Article Number: 4121
Mohawk hits 2009 running across all categories - Product lineup set to differentiate dealers, add value
By Steven Feldman and Sarah Zimmerman
After running for nearly two months, Mohawk’s nationwide product tour is finally coming to a close—slated to wrap Feb. 8. Designed to showcase its new products and services, this year’s lineup included a total of 17 shows—15 regional and two national aligned conventions—where retailers could directly interact with Mohawk reps and execs, and utilize a variety of tools and education designed to enhance business in 2009. FCNews sat down with the mill in a number of cities to get a market overview.
The softer side
Mohawk’s soft story heading into ’09 was focused on major issues affecting the market today—the environment, fashion and feel—with the largest draw being its new Sorona Smart Living Color Wall. As fashion and eco-friendliness continue creeping up in the minds of the consumer, Bart Rich, director of brand management, said the Color Wall— which is under the Mohawk Greenworks umbrella—is a great platform to penetrate the market. “This display will blow dealers [and consumers] away,” he said. “It demands attention.”
Set to be the Sorona destination, the display features eight products in 70 colors—all from Mohawk’s sustainable flooring SmartStrand carpet collections made using Dupont Sorona renewably sourced polymer— 37% of the carpet fiber is a renewable resource, and it requires 30% less energy and emits 63% less Greenhouse gas than creating an equal amount of nylon—in an enticing manner, Rich explained. And, it not only displays all products prominently, but offers accessible samples of each and deck boards for shop-at-home sales.
“People are drawn to this display because of its look, and then stay with the products because of their inherent eco-friendliness,” he said. “It gives way to a fantastic story, and green is huge right now.”
Another high point this winter for Mohawk is its advancement in feel—the softer side— as it introduced two extra soft products: Aladdin Sen-sationally Soft polyester and UltraStrand UltraSoft nylon. Aladdin’s latest intro differentiates with its feel—it’s the softest polyester in the market— and color, Rich noted. “It gives hand and bulk with soft, bold patterns—textures, friezes, high twists, LCLs, pindots,” he said, “and has been a real crowd pleaser. It’s a polyester product with the look and feel of a nylon carpet.”
Because of its overwhelming response, the mill reinforced the story on deckboards and with a “Feel so Good” blind test—pitting the product against two other comparable competitors’ offerings. “Let’s just say we’ve done our homework,” Rich touted.
Currently available in 11 styles, the line will be extended to include 18 looks by year’s end and is showcased on an open line, stand-alone pin rack to allow for continued growth.
UltraStrand UltraSoft is also taking touch to new levels, Rich explained, combining “ultrasoftness” and “ultrabody. This is a breakthrough technology utilizing the foundation of UltraStrand fiber with Mohaw’s exclusive Heat Permeation Technology (HPT),” he said. “It creates the soft, full product without the loss of durability, cleanability or beauty.” UltraSoft is currently being placed in existing Horizon racks.
The hard surface story
The hardwood story was less about introduction and more about implementation of the 130-plus products Mohawk took the wraps off last spring in a complete restructuring and revamping of the line. The strategy is part product and part merchandising. “We have refined and clarified the assortments into four collections, and we have been much more specific about what types of products go into those collections to make it easy for the consumer to shop,” said Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing, Mohawk Hard Surfaces.
Specifically, Lineage is a domestic oak line with the enhancement of Scotchgard Advanced Repel Technology on most of the assortment. Revival is the domestic exotics collection, also with Scotchgard. “Scotchgard is an important differentiator, even at value price points,” Farabee said, noting how it is one of the most recognized brands in the country. Artiquities offers textured, scraped, distressed and reclaimed, “where you have a lot more going on with the surface,” he said.
Rarity is the exotics, imported from South America, Asia and Africa. Farabee was quick to note that all imports are Lacey Act compliant. “They are always from certified, sustainable sources. We are in the process of getting the appropriate certifications for all our sources.”
As for specific introductions, Farabee said it was about offering more sizes and widths. “We are ultimately giving consumers more choice while clarifying the collections.”
Laminate
Mohawk is breaking into the high-gloss laminate game with Boulevard, which was designed to capture the look of some of today’s most popular exotic species like mahogany, rosewood and tigerwood. According to Farabee, Boulevard was developed in response to market demand. “The high-gloss finish was originally thought to be a trend but in reality it is a consumer preference. We have gotten good response from all shows this year.”
