Article Number: 4747
Armstrong Goes To Bat With Largest Intro Ever
By Matthew Spieler
Tough times call for tough measures. That’s why Armstrong World Industries is launching its largest, most extensive wood product strategy in the company’s 149-year history. Featuring a multitude of new products—more than 125—a new merchandising system and continued commitment in national advertising, everything in the launch is aimed exclusively at helping the specialty flooring retailer steady the turbulent waters that have rocked the wood category.
While every category has taken a hit by the recession, no segment has been knocked around as hard as wood, which has lost approximately one-third of its annual sales since peaking in 2006. Despite the gloomy times, Armstrong wants dealers to know it is still confident the category has better days ahead and, as the segment’s leader, it is willing to stand with them to ensure this happens.
“You can complain about the economy,” noted Kent Clauson, general manager of marketing for Armstrong Flooring Products, “but I guarantee there will still be winners and losers. Armstrong is making the investments in generating leads, in having the best products, and in smart and green manufacturing to ensure that our customers are among the winners.”
The message is simple, he added. “There is no better time than now to partner with Armstrong for all of your hardwood flooring needs.”
Michael Goldberg, CEO of Rite Rug in Columbus, Ohio, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary (FCNews, June 15/22), feels Armstrong’s massive product intro “has to be the biggest hardwood launch ever in the history of flooring, and is even more significant when you take into account that it’s being done in this economy.”
He added it gives a retailer confidence when “you see Armstrong coming to the plate with new products and programs that capture the consumer’s imagination and stimulate sales.”
Shiva Menon, Armstrong’s hardwood product manager, told FCNews the company worked tremendously hard to make this more than just a product launch. “We already had the broadest portfolio in the industry so we didn’t want to just expand our offerings; we want to deepen the overall range of products so as to give more choices for consumers and additional sales opportunities for retailers.”
What makes this launch even more impressive, Menon added, is it only covers wood products under the Armstrong brand; the company’s other wood brands/divisions such as Bruce, Robbins and Homer have each come out with their own introductions during the year.
Brand recognition
This is part of the company’s strategy, he noted, to make each brand its own distinct destination with different products, displays, marketing and more, thus giving retailers more ways to capture consumer interest. “We have the best known wood flooring brands,” pointing out that Armstrong alone has a 97% consumer recognition rate.
Successful retailers certainly seem to recognize and appreciate the effort. “Why should I carry any other brands besides Armstrong and Bruce?” asked Randy Hughes of Hughes Floor Covering in Charlotte, N.C. “They have every category covered to meet my customers’ needs.”
Sam Roberts of Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors in Houston, added, “No floor covering manufacturer is doing more than Armstrong to drive consumers into retail showrooms.”
Jamie Butters, general manager of Advance Carpet One in Kirkwood, Mo., said Armstrong’s brand recognition gives consumers a “comfort factor. Because they know the name, they know it is quality and is going to perform. [In fact], they have probably had an Armstrong floor in their homes at one point in their lives.”
While some may wonder if have 435 SKUs is a bit much for one brand, Roberts pointed out, “My customers love choices. The product visual is the most important choice a consumer makes with hardwood, and Armstrong delivers in a big way.”
Butters added, “Whether it’s wide planks, hand-sculpted craftsmanship or alternatives to oak, Armstrong has lots of wonderful looks that consumers can’t find in other places.”
Five general styles
In developing the 126 new products and fitting them with the other 309 SKUs, Menon said the company totally changed the mix by focusing on five unique categories to address consumer needs—Exotic & Specialty, Handsculpted, Distressed, Traditional and Performance. “In 2008 two-thirds of our product mix was in Traditonal. This year is it closer to 50%, which gave us more flexibility to offer a broader mix.”
Each category is made up of numerous collections all centered around the overriding theme but each with its own unique take on the subject.
