How to merchandise moulding as a decorating prcduct

I T USED to be that the only place you I could find mouldings was stuck way back in the back of the lumberyard. But today moulding is moving out of the shadows into the spotlight in decorating product sections, displayed right alongside wallpaper and paint.

Why have mouldings come out of the closet? A variety of factors in the marketplace have brought about this shift, explains Art Ramey, vice president of marketing and sales for DG Mouldings, Marion, Va.

"Moulding's image has changed," he notes. "Tirday it's no longer perceived as just a construction material, but as more of a decorator product.' '

The national trend of renovating older houses has played a part in moving mouldings into a higher-profrle position, according to Ramey. "It's being seen as an element of an older home that needs to be replaced during a renovation."

Retailers are learning that grouping various decorating products increases project sales. They can improve the profit margin of each sale with high margin items, like pre-finished mouldings, Ramey said.

Since mouldings are now being displayed in conjunction with wallcoverings, paint and decorator panels, their finishes must coordinate with the currently popular colors ofother available decorator products. For example, Ramey cited recent market research on top-selling wallcovering and decorator panel colors. "We're seeing a new generation of nonwood grain decorator paneling and the use of high-gloss, painted mouldings, along with the stained mouldings," he said.

To encourage sales of the full range of decorative products, some retail outlets are offering interior decorator services. "Customers may come in just to buy paint," Ramey said, "but if you have someone with decorating expertise there to help them see how much better their room will look with new crown or chair rail moulding, you are much more likely to make a sale than if the moulding is just stacked there, waiting for someone to buy it."

Where budget limitations don't allow for a staffdecorator, retailers should have "pre-coordinated" paint, wallcovering and moulding on large sample boards, according to Ramey. Customers who are uncertain of what colors go with what can easily match decorative elements.

Recent innovations and developments in the production of mouldings are increasing its appeal to do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike.

Story at a Glance

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"We're working to help the consumer install moulding projecs easier and frstrer, and to help the builder add high-end decorative elements to a house in a costeffective way," Ramey said.

"Earlier this year we introduced a premitered, pre-assembled corner that reduces installation time by 50% and eliminates the need for a lot of tools to install the moulding."

Proven benefits of non-wood and professionally finished mouldings products are moving mouldings out of the realm of a lumberyard product into more of a high+ech category.

"Many of ourproducts are non-wood," Ramey said. "To some consumers, PVC

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