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Terry Kelm, president of Sunbelt Franchise Re-sales, breaks down four strategies for selling smaller retailers and also reports on common types of buyers, including private equity or investment groups, strategic buyers, and individual entrepreneurs.
Publisher Kemp Harr discusses Chicago’s NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Week and the shift from the Merchandise Mart, in addition to touching on sales gains for NFA members, and a quick note on who’s driving demand for domestic hard surface flooring.
Publisher Kemp Harr interviews Zack Adamson about his journey from his college years to running Engineered Floors’ commercial division, as well as his focus as a leader, strategies for commercial business and what he looks for when building his team.
Morgan Sykes Jaybush, creative director of Omgivning, writes about his firm’s design of a California resort, including how tile from Daltile and Arto Tile and rugs from Nourison, Potocco and Lemieux et Cie helped achieve the design vision.
Editor Jessica Chevalier profiles South Dakota’s Thornton Flooring + Design Center, including how it got its start in 1982, how it has grown since then, its offering, its use of new digital technologies and its strategy for building a strong team.
Contributing editor Paul Friederichsen writes about the challenges of marketing flooring, and he offers useful charts on flooring’s rank among other home improvements, sales gestation periods by product category, issues relating to tariffs and more.
Contributing editor Irene Williams writes about the shift from an “attention” to an “intention” economy and its implications, and she offers marketing tips as guidance and also reports on the best way to get help from AI.
Contributing editor Ryan Fasan writes about what has driven innovation among Spanish tile producers and the resultant technologies, from greener kilns to waste and water recovery to lowering emissions, and makes a case for ceramic’s sustainability.
Flooring industry sales fell 4% in 2024 as residential demand dropped nearly 8% and commercial growth stalled. Resilient flooring rose slightly, while categories like hardwood and carpet declined. All eyes now turn to a volatile but hopeful 2025.
Multifamily flooring faces shifts as developers balance cost and resident experience. Repairs now often target planks instead of full replacement. Suppliers must deliver on promises and offer design expertise to meet evolving needs amid a flat 2025 market outlook.