A hardwood flooring inventory solution

A PECIAL ORDER. That's the ! who wants to compete with specialists in his area without the solution flor a dealer the hardwood floor problems of maintaining large inventories.

The hardwood floor market is worth pursuing. Hardwood as the flooring of choice is rapidly coming out of the slump that followed the peak year of 1955. Sales figures have doubled since 1982 with indications that they will be even stronger in the '90s.

Improved products and increased consumer awareness of quality are driving the demand for hardwood floors in both new construction and remodeling. The narrowing of the price gap between carpeting and hardwood floors which last the life of the house is a contributing factor.

Retailers who want to commit to the hardwood floor business without maintaining large inventories can take advantage of special order programs offered by manufacturers and distributors. Customers make their selection from in depth displays and the dealer delivers with the support of his distributor.

This enables the dealer to offer strip, plank and parquet styles in a variety of colors, finishes and price points. Customers responding to advertisements for low end products will often upgrade to higher end flooring when they are able to see and compare all the products.

In discussing home centers involved with special orders for flooring, Jerry Sporich, d-i-y product manager at Bruce Hardwood Floors in Dallas, Tx., commented, "There's a trend with our more mobile society to want to see a larger range of products. They see products at commercial installations, friend's houses and vacation spots and they're interested in having them in their own homes. More and more home centers and building product retailers are seeing this and asking to get involved in merchandising that will enable them to take advantage of what's happening at the consumer level."

With next day or almost next day delivery possible for the majority of his sales, the dealer can stock an adequate inventory of carry-home, do-it-yourself flooring plus adhesives, tools and accessories including cleaners and maintenance products. These will satisfy the customers who want their purchase immediately as well as those needing support items.