Laminate Flooring

SECTION 1 U.S. LAMINATE FLOORING INDUSTRY TRENDS

Executive Summary

Laminate Flooring Sales And Share Of U.S. Floor Coverings Industry

Price Trends And Sources Of Supply

Competitive Environment

End-Use Markets And Distribution Channels

Formaldehyde Emission Controversy

Market Outlook

Figure 1-1 U.S. Laminate Flooring Market Sales, 2005-2020 (square feet and dollars)

Figure 1-2 Laminate Flooring’s Share Of Total U.S. Floor Coverings Sales, 2005-2020 (percent)

Figure 1-3 U.S. Average Value Per Square Foot Of Laminate Flooring Supplied, 2005-2020 (dollars)

Figure 1-4 U.S. Laminate Flooring Source Of Supply By Country, 2014 (dollars and percent)

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

SECTION 2 U.S. LAMINATE FLOORING MARKET TRENDS

Summary Of Major Findings

Market Size And Growth

Price Tends

Share Of Floor Coverings Market

Outlook

Table 2-1 U.S. Laminate Flooring Sales, 1995-2020 (square feet and dollars)

Table 2-2 Laminate Flooring's Position In The U.S. Floor Coverings Industry, 1997-2020 (square feet, dollars, and percent): Total Floor Coverings Sales And Laminate Flooring Percent Total

Table 2-3 Laminate Flooring's Position In The U.S. Hard Surface Floor Covering Market, 1997-2020 (square feet, dollars, and percent): Hard Surface Flooring Sales, Hard Surface Flooring Percent Total Floor Coverings, And Laminate Flooring Percent Hard Surface Flooring

Table 2-4 U.S. Average Value Per Square Foot Supplied For Laminate Flooring And Total Floor Coverings, 1995-2020 (dollars)

Table 2-5 U.S. Average Value Per Square Foot Supplied By Floor Covering Product, 2002-2014 (dollars): Carpet And Area Rugs, Wood Flooring, Ceramic Tile, Vinyl Sheet And Floor Tile, Rubber Sheet And Floor Tile, Other Resilient Flooring, Laminate Flooring, Stone Flooring, And Total Floor Coverings

Table 2-6 U.S. Quarterly Laminate Flooring Sales, 2013-2014 (square feet and dollars)

SECTION 3 U.S. SHIPMENTS, IMPORTS, PRODUCT INNOVATION, AND COMPANY SHARES

Summary Of Major Findings

U.S. Shipment Trends

U.S. Import Trends

CARB Standards

Product Innovations And Upgraded Looks

Intellectual Property And Patent Issues

Competitive Environment And Leading Manufacturers

Table 3-1 U.S. Laminate Flooring Shipments, 2002-2015 (square feet and dollars)

Table 3-2 Select U.S. Laminate Flooring Plant Capacity By Company, 2014 (square feet): Company, Location, And Capacity

Table 3-3 U.S. Laminate Flooring Imports, 2002-2015 (square feet and dollars)

Table 3-4 Share Of U.S. Laminate Flooring Sales By Source Of Supply, 2002-2015 (percent)

Table 3-5 U.S. Laminate Flooring Import Product Costs, Insurance And Freight Costs, And Tariff Charges, 1997-2014 (dollars)

Table 3-6 Value Of U.S. Laminate Flooring Imports For The Top Nine Countries Of Origin, 2007-2014 (dollars)

Table 3-7 U.S. Laminate Flooring Product Costs, Insurance And Freight Costs, And Tariff Charges For The Top Nine Countries Of Origin, 2014 (dollars)

Table 3-8 Quantity U.S. Laminate Flooring Imports And Average Import Prices For The Top Nine Countries Of Origin, 2014 (square feet and dollars)

Table 3-9 Exchange Rates For Currencies Of Leading Laminate Flooring Importers, 2006-2015 (rate): Euro, Yuan, And Canadian Dollar

Table 3-10 Share Of U.S. Laminate Flooring Sales For Eight Leading Marketers, 2014 (percent)

