HANNOVER, Germany -- While other industries give lip service to globalization, the rug business has always been a truly international amalgam of producers, importers, dealers and retailers, whether large conglomerates or boutique entrepreneurial studios. 

Nowhere else in the world is the rug industry's global persona more obvious than at Domotex, with its staggering 45,000 visitors from 100 nations, and 1,441 exhibitors from 59 countries.

The fairgrounds are huge, yet easily navigable with a little pre-planning for a first-time visitor. Despite the crowded halls, and because American importers' and buyers' must-see lists were remarkably similar to mine, we bumped into lots of top decision-makers from back home.  Some buyers, like a contingent from T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods, were already working with suppliers on programs for 2017.

Others, like Sark Tatosian, a principal at the high-end Oscar Isberian Rugs in Chicago were sleuthing for trends and shopping accordingly. 

OSCAR ISBERIAN RUGS

"Domotex indicated there is much more innovation in texture on the horizon. That's one of the things we love about Domotex - the exhibitors keep it fresh for us with new designs and textures. It gets boring selling the same thing all the time," Tatosian explained.

"We've been attending Domotex going back 20 years; it may not have been every year, but we've always found interesting new designs and textures, even in machine-mades when we were selling more of those. And in the last few years we've bought a handful of Iranian rugs, antiques.

"When the embargo [on Iranian rugs] was lifted during the show, there was a surge of interest and it was very exciting.  We focus more on antique Iranian rugs: at the last two Domotex shows we fell in love with some of them, purchased them, and kept them in Europe hoping the embargo would be lifted." 

Asked how his antique rug business was doing, Tatosian said it was down slightly. "It is still a decent portion of our business, but not the main category for us: even our most discriminating traditional customers are liking the new transitional looks we've been buying.  We're doing much more in contemporary and transitional rugs now," he said.   

 

DOVER RUG & HOME

 

"Contemporary is still a strong contender and a strong player in the market," said Mahmud Jafri, CEO of the luxury retail store chain.  "Even the more traditional markets like New England are catching on to contemporary. In the past year or so, we were seeing looks in a more measured style, but contemporary rug designs are bolder and more and more colorful this year at Domotex.

"It's nice to see there is change and growth in the color palette," Jafri continued. "The grays and blues that were trending had sustained longer than we expected.  But at this show, we are seeing products that will be coming in for next season: indigo blues and navy blues, and subtle variations all the way from midnight blue to silver," he said.

SUMMIT INTERNATIONAL FLOORING

Marc Becker, national sales director of upscale Summit International Flooring in Florham Park, N.J. also goes to Domotex every year. "We definitely go to see existing partners, and we always look at trends.  It's the best place to find everything. We look for products that are unique and we look for trading partners that offer colors and designs that aren't available in the U.S. 

"We work with a number of vendors at Domotex because we are looking for differentiation in the marketplace. We bring European carpet into the U.S. and even hard surface products as long as they are unique and exclusive to us.  Sometimes we'll find an exciting new product by accident; we're always on the lookout, but we really go for partner relationships. Domotex is a very important place to continue relationships," Becker said.

 

LANDRY & ARCARI

Jeff Arcari of high-end Boston retailer Landry & Arcari says there is no better way to ring in the New Year than a buying trip to Domotex. "Four of us attended this year, and what a great experience. The sheer magnitude of Domotex is an experience in itself. The halls are the size of airplane hangars, and filled with all things rugs, carpeting, hardwood, and anything else you could image living on the floor." 

The Landry & Arcari team stocked up on rugs combining shades of navy, ivory and gray.  "It was one of the trends we picked up on this year at Domotex, and had been hearing about from our salespeople over the past few months. The presence of this colorway at virtually every booth we visited, solidified its position as one of the top rug trends of 2016," Arcari said.