The $23 billion (manufacturers’ dollars) U.S. floor coverings market has been severely impacted by depressed residential builder and replacement markets. U.S. sales declined sharply in 2007 as new and existing home sales plummeted, the credit crisis and declining home prices reduced consumer’s confidence, and inflationary pressures caused U.S. economic growth to stall. These trends have caused a decline in all industry sectors. Manufacturers and marketers have changed strategies to counter these trends. Competitors are taking advantage of consumer’s growing preference for lower cost flooring, such as carpet, resilient flooring, and laminate flooring. Resilient flooring is also receiving a boost from continued, but slowing demand, from commercial and other nonresidential markets. In addition, manufacturers are expanding their foreign sales efforts to benefit from stronger growth outside the United States. Market demand, however, is not expected to begin to recover until at least the second half of 2009.
FLOORING SECTOR TRENDS
Catalina Research uncovered these trends in our in-depth 300-page report on the U.S. floor coverings industry. U.S. shipments, exports, imports, and price trends are evaluated for carpet and area rugs, wood flooring, ceramic tile, vinyl sheet and floor tile, rubber sheet and floor tile, other resilient flooring, laminate flooring, and stone flooring.
PROFIT MARGINS AND THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
In addition, Catalina Research investigated the cost structure and profit margins of U.S. floor coverings plants. Data trends are compiled for material, labor, and capital inputs. As part of this analysis, Catalina Research profiled 15 leading U.S. manufacturers, compiled company sales and profit margins, and calculated market share. Company profiles cover product lines, manufacturing and distribution, capital investments, acquisitions, and new products.
END-USE MARKET ANALYSIS
Our end-use market analysis segments residential, commercial and other nonresidential, and transportation equipment markets. Construction markets are further segmented into new and replacement purchases, and purchases by manufactured housing manufacturers. End-use market trends are correlated with U.S. housing demand, nonresidential construction, mortgage interest rates, and other economic indicators to uncover the factors affecting U.S. floor coverings demand, and provide insights into the direction of domestic demand in 2008 and beyond.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Sales are analyzed for retail and wholesale distribution channels. Retail floor coverings sales are supplied for specialty floor coverings stores, home centers, hard surface flooring and other building material dealers, furniture stores, department stores and mass merchandisers, paint and wallpaper stores, and other retailers. The total number of retail outlets selling floor coverings and total floor coverings sales by region and state are provided as well. Based on this data, Catalina Research calculated per capita sales. The report also includes a regional and state analysis of floor coverings sales by retail outlet and flooring type, as well as sales to households, builders, businesses, and governments. In addition, Catalina provides sales estimates for the leading specialty floor coverings retailers and flooring distributors. A separate section investigates the demographics of household floor coverings purchases. Household spending trends are studied by family income, age of household head, persons per household, and region. Spending demographics are segmented for carpet, area rugs, and hard surface flooring.
INSTALLATION CONTRACTOR MARKET
A section analyzing the installation market is also included. Data trends are provided for the number and revenues of U.S. floor coverings installation contractors, revenues by type of job and building, material and labor costs, revenue per square foot of floor coverings installed, and regional and state data. Installation costs are evaluated to consider their impact on the different types of floor coverings sales.
CANADIAN FLOOR COVERINGS MARKET
The Canadian floor coverings market is analyzed as well. Five types of floor coverings are evaluated. Data trends include market sales, shipments, exports and imports, and retail floor coverings sales.
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