The new flooring collection will offer a large number of coordinated flooring choices, including carpet, vinyl, wood, laminate, ceramic tiles, and area rugs. Covering a broad range of price points, Liz Claiborne Flooring will be in Carpet One stores in early 2003 and will be sold exclusively throughout the buying group's more than 1,000 stores in the United States and Canada.

Liz Claiborne Flooring will feature an exclusive color-matching system that will allow consumers to bring fabric, paint and other color samples to Carpet One and have in-store designers and associates coordinate the Liz Claiborne Flooring. Marketing for the line will include national consumer magazine and television ads, as well as in-store media.

"The addition of Liz Claiborne to our branding strategy will allow us to continue to be the leader of innovation and style in the floor covering category and separate us from our competition," said Howard Brodsky, co-chairman and co-CEO of Carpet One. "We are committed to supplying our Carpet One member stores with exclusive brands like Liz Claiborne to protect and grow their market share."

"An important element of our growth strategy is to license our own brands to outside manufacturers who bring specialized skills to categories where we do not have a core competency," added Barbara J. Friedman, president, Liz Claiborne Licensing. "In Carpet One, we have a highly regarded partner who is a leader in the flooring industry. We are looking forward to working together to create and grow this business."