• Exotic & Specialty. For these products, Menon said Armstrong “carefully selects responsibly harvested tropical hardwoods featuring striking natural color and bold detailed graining,” such as those featured in the Valenza collection. “Bold and imaginative design techniques create floors of stunning originality and beauty from domestic species such as hickory and walnut.” At the other end of the spectrum, the new Exotic Fusion collection of domestic hardwoods is a “perfect example of how Armstrong is putting innovation to work to preserve natural resources.”
Menon described the new Barrel Creek line as a “uniquely differentiated specialty visual with a fascinating wine barrel story at mainstream pricing. This decorative, rift and quartered white oak floor, gives the look of reclaimed, vintage wine barrel flooring. The combination of black washed stain, a wine infused touch of color and Cooperage stamps, offers a truly unique flooring option.”
• Handsculpted. He said this category focuses on artisan-carved planks “in a rich palette of colors” and combines the craftsmanship of a bygone era with modern design appeal. From the deeply textured rustic look of Rural Living to the subtly sculpted elegance of hand-crafted Century Estate and the new trend-driven colors of handscraped Century Farm, “Armstrong’s collections of handsculpted floors are equally enchanting in a 19th century farmhouse or a converted urban loft.”
• Distressed. Highly distressed hardwood continues to appeal to homeowners and is a growing category at retail, Menon noted in explaining why Armstrong continues to offer products in this look. For this area, “skilled staining and distressing techniques create the rustic, weathered look of naturally, aged hardwoods. Each floor, either within the Heritage Classics or Blackwater Classics collections, conveys a sense of history with details such as character marks, nail holes and color washes to emphasize the depth of the wood grain and evoke the impression of reclaimed treasures from America’s past.”
• Traditional. There is a reason this category still contains the majority of designs, he said; “True classics improve with age. These timeless floors are carefully crafted from enduring American species—oak, maple, pecan and cherry. Any home can be enriched with solid or engineered floors, narrow strips or wide planks in any shade imaginable, from classic honey and chestnut to modern whitewash and espresso.”
Menon pointed to the new Highgrove Manor as an example. This classic ¾ inch premium hardwood comes in colors ranging from clear natural and rich chocolate to new neutrals including whitewash and soft gray and features the installation ease of Armstrong’s Lock&Fold glueless system.
• Performance. This category, he said, features “hardwood made harder.” The new Premier Performance, for example, is a genuine hardwood infused with liquid acrylic to make it even more durable. “Armstrong’s exclusive technology and production process ensure there’s no need to worry about scratches, scrapes, dents or dings.”
New display
With so many products to showcase, Armstrong’s Clauson said the company created the new Hardwood Support Display and accompanying in-store tools/support in order to “present products in a way that is attractive, logical and easy to understand to simplify the shopping process for consumers and retail sales associates.
Arranging products in a way that makes sense to the sales associate and the consumer is critical to both a brand and a display’s success, he added. “All products are grouped by design family, each with its own color designation. The merchandising collateral has been carefully designed to easily identify products by color.”
Retailers are already touting the new system as a sales helper. “The Armstrong system reinforces the style and quality of its products at point of purchase,” said North Carolina’s Hughes. “Displays that arrange products by design and color make it easy for consumers to shop and my associates to sell.”
In addition, he said the furniture-styled display “draws consumers in with the branding, a distinctive upscale look and more product reveal. We can help direct consumers to the right floor for their unique need. All in one place, with less confusion and less floor space. This really helps us make the sale.”
Clauson said having the right products showcased in the proper way means nothing if consumers are not coming in to the retail showroom. As such, he noted Armstrong continues to support retail sales efforts with extensive national advertising to generate demand. Consumer advertising is at the forefront of Armstrong’s strategy to find consumers considering a flooring purchase, and introduce them to Armstrong products and Armstrong retailers.”
Armstrong’s ultimate goal, he concluded, is to provide the best service by partnering with the strongest distributor and specialty retailer network, and to provide comprehensive customer support throughout the sales cycle. “Together with our retail partners, we will create our own success.”
