Liz Claiborne sets Carpet One program
By Lissa Wyman -- Furniture Today, August 26, 2002
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Liz Claiborne is entering home fashions with a major product and merchandising partnership with Carpet One floor covering specialty stores. Dealers got a sneak preview of the rugs, carpeting and ceramic and wood flooring at Carpet One's convention here earlier this month.
The first products will be in stores next spring, with price points in the medium to medium-high range. This is just the first step in a program that eventually will cover a variety of home products, including furniture, said Barbara J. Friedman, president of Liz Claiborne licensing.
"We will be moving into paint and furniture in the near future. We are talking with several home furnishings companies," she said.
Other categories will include decorative fabrics, bedding and bath, tabletop and other decorative items.
In aligning with a floor covering retailing organization, Liz Claiborne has departed from the home licensing norm. Programs such as Martha Stewart, Kathy Ireland, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren are manufacturer-centered rather than retail oriented.
That doesn't mean Claiborne will stick with the retail route for other products. "The distribution system for floor coverings is unique," said Friedman. "We are looking at several distribution methods in other home furnishings categories."
Several Carpet One dealers already are in furniture, such as Top 100 furniture store South Dakota Furniture Mart, Rotmans in Worcester, Mass., and Weisshouse in Pittsburgh. Founded in 1985 as a retail buying cooperative for independent floor covering specialists, Carpet One has over 1,000 stores in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
With an absence of nationally recognized brands in floor coverings, the Claiborne name, with 95% recognition among women 35 to 54, is seen as a powerful sales and profit generator for Carpet One stores.
With annual sales at over $3 billion, Liz Claiborne is one of the world's most successful marketers of apparel and accessories. Carpet One stores are projected to reach over $6 billion in sales this year.
"We've been looking at brands and licenses for years," said Alan Greenberg, Carpet One's co-chief executive officer and co-chairman. "With any branding program, the partnership is an extremely critical factor."
Sandy Mishkin, president of Carpet One, said the company has enlisted several vendors to design and produce Claiborne flooring. The key ingredient is exclusivity.
"These products will not be seen in home improvement stores, mass merchants or other specialty stores," said Mishkin. The challenge, he added, is to bring together many diverse manufacturers to produce a collection with a coherent point of view.
The line will be displayed in a gallery setting in the stores, said Howard Brodsky, co-chairman and co-CEO of Carpet One. Although he declined to say what dealers would pay to put in the Claiborne line, he said the cost was significantly lower than other gallery programs.
"Personal fashion and home fashion are converging, and we see great appeal in this partnership," said Dean Marcarelli. co-chief operating officer of Carpet One. "The Claiborne line will have a multi-million dollar advertising and promotional campaign behind it."
| Barbara Friedman of Liz Claiborne licensing and Dean Marcarelli of Carpet One. |
