FLOOR COVERING STATISTICAL TRENDS AND OUTLOOK As a floor covering industry consultant and analyst, I was always surprised by the lack of interest in the market for area rugs. And as a consumer, I always wondered why floor covering stores paid little attention to this market sector. I purchased area rugs and runners at specialty rug stores, home centers or other mass merchandisers. So when I read “ Selling Rugs Profitably” in Floor Covering Weekly , I just skimmed over the contents. Shortly thereafter, a client asked me to do an in-depth investigation of the area rug and bath mat market. Well, the analysis of the U.S. area rug and bath mat market really opened my eyes to the opportunities in this industry sector. Below are a few of the findings uncovered in the Catalina Market Profile on Area Rugs : • Consumers are estimated to have purchased $6.0 billion of room size area rugs, scatter and accent rugs, bath mats, and runners in 2011, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.
Where we discuss flooring issues, people, products, news, strategies, trends and more.