Do you take any comfort in knowing that the retail flooring business is not the only segment hit hard by the economic crisis? You should. Because there is great guiding wisdom to be gained from others who have prevailed in the face of hard times. We don’t know exactly what motivated her to say it, but a well-known woman is credited with a spot-on observation: The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.
Armstrong has learned that very lesson in the face of generations of world-changing events. In 150-odd years of business, we’ve seen it play out again and again. Our commitment to strong industry leadership drives our behavior every day and offers our retail partners a model for their success despite the current challenges.
Business leaders have to make hard choices. Some retailers will choose to exit the business. Some manufacturers will cut back. The best and brightest in the industry will focus their decisions on partnering with leaders committed to coming through the storm together.
This is precisely why Armstrong is investing at industry-leading levels: new technology, new products and processes to improve quality, new products as well as programs to position its retailers for growth. In the new hardwood launch alone, with its bold, expansive collection of products and merchandising systems, Armstrong is reinforcing its commitment to its customers’ success.
There are still shoppers in the market, Armstrong says, and it is making the investments to find those shoppers and send them to retailers. And when they arrive at the retailer they will find the results of Armstrong’s investment to have the latest and best products.
Exclusive to independent flooring dealers, Armstrong Hardwood provides a unique opportunity to leverage a powerful brand. In what is arguably the broadest wood flooring portfolio of any single manufacturer, the summer ‘09 launch represents more choices for consumers and additional sales opportunities for retailers.
And 2009 isn’t over yet. The company promises more to come. “No flooring manufacturer is doing more than Armstrong to drive consumers into retail showrooms. The most important thing for us is to get the customer to the door and make the whole shopping process as enjoyable as possible,” said Sam Roberts, Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors, Houston.
With more than 400 SKUs, Armstrong Hardwood features products for every customer. From exotic tropical species, unique specialty visuals and authentic hand- sculpted and distressed planks to timeless traditional designs, each floor is crafted with Armstrong’s renowned attention to detail. In addition to beautiful looks, Armstrong delivers consistently high quality. Every floor undergoes 50 quality inspections. The floors are precisely milled, stained and finished for easy installation and a lifetime of style and beauty.
Forty percent of all flooring consumers shop at Armstrong.com, where its Dealer Locator directs visitors to Armstrong retailers at the rate of one every two minutes, day in and day out. While the economy can have an effect on how many consumers are in the market for a type of product, retailers can take advantage of tough economic times by using the Web to address consumers’ changing needs. During a decline in the economy, consumers are looking for quality products at reasonable prices from a retailer they can trust. People are using the Internet to save them some driving time and gas especially during the early research phase. That’s why Armstrong is focusing on providing the best online experience for customers to help increase retailers’ product sales offline.
And, even in difficult times, Armstrong continues to support retail sales efforts with extensive national advertising to find consumers interested in new flooring. 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.
Retailers across the country are excited about Armstrong’s consumer advertising to help increase sales. “We need this type of support, especially today,” said Jim Grosh of Flooring 101 in Simi Valley, Calif.
While Armstrong is investing even more in the down economy, the initiatives that retailers are seeing from manufacturers in 2009 were conceived in earlier times and only are coming to market now. So, as impressive as Armstrong Hardwood is, or as eagerly anticipated as the initiatives launching in the second half of 2009 are, the real story will be what happens in 2010.
“Other people put projects on the shelf, waiting for times to get better; not Armstrong,” said Kent Clauson, marketing general manager. “Ultimately Armstrong’s goal is to provide the best service by partnering with the strongest distributor and retailer network and to provide comprehensive customer support throughout the sales cycle. “Together with our retail partners, we will create our own success.”
Armstrong has learned that very lesson in the face of generations of world-changing events. In 150-odd years of business, we’ve seen it play out again and again. Our commitment to strong industry leadership drives our behavior every day and offers our retail partners a model for their success despite the current challenges.
Business leaders have to make hard choices. Some retailers will choose to exit the business. Some manufacturers will cut back. The best and brightest in the industry will focus their decisions on partnering with leaders committed to coming through the storm together.
This is precisely why Armstrong is investing at industry-leading levels: new technology, new products and processes to improve quality, new products as well as programs to position its retailers for growth. In the new hardwood launch alone, with its bold, expansive collection of products and merchandising systems, Armstrong is reinforcing its commitment to its customers’ success.
There are still shoppers in the market, Armstrong says, and it is making the investments to find those shoppers and send them to retailers. And when they arrive at the retailer they will find the results of Armstrong’s investment to have the latest and best products.
Exclusive to independent flooring dealers, Armstrong Hardwood provides a unique opportunity to leverage a powerful brand. In what is arguably the broadest wood flooring portfolio of any single manufacturer, the summer ‘09 launch represents more choices for consumers and additional sales opportunities for retailers.
And 2009 isn’t over yet. The company promises more to come. “No flooring manufacturer is doing more than Armstrong to drive consumers into retail showrooms. The most important thing for us is to get the customer to the door and make the whole shopping process as enjoyable as possible,” said Sam Roberts, Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors, Houston.
With more than 400 SKUs, Armstrong Hardwood features products for every customer. From exotic tropical species, unique specialty visuals and authentic hand- sculpted and distressed planks to timeless traditional designs, each floor is crafted with Armstrong’s renowned attention to detail. In addition to beautiful looks, Armstrong delivers consistently high quality. Every floor undergoes 50 quality inspections. The floors are precisely milled, stained and finished for easy installation and a lifetime of style and beauty.
Forty percent of all flooring consumers shop at Armstrong.com, where its Dealer Locator directs visitors to Armstrong retailers at the rate of one every two minutes, day in and day out. While the economy can have an effect on how many consumers are in the market for a type of product, retailers can take advantage of tough economic times by using the Web to address consumers’ changing needs. During a decline in the economy, consumers are looking for quality products at reasonable prices from a retailer they can trust. People are using the Internet to save them some driving time and gas especially during the early research phase. That’s why Armstrong is focusing on providing the best online experience for customers to help increase retailers’ product sales offline.
And, even in difficult times, Armstrong continues to support retail sales efforts with extensive national advertising to find consumers interested in new flooring. 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.
Retailers across the country are excited about Armstrong’s consumer advertising to help increase sales. “We need this type of support, especially today,” said Jim Grosh of Flooring 101 in Simi Valley, Calif.
While Armstrong is investing even more in the down economy, the initiatives that retailers are seeing from manufacturers in 2009 were conceived in earlier times and only are coming to market now. So, as impressive as Armstrong Hardwood is, or as eagerly anticipated as the initiatives launching in the second half of 2009 are, the real story will be what happens in 2010.
“Other people put projects on the shelf, waiting for times to get better; not Armstrong,” said Kent Clauson, marketing general manager. “Ultimately Armstrong’s goal is to provide the best service by partnering with the strongest distributor and 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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