SECTION 4 WORLD LAMINATE FLOORING MARKET

Summary Of Major Findings

World Shipments And Leading Manufacturers

European Shipments And Markets

European Competitive Environment

Chinese Production Trends

Chinese Competitive Environment

Table 4-1 World Laminate Flooring Shipments, 2000-2015 (square feet)

Table 4-2 Laminate Flooring Shipments By World Area, 2005-2015 (square feet)

Table 4-3 European Laminate Flooring Shipments, 1995-2015 (square feet)

Table 4-4 European Laminate Flooring Factory Shipments By Market, 2005-2013 (square feet): Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Asia, And Other Areas

Table 4-5 Percent Of European Laminate Flooring Factory Shipments By Market, 2005-2013 (percent): Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Asia, And Other Areas

Table 4-6 Mohawk's Unilin Segment Sales And Profit Trends, 2006-2014 (dollars and percent)

Table 4-7 Chinese Laminate Flooring Production, 2004-2015 (square feet)

Table 4-8 Annual Production Capacity Of Select Chinese Laminate Flooring Manufacturers, 2014 (square feet)

Table 4-9 Laminate Flooring Licensees Of Unilin Technologies And Välinge, 2015

Table 4-10 List Of CARB Approved Third Party Certifiers, December 2014

SECTION 5 U.S. END-USE MARKETS AND DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

Summary Of Major Findings

Residential Replacement Market

Retail Sales Trends

Home Center Channel

Lumber Liquidators Sales Trends

Specialty Floor Coverings Retailers

New Residential Construction Market

Commercial Markets

Table 5-1 U.S. Laminate Flooring Retail Sales By Channel, 2002-2014 (dollars): Specialty Floor Coverings Stores, Home Centers, Home Depot, Lowe's, Lumber Liquidators, And Others

Table 5-2 Number Of U.S. Outlets Selling Laminate Flooring By Type Of Channel And Average Sales Per Outlet, 2002-2014 (number and dollars): Specialty Floor Coverings Stores, Home Centers, Home Depot, Lowe's, Lumber Liquidators, And Others

Table 5-3 U.S. Monthly Specialty Floor Coverings Stores Sales Growth, 2011-2015 (percent)

Table 5-4 Lumber Liquidators Laminate Flooring Sales, 2006-2014 (dollars)

Table 5-5 Number Of U.S. Home Depot And Lowe’s Home Centers And Lumber Liquidators Stores By State, 2011 And 2014 (number)

Table 5-6 Number Of U.S. Floor Coverings Stores By Region And State, 2007-2013 (numbers and dollars)

Table 5-7 U.S. Laminate Flooring Purchases By End-Use Market, 1997-2014 (dollars): Residential Replacement, Builders, And Commercial

Table 5-8 Percent Distribution Of Laminate Flooring Purchases By End-Use Market, 1997-2014 (dollars): Residential Replacement, Builders, And Commercial

SECTION 6 FACTORS AFFECTING U.S. LAMINATE FLOORING DEMAND

Summary Of Major Findings

Residential Hard Surface Flooring Market

Residential Remodeling And Replacement Market

New Residential Market

Commercial Markets

Table 6-1 U.S. Household Spending On Hard Surface Flooring And Installation, And Percent Spent By Homeowners And Renters And Material And Installation And Material Only, 1997-2014 (dollars and percent)

Table 6-2 U.S. Household Spending On Hard Surface Flooring And Installation By Demographic Characteristic, 2007-2013 (dollars): Household Income, Age Of Household Head, Size Of Household, And Region

Table 6-3 Number Of U.S. Homeowner Hard Surface Replacement Jobs And Average Spending Per Job, 2001-2014 (number)

Table 6-4 U.S. Spending On Building Construction, 1987-2015 (dollars): Total Buildings, Residential Buildings, And Nonresidential Buildings

Table 6-5 Percent Of U.S. Households Purchasing A New Or Existing Housing Unit, 1992-2015 (number, percent, and dollars): Total Households, Total Housing Demand, Percent Households Purchasing, Interest Rates, And Average Value Per Existing Home Sold

Table 6-6 New U.S. Privately Owned Housing Units Started And By Type Of Structure, 1980-2015 (number): Total Starts; In Structures With 1 Unit, 2 To 4 Units, And 5 Units Or More

