|
RUG
VENDORS OPTIMISTIC: GO WIDE AND DEEP AT ATLANTA MARKET
|
ATLANTA
- Rug suppliers preparing for this week's Atlanta International Rug
Market are outfitting showrooms with a broad swath of product
introductions targeting buyers from the full spectrum of retail channels
and a growing number of interior designers. Indeed, all of the
importers RugNews.com spoke with agreed that in an increasingly
demanding back to back trade show circuit, the semi-annual Atlanta
market is by far the
best place to see the largest variety of rugs nationwide.
|
Oriental Weavers is introducing the Highlands collection this week at
Atlanta International Rug Market.
|
Atlanta
is the premier rug show across all categories including antique rugs and
hand knotted rugs, said Jonathan Witt, senior vice president, Oriental
Weavers. "Those specialty rug stores that survived the recession and
department stores that still carry rugs and those flooring specialty
stores that feature rugs, all attend Atlanta. But the majority of
buyers for rugs now are large, national retailers that come to Atlanta
to see as many home suppliers as possible in one place," Witt reported.
|
Momeni's Kerman Collection features distressed
patterns machine made in Turkey in 100 percent polyester.
|
The
consensus is that both Atlanta and High Point are important to the rug
business, the latter as the East Coast/Midwest furniture and home
accessory show.
"Buyers that look to stock major assortments of rugs tend to come to
Atlanta, while most buyers who use rugs to accessorize furniture stores
or complete overall 'showroom design visions' love to shop High Point,"
explained Reza Momeni of Momeni Inc.
|
The Global collection by Jenny Jones for Jaipur
Rugs is hand-knotted in a wool and bamboo silk blend.
|
Asha
Chaudhary, president of Jaipur Rugs, noted, "In our Atlanta showroom, we
see a different blend of lifestyle stores, furniture retailers of all
kinds, home accents specialists, gift stores, independent designers as
well as national retailers that are important to us."
|
Loloi's
Florence Collection features distressed designs power loomed in
Egypt in a polypropylene and polyester mix.
|
According to Cyrus Loloi, principal of Loloi Rugs, "Atlanta draws a
different buyer--more rug specialty and rug galleries that aren't buying
multiple categories home furnishings."
Energy expected to continue in Atlanta
|
Jax by Surya, is machine made in Turkey of 100
percent polypropylene with carved effects and distressed look.
|
Surya
had a strong showing at High Point, tallying 2,500 customers and
prospects at its showroom, according to Seth King, vice president of
sales, who added, "Surya is expecting the High Point momentum to carry
forward to the Atlanta market."
|
Kaleen's
Brisa
Collection, reversible for indoor and outdoor use, is handmade
in India in 100 percent Polyester
|
Markets
have become more structured, with fewer buyers strolling the halls. "We
set appointments for our accounts in Atlanta," Blake Dennard,
senior vice president of
Kaleen Rugs, noted. "We
have about 40 sales people and about half will be in the Kaleen showroom
for Atlanta's summer market. For winter market, it will be closer to
all. We expect summer in Atlanta to be light but still good," he added.
Like
many suppliers, Oriental Weavers introduces new products in January and
July at Atlanta. It will launch seven collections in Atlanta. "The way
the attendance has segmented, the High Point buyers hadn't seen the
January introductions. If they come to Atlanta, they will see new
products," Witt said. "Atlanta in July is expected to be slower than
January, but AmericasMart is doing a nice job of bringing home accessory
buyers to rug floors during the market. Often, the accessory buyers also
buys rugs so it is good synergy," Witt added.
