a bright spot in the housing market, with the overall index at its highest level in six years,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.

“The rental components have been the driving force behind the increased index level. And although the for-sale component remains weaker, it is still double what it was just six quarters ago.”

Although improvement has been shown in the multifamily segment, builders and developers say credit restrictions are affecting recovery, NAHB said.

Floor Daily. Multifamily Remains Bright Spot in Housing. March 9, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Multifamily_Remains_Bright_Spot_in_Housing.aspx

Lancaster, PA, March 9, 2012 — Armstrong said it will raise prices in the U.S. and Canada 3-8% on commercial wallbase products, and select flooring adhesives and floor care products effective with shipments on May 7.

“We have seen sustained increases in oil prices with the economy starting to pull out of recession. This is the foundation driving our costs higher. In addition, significant manufacturing capacity for our raw materials was taken off-line during the recession compounding the problem. Energy, raw materials, and transportation costs are all rising,” said Dominic Rice, vice president, product management, commercial resilient.

Floor Daily. Armstrong Raising Some Prices in May. March 9, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Armstrong_Raising_Some_Prices_in_May.aspx

Dalton, GA, March 6, 2012 — The new non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has awarded Cradle to Cradle Silver certification to Shaw’s EcoWorx group of carpet products.

The certification includes more than 125 product collections and the components: Eco Solution Q Fiber, Solution Q Extreme Nylon Fiber, EcoWorx Tile Backing, EcoWorx Broadloom Backing, and the LokDots Installation System.

The products are among the first in the world to achieve certification through the institute, which independently operates and audits the certification process.

Based in San Francisco, the Institute was formed in March 2010 by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Its objective is to make the Cradle to Cradle product certification program (originally founded in 2005 by McDonough and Braungart) more accessible and available to a larger public
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In 2005, Shaw Industries became the first flooring company in the world to introduce fully certified Cradle to Cradle flooring products. Today, Shaw said that nearly 75 percent of the company’s sales come from Cradle to Cradle certified product, including residential and commercial carpet, carpet tile, rugs, and hardwood.

Floor Daily. Shaw’s EcoWorx Products Get New Certification. March 6, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaws_EcoWorx_Products_Get_New_Certification.aspx

. Dalton, GA, March 5, 2012 –- Shaw Floors will hold a Celebrate Your Home Sale May 12 – June 30.

Offering special, per-room pricing, the incentivizing campaign includes retro-inspired bright and bold marketing materials for participating retailers who can capitalize on the act-now messaging.

The simplified sale includes carpet, area rugs and laminate floor offerings of $499 for one room, $899 for two rooms and $1,199 for three rooms.

Hardwood floors are included in the pre-room selections for an added $100 to each price offering

“The one room pricing was an idea that came directly from successful retailers who’ve run this type of campaign with huge success. Not only was this concept a traffic driver, but dealers were able to protect their profitability and more often upgrade the consumer to better products,” said LaShon McGinnis, marketing manager.

“We’ve taken these retailers’ best practices and packaged them in a campaign retailers across the country can duplicate in their local market. Furthermore, the messaging communicates to consumers that beautiful Shaw flooring is affordable. The concept is very simple: the more you buy, the more you save.”

Floor Daily. Shaw Sale To Focus on Per-Room Pricing. March 5, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Shaw_Sale_To_Focus_on_PerRoom_Pricing.aspx

Kansas City, MO, Feb. 29, 2012 — The Certified Floorcovering Installers organization said its training programs are breaking records this year.

Thirty-seven cities will host CFI flooring installation programs before May 30 and more are being scheduled daily, the group said.

Armstrong, Congoleum, IVC, Johnsonite, Mannington, Mohawk, Personna and TRAXX are co-sponsoring the training, making the events more affordable.

Distributors are actively involved with hosting training at their facilities, CFI said.

Flooring certification training and certification are available at branches nationwide of Carpet Cushions and Supplies, Cronin Company, L. Fishman, Pacific Coast Flooring Supplies, T & A Supply, Tom Duffy Company, and Pacific Coast Flooring Supplies. Others will be announced soon, CFI said.

Affiliates of the World Floor Covering Association represented by the Maryland Northern Virginia Floor Covering Association, Sacramento Valley Floor Covering Association, Wisconsin Floor Covering Association, Washington State Floor Covering Association and the Chicago Floorcovering Association are also hosting events.