Farabee believes Boulevard will be well received by consumers for its aesthetics, price point and the fact it is made in the U.S. “This product offers the same high quality, features and benefits as the rest of the new Mohawk laminate assortment, and we’ve purposely introduced this at a more aggressive price point [than comparative high-gloss laminates] because we think there’s untapped volume opportunities in the marketplace that we think we will be able to reach with this combination of style and price.”
Boulevard, which is offered in the “better” Handworks Collection, is 8mm thick and employs Uniclic technology. It is available in a 4-inch width and five colors.
The other new entry in the Handworks Collection is the wide-width Marcina with its soft scrape texture. The idea was to choose popular domestic exotics and colors—specifically hickory, maple and cherry—and transfer them to laminate.
“Having purchased Columbia, we took some of our best developments in our wood assortment and used them as inspiration,” Farabee said. “We are capturing the advantage of being both a wood and laminate manufacturer.”
He added that Mohawk is trying to bring some of those rustic, scraped looks in the market that up to now have been positioned at a premium price point and introduce them at a more affordable price.
Ceramic
When it comes to ceramic, Farabee said the goal is to enhance the Mohawk line and make it SKU-for-SKU the most efficient, productive line in the industry. “We want Mohawk Ceramic to justify its presence on the showroom floor more so than any line. It has been built from the ground up, and this is what it is built for.”
The prized introduction this year is Gravura, a glazed porcelain to which Farabee refers as a “game-changing” product. “We continue to improve the realism and amount of variation as we develop new products, and this represents maximum amount of variation you can get. This is the next leap forward.”
According to Ben McNabb, hard surface brand manager, the random look is the result of ink jet technology which results in minimal repeats.
“For the people who would only accept a natural stone product, this is what these people will buy because they don’t have to concede anything. You can’t tell the difference between this and natural slate but it is not brittle like slate, does not have to be sealed like slate and is also less expensive than real slate. This is one of the best things we’ve introduced this year on the hard surface side.”
Gravura comes in three colors and three sizes: 20 x 20, 13 x 13 and 13 x 20. Mohawk also added Caridosa, a glazed tile in three colors and three sizes, into its “good” series, and Sorriso, a stone look in four deep, rich colors into its “better” grouping.
At the end of the day, whether the consumer is seeking hardwood, laminate or ceramic, the strategy is to be the one go-to resource, whether she is seeking products at the high end or opening price point. “That’s why everything is broken into collections,” Farabee said. “We have filled the void and made our collections make sense. The goal is to make it easy for her to shop.”
After running for nearly two months, Mohawk’s nationwide product tour is finally coming to a close—slated to wrap Feb. 8. Designed to showcase its new products and services, this year’s lineup included a total of 17 shows—15 regional and two national aligned conventions—where retailers could directly interact with Mohawk reps and execs, and utilize a variety of tools and education designed to enhance business in 2009. FCNews sat down with the mill in a number of cities to get a market overview.
The softer side
Mohawk’s soft story heading into ’09 was focused on major issues affecting the market today—the environment, fashion and feel—with the largest draw being its new Sorona Smart Living Color Wall. As fashion and eco-friendliness continue creeping up in the minds of the consumer, Bart Rich, director of brand management, said the Color Wall— which is under the Mohawk Greenworks umbrella—is a great platform to penetrate the market. “This display will blow dealers [and consumers] away,” he said. “It demands attention.”
Set to be the Sorona destination, the display features eight products in 70 colors—all from Mohawk’s sustainable flooring SmartStrand carpet collections made using Dupont Sorona renewably sourced polymer— 37% of the carpet fiber is a renewable resource, and it requires 30% less energy and emits 63% less Greenhouse gas than creating an equal amount of nylon—in an enticing manner, Rich explained. And, it not only displays all products prominently, but offers accessible samples of each and deck boards for shop-at-home sales.
“People are drawn to this display because of its look, and then stay with the products because of their inherent eco-friendliness,” he said. “It gives way to a fantastic story, and green is huge right now.”
Another high point this winter for Mohawk is its advancement in feel—the softer side— as it introduced two extra soft products: Aladdin Sen-sationally Soft polyester and UltraStrand UltraSoft nylon. Aladdin’s latest intro differentiates with its feel—it’s the softest polyester in the market— and color, Rich noted. “It gives hand and bulk with soft, bold patterns—textures, friezes, high twists, LCLs, pindots,” he said, “and has been a real crowd pleaser. It’s a polyester product with the look and feel of a nylon carpet.”
Because of its overwhelming response, the mill reinforced the story on deckboards and with a “Feel so Good” blind test—pitting the product against two other comparable competitors’ offerings. “Let’s just say we’ve done our homework,” Rich touted.