Tough times call for tough measures. That’s why Armstrong World Industries is launching its largest, most extensive wood product strategy in the company’s 149-year history. Featuring a multitude of new products—more than 125—a new merchandising system and continued commitment in national advertising, everything in the launch is aimed exclusively at helping the specialty flooring retailer steady the turbulent waters that have rocked the wood category.
While every category has taken a hit by the recession, no segment has been knocked around as hard as wood, which has lost approximately one-third of its annual sales since peaking in 2006. Despite the gloomy times, Armstrong wants dealers to know it is still confident the category has better days ahead and, as the segment’s leader, it is willing to stand with them to ensure this happens.
“You can complain about the economy,” noted Kent Clauson, general manager of marketing for Armstrong Flooring Products, “but I guarantee there will still be winners and losers. Armstrong is making the investments in generating leads, in having the best products, and in smart and green manufacturing to ensure that our customers are among the winners.”
The message is simple, he added. “There is no better time than now to partner with Armstrong for all of your hardwood flooring needs.”
Michael Goldberg, CEO of Rite Rug in Columbus, Ohio, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary (FCNews, June 15/22), feels Armstrong’s massive product intro “has to be the biggest hardwood launch ever in the history of flooring, and is even more significant when you take into account that it’s being done in this economy.”
He added it gives a retailer confidence when “you see Armstrong coming to the plate with new products and programs that capture the consumer’s imagination and stimulate sales.”
Shiva Menon, Armstrong’s hardwood product manager, told FCNews the company worked tremendously hard to make this more than just a product launch. “We already had the broadest portfolio in the industry so we didn’t want to just expand our offerings; we want to deepen the overall range of products so as to give more choices for consumers and additional sales opportunities for retailers.”
What makes this launch even more impressive, Menon added, is it only covers wood products under the Armstrong brand; the company’s other wood brands/divisions such as Bruce, Robbins and Homer have each come out with their own introductions during the year.
Brand recognition
This is part of the company’s strategy, he noted, to make each brand its own distinct destination with different products, displays, marketing and more, thus giving retailers more ways to capture consumer interest. “We have the best known wood flooring brands,” pointing out that Armstrong alone has a 97% consumer recognition rate.
Successful retailers certainly seem to recognize and appreciate the effort. “Why should I carry any other brands besides Armstrong and Bruce?” asked Randy Hughes of Hughes Floor Covering in Charlotte, N.C. “They have every category covered to meet my customers’ needs.”
Sam Roberts of Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors in Houston, added, “No floor covering manufacturer is doing more than Armstrong to drive consumers into retail showrooms.”
Jamie Butters, general manager of Advance Carpet One in Kirkwood, Mo., said Armstrong’s brand recognition gives consumers a “comfort factor. Because they know the name, they know it is quality and is going to perform. [In fact], they have probably had an Armstrong floor in their homes at one point in their lives.”
While some may wonder if have 435 SKUs is a bit much for one brand, Roberts pointed out, “My customers love choices. The product visual is the most important choice a consumer makes with hardwood, and Armstrong delivers in a big way.”
Butters added, “Whether it’s wide planks, hand-sculpted craftsmanship or alternatives to oak, Armstrong has lots of wonderful looks that consumers can’t find in other places.”
Five general styles
In developing the 126 new products and fitting them with the other 309 SKUs, Menon said the company totally changed the mix by focusing on five unique categories to address consumer needs—Exotic & Specialty, Handsculpted, Distressed, Traditional and Performance. “In 2008 two-thirds of our product mix was in Traditonal. This year is it closer to 50%, which gave us more flexibility to offer a broader mix.”
Each category is made up of numerous collections all centered around the overriding theme but each with its own unique take on the subject.
