04092018 Kaleen Focuses on Top Selling Tufted Category at Spring High Point

Lisa Vincenti

4/10/2018

KALEEN FOCUSES ON TOP SELLING TUFTED CATEGORY AT SPRING HIGH POINT MARKET

With tufted products performing strongly for Kaleen, the company keeps the focus on that category. Shown, a design from the new indoor-outdoor hand-tufted Zocalo collection.

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Kaleen, which finished 2017 on a high note and began 2018 with a bang, expects the momentum to continue in Q2 as the company introduces several new tufted wool collections to meet retailer demand at its Showplace showroom, space 2345, during High Point Market, April 14-18.

"We are focusing spring High Point on new Kaleen introductions and one new Rachel Ray collection -- we are expecting at least four collections and up to an additional six new collections, not including Rachel Ray," said Blake Dennard, senior vice president of the Dalton, Georgia, company. "That is a big introduction for us at an April High Point. We had some good products come through, so we decided to go ahead and roll them out rather than wait for a later market. We are excited about it and based on what we saw in January at the Vegas show we are expecting good attendance at High Point."

In fact, according to Dennard, the January Las Vegas Market was the best attended show for rug buying that Kaleen has witnessed in a number of years. "So hopefully we will see the same results in High Point and our preliminary number of appointments indicate that it will be really good show."

Kaleen highlights its hand-tufted wool debuts, including this design from Palladian, for spring shoppers.

For the upcoming High Point Market, running from April 14-18, Kaleen will focus on a category that performed strongest for the company during winter shows. "We are mostly focused in our hand-tufted, hand-loomed 100 percent wool products and what we are hearing from our customers is that they are starting to look to us for those products because a lot of our competition has really gone full-force toward machine-mades," Dennard explained."While we do see a need to offer machine-mades, 90 percent of the new introductions we are going to have at High Point are going to be hand-tufted, hand-loomed wool products.

"We have a niche in that category that a lot of people are running away from. There is still a need for tufted wool products in the market and there are not a lot of people stepping up with new product right now so we hope to fill that void for a lot of major retailers," Dennard added, pointing out that while Kaleen will focus on tufted wool products, it will also continue to roll out machine-made polypropylene area rugs.

Top selling tufted rugs at recent markets ranged from $299-$399 retail in 5x8, what Dennard described as the heart of the market.

The recently introduced Rachel Ray program debuted three inaugural collections (Highline, Soho and Upstate) in a mixture of constructions including tufted polypropylene, machine-made polypropylene and an all-wool cross-tufted. However, based on top sellers and retailer feedback earlier this year, Kaleen is focusing its High Point Rachel Ray release on tufted designs.

"We really covered the gamut [of constructions with the first three Ray collections] but the big winner was the cross-tufted wool product so we are following up with another tufted wool product in more of a traditional design -- a real meat-and-potatoes-type product at a $399 retail."

In addition to Ray, Kaleen will also debut the following:

LUCERO

Kaleen introduces the hand-tufted Lucero collection for spring High Point market-goers.

Hand-tufted by artisans in India, the Lucero collection features space-dyed yarns that are looped for subtle and sophisticated color varieties Crafted of pure wool, the range features neutral hue and blended yarns available in nine color options. Suggested retail $299 in 5' x 7'6".

PALLADIAN

In the Palladian collection, crafted from premium hand-spun wool, Kaleen reworks classic designs in contemporary colors.

The debuting Palladian range by Kaleen fuses of old and new world influences in designs that marry classic motifs with a palette of popular colors. Palladian includes seven style and color options. Rugs are hand-tufted from 100 percent premium hand-spun wool and feature a low pile. Suggested retail $479 in 5' x 7'9".

ZOCALO

The indoor-outdoor Zocalo collection from Kaleen features classic design motifs paired with on-point colors.

Available in nine styles and color choices, the lively Zocalo line of multi-purpose area rugs are exceptionally easy to clean and finished with a non-skid backing. Made of 100 percent PET polyester, the hand-tufted rugs are UV treated as well. Suggested retail in 5x7 is $349.

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