Unemployment Held Steady at 3.6% in May
Washington, DC, June 7, 2019-Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up in May (+75,000), and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Today's Flooring News
Keep up to date with the most recent news in the flooring industry. Today's News...As it happens! We update this news several times a day so you can stay connected.
China Circumventing Plywood Antidumping Duties, Says DOC
Washington, DC, June 7, 2019- The U.S. Department of Commerce made an affirmative determination that China is circumventing antidumping and countervailing duty plywood orders by using face or back veneers of radiata or agathis pine with a TSCA VI label and made with interior resin systems, reports the Decorative Hardwoods Association.
Chandler Retiring As EVP Commercial for Shaw; Enck Stepping In
Dalton, GA, June 7, 2019-Bob Chandler, executive vice president of Shaw’s commercial division, will retire at the end of 2019 after 45 years with Shaw and the flooring industry.
Ceramics of Italy Reports on Current Tile Trends
New York, NY, June 7, 2019-Ceramics of Italy reviewed hundreds of new products from Italian tile producers at Coverings in Orlando and ICFF in New York to determine the top design trends for the spring-summer season.
Merchant Wholesaler Sales Rose 2.7% YOY in April
Washington, DC, June 7, 2019-April 2019 sales of merchant wholesalers were $503.1 billion, down 0.4% from the revised March level, but were up 2.7% from the April 2018 level, the U.S. Census Bureau announced.
Houzz Reports on Renovation Spending Trends
Palo Alto, CA, June 6, 2019—Spend in kitchen remodels, the most popular room to renovate, jumped 27% in the past year to a median spend of $14,000, according to the eighth annual Houzz & Home survey of more than 140,000 U.S. respondents.
Labor Productivity Rose 3.4% in Q1
Washington, DC, June 6, 2019-Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 3.4% in the first quarter of 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, as output increased 3.9% and hours worked increased 0.5%.
Empire Today CEO Bullish on Recovery of Carpet Popularity
New York, NY, June 6, 2019-Keith Weinberg, CEO of Empire Today, a shop-at-home flooring concept owned by HIG Capital, is hopeful that his company’s new Home Fresh carpet product may reinvigorate interest in the floorcovering, reports Bloomberg.
Charles Duffy of Duffy & Lee Has Died
Cooper City, FL, June 6, 2019—Charles "Bud" Joseph Duffy Sr., of Duffy & Lee Carpet Company, died May 27 at age 86.
American Biltrite Announces Changes to Sales & Marketing Team
Sherbrooke, Quebec, June 6, 2019—American Biltrite announces organizational changes within its sales and marketing team.