Retailers are also involved also with Baldwin’s Flooring America; Carpet Exchange; Carpet Express of California; Romanoff Flooring locations in the southeast; ProSource of Chicago; ProSource and Kerns Carpet One of Milwaukee; and Carpet One of Houston.

CFI has a team of 75 trainers in carpet, ceramic, resilient, laminate and wood flooring.

Floor Daily. CFI Says Training Programs Setting Records. February 29, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/CFI_Says_Training_Programs_Setting_Records.aspx

St. Louis, MO, Feb. 28, 2012 — The National Wood Flooring Association said it will offer four approved continuing education credits at its Wood Flooring Expo in Orlando April 11-12.

The credits are approved by the American Institute of Architects and the Interior Design Continuing Education Council.

The AIA certifies credits for professional architects, while the IDCEC certifies them for professional designers with the American Society of Interior Designers, the International Interior Designers Association, and Interior Designers of Canada.

Each of the four sessions will offer one CEU credit.

The courses are Back to Basics – Wood Flooring 101, about the characteristics of hardwood flooring and the different types of hardwood flooring; It’s Not Easy Being Green – Sustainability of Wood; This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Floor – Ornamental Wood Floors, about decorative design options such as medallions; and Beauty is More Than Skin Deep – Maintaining & Refinishing Wood Floors.

Floor Daily. NWFA Expo To Feature Approved CEU Sessions. February 28, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/NWFA_Expo_To_Feature_Approved_CEU_Sessions.aspx

Marietta, GA, Feb. 28, 2012 -— The Mohawk Group said it is the first in the commercial flooring industry to launch a customized iPad app.

Mohawk said it allows designers and architects to search the Mohawk Group’s commercial product catalog on-demand, as well as order product samples and email product ideas to colleagues and clients.

The app is a free download.

The Mohawk Group’s product catalog combines Karastan Contract, Lees and Bigelow. The catalog App allows architects and designers to search product in all three brands by a variety of criteria, including product, pattern, brand, cost, color and scale.

Floor Daily. Mohawk Group Launches iPad App. February 28, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Mohawk_Group_Launches_iPad_App.aspx

houn, GA, Feb. 23, 2012 — Mohawk Industries reported fourth quarter net earnings of $43 million and earnings per share $0.62. In the fourth quarter of 2010, net earnings were $46 million and earnings per share was $0.66.

Excluding unusual items, net earnings were $50 million, a 9% increase over last year.

Net sales for the quarter were $1.4 billion, increasing 9% as reported and 10% with a constant exchange rate.

Excluding unusual items for the fourth quarter of 2010, net earnings were $45 million.

For the full year of 2011, net earnings were $174 million and per share earnings were $2.52. Excluding unusual items, net earnings for the full year of 2011 were $202 million, a 16% increase over the previous year.

Net sales for the full year of 2011 were $5.6 billion, representing a 6% increase over 2010.

For the full year of 2010, net earnings were $185 million. Excluding unusual items for the full year of 2010, net earnings were $173 million.

“The company’s fourth quarter results reflect improvements in sales and adjusted net earnings over last year with all segments showing sales growth for the last three quarters,” said CEO Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum.

In the U.S., sales in both the residential and commercial categories expanded, with commercial growing at a faster pace, Mohawk said.

Mohawk said it has increased prices in the first quarter across many product categories to recover higher material costs.

Mohawk segment net sales grew by more than 8% with both the residential and commercial channels showing improvement due to its next generation of soft carpets, branded SmartStrand Silk. Mohawk also expanded its filament extrusion and carpet tile capacity.

Dal-Tile segment net sales grew almost 10% during the quarter with commercial growth exceeding residential. In the first quarter, Mohawk said it is raising prices 3-5% on certain products to recover higher material and transportation costs.

Unilin net sales increased approximately 10%. Mohawk said its laminate and wood flooring products continued growing in Europe.

In the first quarter, Mohawk said it anticipates additional sales growth, but at a lower rate than the fourth quarter.
Conference call Friday, February 24, 2012 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

The telephone number is 1-800-603-9255 for US/Canada and 1-706-634-2294 for International/Local. Conference ID # 45556735. A replay will also be available until March 9, 2012 by dialing 855-859-2056 for US/local calls and 404-537-3406 for International/Local calls and entering Conference ID # 45556735.

Floor Daily. Mohawk Reports Higher Sales, Lower Earnings. February 23, 2012. http://www.floordaily.net/Flooring-News/Mohawk_Reports_Higher_Sales_Lower_Earnings.aspx