Currently available in 11 styles, the line will be extended to include 18 looks by year’s end and is showcased on an open line, stand-alone pin rack to allow for continued growth.
UltraStrand UltraSoft is also taking touch to new levels, Rich explained, combining “ultrasoftness” and “ultrabody. This is a breakthrough technology utilizing the foundation of UltraStrand fiber with Mohaw’s exclusive Heat Permeation Technology (HPT),” he said. “It creates the soft, full product without the loss of durability, cleanability or beauty.” UltraSoft is currently being placed in existing Horizon racks.
The hard surface story
The hardwood story was less about introduction and more about implementation of the 130-plus products Mohawk took the wraps off last spring in a complete restructuring and revamping of the line. The strategy is part product and part merchandising. “We have refined and clarified the assortments into four collections, and we have been much more specific about what types of products go into those collections to make it easy for the consumer to shop,” said Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing, Mohawk Hard Surfaces.
Specifically, Lineage is a domestic oak line with the enhancement of Scotchgard Advanced Repel Technology on most of the assortment. Revival is the domestic exotics collection, also with Scotchgard. “Scotchgard is an important differentiator, even at value price points,” Farabee said, noting how it is one of the most recognized brands in the country. Artiquities offers textured, scraped, distressed and reclaimed, “where you have a lot more going on with the surface,” he said.
Rarity is the exotics, imported from South America, Asia and Africa. Farabee was quick to note that all imports are Lacey Act compliant. “They are always from certified, sustainable sources. We are in the process of getting the appropriate certifications for all our sources.”
As for specific introductions, Farabee said it was about offering more sizes and widths. “We are ultimately giving consumers more choice while clarifying the collections.”
Laminate
Mohawk is breaking into the high-gloss laminate game with Boulevard, which was designed to capture the look of some of today’s most popular exotic species like mahogany, rosewood and tigerwood. According to Farabee, Boulevard was developed in response to market demand. “The high-gloss finish was originally thought to be a trend but in reality it is a consumer preference. We have gotten good response from all shows this year.”
Farabee believes Boulevard will be well received by consumers for its aesthetics, price point and the fact it is made in the U.S. “This product offers the same high quality, features and benefits as the rest of the new Mohawk laminate assortment, and we’ve purposely introduced this at a more aggressive price point [than comparative high-gloss laminates] because we think there’s untapped volume opportunities in the marketplace that we think we will be able to reach with this combination of style and price.”
Boulevard, which is offered in the “better” Handworks Collection, is 8mm thick and employs Uniclic technology. It is available in a 4-inch width and five colors.
The other new entry in the Handworks Collection is the wide-width Marcina with its soft scrape texture. The idea was to choose popular domestic exotics and colors—specifically hickory, maple and cherry—and transfer them to laminate.
“Having purchased Columbia, we took some of our best developments in our wood assortment and used them as inspiration,” Farabee said. “We are capturing the advantage of being both a wood and laminate manufacturer.”
He added that Mohawk is trying to bring some of those rustic, scraped looks in the market that up to now have been positioned at a premium price point and introduce them at a more affordable price.
Ceramic
When it comes to ceramic, Farabee said the goal is to enhance the Mohawk line and make it SKU-for-SKU the most efficient, productive line in the industry. “We want Mohawk Ceramic to justify its presence on the showroom floor more so than any line. It has been built from the ground up, and this is what it is built for.”
The prized introduction this year is Gravura, a glazed porcelain to which Farabee refers as a “game-changing” product. “We continue to improve the realism and amount of variation as we develop new products, and this represents maximum amount of variation you can get. This is the next leap forward.”
According to Ben McNabb, hard surface brand manager, the random look is the result of ink jet technology which results in minimal repeats.
“For the people who would only accept a natural stone product, this is what these people will buy because they don’t have to concede anything. You can’t tell the difference between this and natural slate but it is not brittle like slate, does not have to be sealed like slate and is also less expensive than real slate. This is one of the best things we’ve introduced this year on the hard surface side.”
Gravura comes in three colors and three sizes: 20 x 20, 13 x 13 and 13 x 20. Mohawk also added Caridosa, a glazed tile in three colors and three sizes, into its “good” series, and Sorriso, a stone look in four deep, rich colors into its “better” grouping.
At the end of the day, whether the consumer is seeking hardwood, laminate or ceramic, the strategy is to be the one go-to resource, whether she is seeking products at the high end or opening price point. “That’s why everything is broken into collections,” Farabee said. “We have filled the void and made our collections make sense. The goal is to make it easy for her to shop.”
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