Zickgraf
Hardwood Flooring, a 75-year-old hardwood flooring maker based in Franklin,
N.C., has named Shaw Industries its newest distributor for hardwood flooring
products across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Effective immediately, Shaw
customer service representatives are available to answer questions and take
orders for the Zickgraf line by calling (800) 778-7701.
Carpet and rug maker
Stanton Carpet Corp. has purchased Antrim Carpets USA, an importer and
wholesaler of hand-loomed carpet and rugs from India. Plans call for Antrim’s
distribution and service center in Bristol, Pa. and Stanton’s Calhoun,
Ga.-based center to merge. However, Antrim will keep its name and company
founders Dan McGovern and Fran O’Neill will remain as Antrim’s principals.
Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Edge Flooring, a manufacturer of flooring that combined real
ceramic and stone tile on an interlocking laminate system, filed for Chapter 7
bankruptcy recently at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. Based in Dalton,
Ga., the company was purchased by Dallas-based private equity firm Hunt Special
Situations Group two years ago.
Alloc and Berry Floor have streamlined their North American
operations in a “unique, dual-brand, two-channel selling strategy” aimed at
selling residential and commercial products for both brands. Plans call for the
sister laminate flooring brands, which already share a facility in Racine,
Wis., to continue to produce and promote their products independently. However,
sales and customer service representatives will be “cross-trained” to support
both brands.
Prefinished
hardwood flooring maker Boa Franc has added two New York-area distributors for
its Mirage brand. The two companies, Apollo Distributing Co. and Derr Flooring
Co., will serve the New York City Metropolitan Area, Northern New Jersey and
Western Connecticut.
Previously, the Mirage brand was handled in New York by the
now defunct Hoboken Floors of Wayne, N.J. The company recently closed its doors
after 77 years, with debts and assets estimated at $100 million each.
Building on its Green Edge environmental initiative, Shaw
Industries said that all of its nylon area rugs are now fully cradle to cradle
recyclable. Shaw Living area rugs use Type 6 nylon, a material that can be
converted into virtually new nylon fiber at Shaw’s Evergreen recycling plant in
Augusta, Ga. The company also noted that its rugs made using Anso nylon contain
recycled content.
Show organizers of Surfaces 2008 say this year’s slate of
educational conferences are positioned to be the most comprehensive yet. Along
with 48 conference sessions targeted to five industry tracks, organizers will
also offer six hour-long “mini-sessions” for the first time during the show.
These sessions are aimed at show goers who want a quick rundown of some of the
hottest topics in the industry, including design trends, color stories and
branding, show organizers say.
Liquidation firm LiquiTec Industries is overseeing the
dismantling of now defunct distributor Hoboken Floors and its SPI Floors
subsidiary. Working with turnaround firm Realization Services, LiquiTec has
begun “the orderly liquidation of over $50 million of flooring inventory,
including tile, hardwood floors, carpet, finishes, accessories, tools and
related inventory.” Hoboken, until recently the top independent hard surface flooring
distributor in the United States, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with plans to
liquidate several weeks ago.
Wood Flooring International
(WFI) founder and ceo Bill Jopling told NFT
that he had no option but to initiate the “orderly liquidation” of his
nine-year-old company after the abrupt closing of the multi-state distributor
Hoboken Floors.
In a bid to draw more retailers and buyers
to one of its largest regional events, Shaw Industries said it will hold its
Atlanta-based “Innovations” market in conjunction with the first three days of
the Atlanta International Area Rug Market. The Jan. 17-19 event will mark the
first time in the company’s history that Shaw has held a regional show during
another market.