By Lissa Wyman

NEW YORK -- Nourison is entering the machine tufted residential wool broadloom business with the opening of a new 500,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in China's Shandong Province. According to Alex Peykar, a Nourison principal, the company's venture into machine tufting is expected to double the company's business in three to five years.

The $20 million plant was completed in the fourth quarter of 2006 and will be in full production in the first quarter of 2007. In order to service the U.S. market for the new broadloom, Nourison is currently completing  construction of a new  300,000 sq. ft. distribution facility in Calhoun, GA.

Commenting on why Nourison is entering this segment of the floor covering business, Peykar said, "We saw a gap in the market and decided to fill it. We are always looking for niches to fill."

Peykar noted that the company is re-introducing wool broadloom "at prices we haven't seen in 20 to 30 years."
The new lines will be in loop, cut and loop, random shear and saxony constructions and will retail for approximately $35 to $95 per sq. yd.  Looking ahead, Peykar said the company will  be developing other patterns and textures such as hi-lo cut and loop and hand carved qualities.

Will machine tufted rugs be part of the future? "The machine tufting process is normally used for wall to wall carpeting, but we are looking into the possibilities," said Peykar.

Five years ago, Nourison entered the broadloom business with machine-woven  carpeting made in China. "The tufting process is approximately eight times faster than the weaving process. And, because we do our own spinning and dyeing, we are able to bring wool carpets to the market at a very affordable price," said Peykar.

Peykar said that Nourison is not planning to compete directly with the giant broadloom tufting mills of the U.S. "We certainly respect and admire the job being done by tufted manufacturers in the U.S. However, over the last 20 years or so, synthetic yarns have taken over domestic broadloom manufacturing, leaving a gap in the market for affordably priced wool broadloom," he said.

Raw materials costs were a factor in the decision to enter the wool business. "Increases in the price of petroleum-based products has caused the prices of synthetic yarns to skyrocket, while increases in the price of wool have been modest in the past few years, Peykar noted.

Nourison made the announcement of the new broadloom venture, as well as introductions of other new products, at a press conference Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007 at the W Union Square Hotel in Manhattan. In attendance were trade and consumer press representatives, major New York area retailers and the Nourison management and marketing team.

Team Nourison at the W Hotel press event.

Nourison principals brothers Alex, Paul and Stephen Peykar.

Keith Arlinghaus, second right,  Macy's senior buyer for area rugs, with Nourison's Rita Karmiol, Ron Gianpiccolo and Stephen Peykar.

David Forman, director of marketing, and Andrew Peykar, vice president of Nourison.

Paula Paquette, vice president of Nourison Soft Home and Rita Karmiol, Nourison exec vp.

Paul Chapman, president of ABC Carpet & Home, Su Greenberg, ABC vice president, and Paul Peykar, a principal of Nourison.

From left: Nourison principals Paul Peykar and Alex Peykar; Jerry Weinrib, chairman of ABC Carpet & Home; Walter Moomjy, president of Einstein-Moomjy, and Stephen Peykar, Nourison principal. 

Friendly competitors Jerry Weinrib, chairman of ABC Carpet & Home, New York, and Walter Moomjy, president of Einstein Moomjy, Paramus, NJ.

A walk on the wild side: Yes, that's the elegant Joyce Lowe, vice president of Nourison and Lissa Wyman, editor and publisher of Rugnews.com strolling on the streets of Manhattan with a fuzzy friend. Joyce and Lissa will see you in Atlanta...without the wooly creature.

1.09.07

1.09.07