Table 6-7 Monthly New Private U.S. Housing Units Authorized By 20,000

Building Permit Places By Region, 2014 And 2015 (number)

Table 6-8 New Privately Owned Housing Units Authorized By 20,000 Building Permit Places By Region And State, 2012-2014 (number)

Table 6-9 Number Of U.S. New Housing Units Completed And Square Feet Built, 1997-2014 (number): Single-Family Homes, Multi-Family Housing Units, And Manufactured Homes

Table 6-10 New U.S. Single-Family Houses Sold By Sales Price, 1990-2014 (number): Under $150,000, $150,000 To $199,999, $200,000 To $299,999, $300,000 To $499,999, And $500,000 And Over

Table 6-11 Characteristics Of New U.S. Housing Units Affecting Floor Covering Product Demand, 1995-2013 (units): Region, Number Of Bathrooms, Number Of Bedrooms, Garages, And Number Of Stories; For Single-Family, Multi-Family Structures, And Mobile Homes

Table 6-12 Average Size Per New U.S. Housing Unit Completed By Type Of Unit And Region, 2000-2014 (square feet): Single-Family Homes, Multi-Family Units, And Mobile Homes

Table 6-13 Average Value Per New Single-Family House Sold And Average Value Per Square Foot, 1992-2015 (dollars)

Table 6-14 U.S. Homes Closed By Eleven Leading Domestic Homebuilders, 2010-2014 (number)

Table 6-15 U.S. Existing Home Sales By Region, 2007-2015 (number)

Table 6-16 U.S. Home Mortgage Interest Rates And Personal Income, 1982-2015 (percent and dollars)

Table 6-17 Distribution Of U.S. Households By Demographic Characteristic, 2006-2013 (percent): Household Income, Age Of Household Head, Household Size, Region, And Total Households

Table 6-18 U.S. Spending On Nonresidential Building Construction Put In Place By Building Type, 2010-2014 (dollars): Lodging, Office, Commercial, Healthcare, Educational, Religious, Public Safety, Amusement And Recreation, And Manufacturing

SECTION 7 COMPANY PROFILES

Abet, Inc.

Laminate Flooring Products

Manufacturing And Distribution

Alsapan

Flooring Divisions

Ark Floors, Inc

Laminate Flooring Products

Armstrong World Industries

Laminate Flooring Products

Sales Trends And Market Share

Asia Timber Products Group

Laminate Flooring Products And Manufacturing

Beaulieu International Group

BerryAlloc Laminate Flooring

BHK

Laminate Flooring Products

BKR Building Products LLC

Laminate Flooring Products

Manufacturing And Distribution

BuildDirect

Laminate Flooring Products And Distribution

Chinafloors

Laminate Flooring Products

Manufacturing And Distribution

Clarion Laminates, LLC

Laminate Flooring Manufacturing And Distribution

Classen Gruppe

Laminate Flooring Manufacturing And Products

North American Sales Division

Der International Flooring Co. Ltd

Laminate Flooring Production And Sales

EGGER Retail Products GmbH

Laminate Products And Markets

Elegant Living Corp

Laminate Flooring Products And Manufacturing

Eternity Floors

Laminate Flooring

Faus International Flooring S.L.V.

Laminate Flooring Products

New Corporate Structure

GTP International Ltd

Laminate Flooring Products And Distribution

Hamberger Industriewerke GmbH

Laminate Flooring Products And Sales

Home Legend

Wood Flooring Products

Jiangsu Kentier Wood Co. Ltd.

Laminate Flooring Products And Manufacturing

Kaindl Flooring GmbH

Laminate Flooring Products And Sales

Kronoflooring GmbH

Laminate Flooring Products And Sales

Kronotex GmbH & Co. KG

KronoGroup Parent

Kronotex USA

Lamett USA

Laminate Flooring

Lumber Liquidators, Inc.

Laminate Flooring Products And Sales

Distribution And Store Network

Formaldehyde Levels Lawsuit

Mannington Mills, Inc.

Laminate Flooring Products

Sales And Market Share

Meisterwerke Schulte GmbH

Meister Laminate Flooring

Mohawk Industries, Inc.