Expanded Assortments and Price Points
Even
though most rug manufacturers have broadened their assortments, Kaleen's
Dennard explained that, "Each supplier has a 'sweet spot' they become
known for. For Kaleen, it is hand-tufted wool styles that retail at $299
to $399 in a 5x8," he said. "Specialty rug stores took a hit during the
recession and a lot that once sold hand-knotted rugs exclusively added
tufted rugs to have some lower price points."
|
LR Resources' Naturals Collection is hand loomed
in jute and cotton chenille with a secondary backing stability.
|
LR
Resources provides opening price points of $129 in machine-made
polypropylene styles in an approximate 5x8, said Mike Thompson, sales
vice president and general manager, LR Resources. "But the bulk of our
line is from India - hand loomed, hand-tufted, or hand-knotted," he
said. "Our super star right now is the Naturals Collection, hand loomed
in jute and cotton chenille. We've added a secondary backing that gives
it more stability. It has more of a mid-price point. Our hand-tufted
rugs - some 100 percent wool, some an 80/20 blend of wool and viscose -
have a MSRP of $349 to $399 while our hand-knotted rugs have an average
MSRP of $899."
|
Amer Rugs will introduce the Kanoka collection hand-knotted of New
Zealand wool and art silk.
|
Amer
Rugs is expanding its product offering, according to Joe Barkley, vice
president of sales and marketing at Amer. In the past, it catered to the
traditional rug specialty store, then furniture stores and the design
community. Now it hopes to reach everyone that retails rugs. "If a
customer has the reputation of only selling machine-made rugs, we will
show them a way to be successful with handmade rugs. We offer limited
hand-tufted rugs and a lot of hand woven products that are multi-purpose
(indoor or outdoor) made of tufted or looped polypropylene. While most
of Amer Rugs are higher-end, we do have some 6x9's that would retail at
about $199 and then range all the way to $8,000 or $9,000," Barkley
said.
Loloi,
a supplier of a wide range of rugs, will also show its rapidly growing
line of pillows and is introducing decorative throws at Atlanta. "With
more than 130 collections, Loloi has expanded its selection across all
categories and has a range of price points within each category from
about $150 to the luxury level," Cyrus Loloi said.
|
Nourison's Luminance featuring classic patterns
with a distressed look, is machine woven in 70 percent Luxcelle2
and 30 percent New Zealand wool.
|
A
leading rug and broadloom supplier, Nourison, manufactures
rugs across all price points
(entry level, to mid, to high end), and all constructions - power
loomed, loom woven, hand-tufted, handmade and hand-knotted
constructions, according to Alex Peykar, principal.
Jaipur
too offers a wide array of rug constructions and price points. "We are
seeing strong sales growth across all categories of rugs," said Asha
Chaudhary. "From handmade to flatweaves to machine-mades, Jaipur is
focused on delivering beautiful designs and the highest quality product
for every budget," she said.
Momeni
is a 'soup to nuts' vendor, stated Reza Momeni. "We offer all qualities
ranging from entry level machine made polypropylene to fine hand-knotted
pieces," he said. "Bestsellers so far for 2015 have been mid-priced
tufted rugs ($399-$499 retails), mid-level machine made rugs ($249
retails) and our one of a kind hand-knotted styles have also been
popular. The real surprise has been the success of our Baja
indoor/outdoor line, which is value priced for retailers including
national chains, big box discounters and dot-coms."
|
Canterbury by HRI features a vintage look.
|
One
manufacturer that remains dedicated to better goods is Harounian Rugs
International (HRI), which focuses on hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs
mostly in 100 percent wool and in qualities that range from mid to high
end, noted Greg Jordt, executive vice president, sales and marketing.
"We think that our continued focus on quality has been driving our
business growth. The market is increasingly looking for design and color
in a quality product that will perform," he stressed.
Another
supplier with a broad range of products, Surya offer rugs in every
construction and price point - from entry level machine made designs to
high end hand-knotted rugs. King reported, "We have purposely designed
our rug line so that if someone finds a design they like in a
hand-knotted wool rug but has a limited budget, they can easily find a
similar design at a price point that works for them - for example, a
hand-tufted or machine-made rug." Surya will stress easy coordination
between all of its product categories, including top of bed, lighting
and area rugs at Atlanta Market.
In
addition to its machine made products, Oriental Weavers has a successful
hand tufted line and even some hand knotted pieces, according to Witt.
"During the recession, the machine-made lines were our strength, but now
the hand tufted styles, including Tommy Bahama and Pantone Universe are
doing well. We have invested a lot and are sourcing with partners in
China and India. Most of the handmade rugs are from India, especially
those in natural fibers/wool lines," he explained.
07.06.15
|