• Exotic & Specialty. For these products, Menon said Armstrong “carefully selects responsibly harvested tropical hardwoods featuring striking natural color and bold detailed graining,” such as those featured in the Valenza collection. “Bold and imaginative design techniques create floors of stunning originality and beauty from domestic species such as hickory and walnut.” At the other end of the spectrum, the new Exotic Fusion collection of domestic hardwoods is a “perfect example of how Armstrong is putting innovation to work to preserve natural resources.”
Menon described the new Barrel Creek line as a “uniquely differentiated specialty visual with a fascinating wine barrel story at mainstream pricing. This decorative, rift and quartered white oak floor, gives the look of reclaimed, vintage wine barrel flooring. The combination of black washed stain, a wine infused touch of color and Cooperage stamps, offers a truly unique flooring option.”
• Handsculpted. He said this category focuses on artisan-carved planks “in a rich palette of colors” and combines the craftsmanship of a bygone era with modern design appeal. From the deeply textured rustic look of Rural Living to the subtly sculpted elegance of hand-crafted Century Estate and the new trend-driven colors of handscraped Century Farm, “Armstrong’s collections of handsculpted floors are equally enchanting in a 19th century farmhouse or a converted urban loft.”
• Distressed. Highly distressed hardwood continues to appeal to homeowners and is a growing category at retail, Menon noted in explaining why Armstrong continues to offer products in this look. For this area, “skilled staining and distressing techniques create the rustic, weathered look of naturally, aged hardwoods. Each floor, either within the Heritage Classics or Blackwater Classics collections, conveys a sense of history with details such as character marks, nail holes and color washes to emphasize the depth of the wood grain and evoke the impression of reclaimed treasures from America’s past.”
• Traditional. There is a reason this category still contains the majority of designs, he said; “True classics improve with age. These timeless floors are carefully crafted from enduring American species—oak, maple, pecan and cherry. Any home can be enriched with solid or engineered floors, narrow strips or wide planks in any shade imaginable, from classic honey and chestnut to modern whitewash and espresso.”
Menon pointed to the new Highgrove Manor as an example. This classic ¾ inch premium hardwood comes in colors ranging from clear natural and rich chocolate to new neutrals including whitewash and soft gray and features the installation ease of Armstrong’s Lock&Fold glueless system.
• Performance. This category, he said, features “hardwood made harder.” The new Premier Performance, for example, is a genuine hardwood infused with liquid acrylic to make it even more durable. “Armstrong’s exclusive technology and production process ensure there’s no need to worry about scratches, scrapes, dents or dings.”
New display
With so many products to showcase, Armstrong’s Clauson said the company created the new Hardwood Support Display and accompanying in-store tools/support in order to “present products in a way that is attractive, logical and easy to understand to simplify the shopping process for consumers and retail sales associates.
Arranging products in a way that makes sense to the sales associate and the consumer is critical to both a brand and a display’s success, he added. “All products are grouped by design family, each with its own color designation. The merchandising collateral has been carefully designed to easily identify products by color.”
Retailers are already touting the new system as a sales helper. “The Armstrong system reinforces the style and quality of its products at point of purchase,” said North Carolina’s Hughes. “Displays that arrange products by design and color make it easy for consumers to shop and my associates to sell.”
In addition, he said the furniture-styled display “draws consumers in with the branding, a distinctive upscale look and more product reveal. We can help direct consumers to the right floor for their unique need. All in one place, with less confusion and less floor space. This really helps us make the sale.”
Clauson said having the right products showcased in the proper way means nothing if consumers are not coming in to the retail showroom. As such, he noted Armstrong continues to support retail sales efforts with extensive national advertising to generate demand. Consumer advertising is at the forefront of Armstrong’s strategy to find consumers considering a flooring purchase, and introduce them to Armstrong products and Armstrong retailers.”
Armstrong’s ultimate goal, he concluded, is to provide the best service by partnering with the strongest distributor and specialty retailer network, and to provide comprehensive customer support throughout the sales cycle. “Together with our retail partners, we will create our own success.”
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