Laminate Flooring Products

Unilin Segment Manufacturing And Distribution

Patent Issues And Licensing Agreements

Sales Trends And Market Share

Power Dekor Group Co. Ltd

Laminate Flooring Products And Manufacturing

Q.E.P. Co., Inc

Faus USA Acquisition

Laminate Flooring Products

Robina Flooring

Laminate Flooring Products And Manufacturing

Robina Floors

Shaw Industries, Inc.

Laminate Flooring Products

Sales Trends And Market Share

Tarkett SA

Laminate Flooring Products And Sales

Tarkett North America

Laminate Flooring

SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS

The U.S. laminate flooring market has experienced sluggish growth over the past five years causing laminate flooring to lose share in the domestic floor coverings market. Laminate flooring lost share as competition increased from other hard surface floorings, especially from luxury vinyl tile (LVT). Meanwhile, laminate flooring has been pushed to the lower end of the hard surface flooring market as retail sales shifted to home centers and other value chains. These retail channels increasingly sourced from low-cost Chinese manufacturers. U.S. manufacturers made efforts to upgrade the laminate flooring category, and in recent years, producers introduced wider and thicker planks to create a more realistic feel. In 2014, sales growth was also adversely affected by a weakening residential replacement market. As a result, manufacturers and marketers made efforts to penetrate the builder and commercial markets. Currently, the laminate flooring market is facing an even greater challenge- the 60 Minutes controversy over the formaldehyde emission levels of Chinese-made laminate flooring imported by Lumber liquidators. The goal of this report is to uncover the strategies competitors are implementing to upgrade laminate flooring’s quality image and re-charge future sales growth.

LAMINATE FLOORING INDUSTRY TRENDS

Catalina Research has uncovered these trends in our 162-page in-depth report on the U.S. and world laminate flooring market. Report sections cover the U.S. market on a dollar and square foot basis. Catalina has calculated laminate’s position in the total U.S. floor coverings industry and the hard surface flooring market. Catalina conducted a comparative analysis of laminate flooring and other flooring material prices.

U.S. SHIPMENTS AND IMPORTS

Data trends on U.S. laminate flooring shipments and imports are compiled from various industry sources in order to calculate the total market. The report includes an analysis of U.S. imports including shipments by major country of origin. In addition, information on over 34-leading manufacturers and marketers is compiled to quickly review the products, source of supply, and pricing of the leading competitors. Catalina reviewed industry and company literature to uncover trends on new technologies and new products. Catalina also compiled information on U. S. plant production capacity. California Air Resource Board (CARB) emission standards are reviewed as well.

WORLD LAMINATE FLOORING MARKETS

Laminate flooring markets are evaluated by world area. European production and sales trends are included in order to indicate European demand by market, and European company’s position in world markets. Unilin’s financial trends are analyzed as well. Chinese production and Chinese company laminate flooring manufacturing capacity is also investigated. In addition, this section includes a list of Unilin and Välinge licensees as well as CARB approved Third Party Certifiers.

END-USE MARKETS AND RETAIL DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

Laminate flooring sales are provided for residential replacement, new residential construction, and commercial markets. Laminate’s level of penetration is calculated for each market. Sales data is also analyzed by retail sales channel- specialty floor coverings stores, home centers, Lumber Liquidators, and other retailers. Catalina investigates the sales and market shares of leading U.S. laminate flooring retailers.

FACTORS AFFECTING DEMAND

A separate section analyzes the factors driving laminate flooring demand. Data trends include household hard surface flooring spending and purchaser demographics, residential construction activity and existing home sales, regional housing markets, and commercial construction spending. This provides insights into the direction of domestic demand in 2015 and beyond.

COMPANY PROFILES AND THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Catalina Research profiled 34-leading U.S.-, European- and Asian-based laminate flooring manufacturers and marketers. Company profiles cover product lines, manufacturing and distribution, capital investments and acquisitions, and new products and technology enhancements. Catalina utilized this valuable information to uncover competitor strategies to upgrade their product lines and combat the controversy over formaldehyde emissions. Sales data was compiled in order to calculate company market shares.