Periodical

July 23/30, 2012 Carpet & Area Rugs 9
Chart 4
Carpet & area rugs imports* value and volume
(in billions)
3.0
2.4
1.8
1.2
0.6
0
$2.26(R)
2.06
$2.04(R)
1.82
$1.58(R)
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Market sales Square feet
1.65
$1.86(R)
1.96
$2.03
1.96
*Includes imports of roll goods, bathmats, area rugs, auto and aircraft carpeting and artificial grass.
Source: Catalina Research
R=Revised
and polyester filament. At some point in the
future, these two fibers could near equilibrium.
The result may be 60 percent nylon, 40 percent
polyester or vice versa, but both fibers will play
important roles in the future of carpeting.”
While PET has moved into the residential
market, it doesn’t seem likely to be accepted
in the specified commercial business. “We’ve
built Interface on durable materials for
performance purposes,” stated John Wells,
president and CEO of Interface Americas.
“In our testing, polyester doesn’t fit commercial
applications because it’s more suited to
residential and light traffic applications.”
But according to Frierson, PET dominates
the under $10 per square yard segment and
continues to grow in 2012. “As long as the cost
difference between nylon and PET stays as great
as it is, PET will continue to grow,” he said.
Lape added that Mohawk research shows
that “three out of four RSA’s (retail sales associates)
who sell PET filament carpet would not
put it in their own homes. We need to know
how the consumer sees it (PET filament carpet)
and be sure they know what they are getting, or
it could backlash on the industry.”
Commercial market
Although, Catalina reports that soft surface
flooring declined from 42.8 percent in 2010 to
41.6 percent of total commercial market dollar
sales in 2011, commercial was the saving grace
for many carpet manufacturers.
Merritt of Shaw, said, “Led by strength
in the carpet tile business, the commercial
carpet market remained robust in 2011.
On the commercial side, we saw continued
strength in corporate and healthcare segments,
and retail store and hospitality began
to show signs of recovery that have definitely
carried over into 2012.”
Interface Americas posted record sales in
2011, according to John Wells, president and
CEO of the leading modular manufacturer.
“The corporate and education markets were
especially strong for Interface in 2011,” Wells
noted, adding, “The greatest challenges, for
the past few years, have been anticipating
customer needs in an unpredictable macroeconomic
downturn.”
Lape reported, “Specified was stronger
in the front half and weaker in the second
half. For the year, commercial outperformed
residential, mainly because projects on the
drawing board since 2008, 2009 and 2010
were finally funded. The global market was
reasonably robust, mainly with the export of
2011 key points
The carpet and rug industry gained slightly
in dollars but lost slightly in volume in
2011, compared to 2010. Sales were up
to $9.51 billion compared to $9.39 billion
in 2010, but square feet slid from 2010’s
10.69 billion to 10.22 billion in 2011.
Filament fi ber — primarily nylon and
polyester — continue to replace staple
fi ber yarns used in the carpet and rug
industry. PET fi lament continues to grow
its share of the residential market, but
nylon continues to hold its own in the
commercial industry. The new and improved
PET fi lament has allowed carpet
manufacturers to hit a more popular
price point in residential but some in
the industry fear a backlash if some PET
products are not made well enough to
meet consumer satisfaction.
carpet tile, and that continues in 2012. Carpet
tile is fast approaching 50 percent of the commercial
carpet market.”
Frierson added, “On the commercial side
of Dixie’s business, we saw the corporate
segment break loose a bit. We attributed
that to the federal 100 percent tax deduction
for capital expenditures in 2011 that
accelerated spending.”
Continued on page 10
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*If the stain remains after initially cleaning your carpet using the recommended methods, as found in our Bliss Care and Cleaning brochure, a 50% solution of bleach and water may be used to
further clean the carpet without damaging the carpet fibers. See our Bliss Care & Cleaning brochure for complete carpet cleaning and maintenance instructions.