The Stocklists - Wool Week 2010

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

Wool Week Gallery 2010 The festival of natural fibre has arrived - and with 70% of wool in the UK used for flooring, that means a carpet campaign like no other.

Wool Week runs from October 11 to 17.

Prince Charles is the cheerleader and Saville Row in central London will be grassed over and grazed with sheep to get wool noticed. Brintons have woven a wool carpet in front of the world’s press that will be auctioned at Sothebys to raise money to boost the campaign (see opposite).

“The Prince wants this to make a real difference and for our industry to take advantage of a major promotion,” Bridgette Kelly told Harrogate visitors to a Wool Week seminar at the show last month.

Retailers are encouraged to major in wool during October and to create special displays using the campaign’s distinctive point-of-sale material. Wool features across the home interest and fashion press should also boost consumer awareness.

The campaign was announced by the Prince in January this year as a response to the pressure on wool growers of falling prices and the rise of synthetic fibre. He said the campaign should “set out the impact of the seemingly trivial decision to buy a wool carpet or its man-made equivalent.”

He said: “The sad truth is that around the world, farmers are leaving sheep production because the price they get for their wool is below the costs of actually shearing it.

“Sheep farmers are the lifeblood of the rural economy. The idea [of the Wool Campaign] is to explain the benefits of wool in a simple and creative way.”

Apart from extensive media coverage, consumers will see wool window displays in major retail groups such as M&S, Debenhams, House of Fraser and Selfridges. High Street flooring outlets are being asked to follow suit so that they can benefit from this extra awareness.

In addition to in-store banners featuring the distinctive ‘Campaign For Wool’ branding, there are also swing tickets with the slogan: “All we are saying, is give fleece a chance!”

Rock 'n' Roll – Alternative Flooring

Romanesque from Bond Worth

Rock 'n' Roll is an award-winning collection of 100% wool stripes in ten vibrant colour combinations designed by renowned interior stylist Melinda Ashton-Turner exclusively for Alternative Flooring. The innovative and exciting collection brings colour and pattern into any room. There are now five new colours for the stripes with great names such as Purple Rain, Tainted Love and London Calling. The stripes have been teamed with specially coloured linear Wool Cord plains. Rock 'n' Roll is 4m wide and Wool Cord available in 5m widths.

Romanesque from Bond Worth features a delicate interwoven scroll, leaf and acanthus design set against a gentle Berber ground. Warm reds and rusts accent a graduated apple green.

Manufactured with 80% new British wool/20% nylon the design is also available in two colour ways; plum red and blue.

T 01264 335111 www.alternativeflooring.com

54 October 2010

This range along with our classic axminster portfolio is available to view online.

T 01562 745000 www.bondworth.co.uk

FlooringNews

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality Weaving a classic for campaign

Bakerloo (Tube Collection) - Edel Telenzo Bakerloo is the latest addition to the best selling Tube Collection from Edel Telenzo Carpets. It’s a hardwearing 100% wool 1/8th gauge loop pile, available in 4 and 5m width, with an Actionbac backing. Scotchgarded, anti-static and anti-flam, it’s suitable for heavy domestic and heavy contract applications. Available in three colourways – naturals, with a plum (shown) or mulberry stripe.

T 01422 374417 www.edeltelenzocarpets.co.uk Brintons believes superior quality is best achieved by marrying the finest wools with the latest weaving technologies.

As one of the largest users of British wool, Brintons is supporting the Campaign for Wool and one example is an auction at Harvey Nichols in London which aims to keep wool high on the consumer agenda by donating all proceeds to the Campaign for Wool.

Brintons carpets and iconic Scottish design house Timorous Beasties have pooled their extensive design skills to launch a brand-new custom carpet collection.

Brintons has donated a bespoke 12ft axminster room square woven in its Kidderminster factory to the Campaign for Wool for the auction during Wool Week. The room square is inspired by the Tree of Life design, a contemporary take on a Timorous Beasties classic.

This exquisitely drawn and beautifully detailed leaf and branch forms an image that is both classic and modern and contemporises a whole new look for the interior space.

ASK ABOUT CAMPAIGN POS Natural Choice from Ulster Made from 100% natural undyed wool Ulster’s latest collection Natural Choice comprises a variety of textured designs inspired by nature that are complimented with a range of plains. All the wools used in the manufacture of an Ulster carpet are carefully sourced from an environmental point of view and are grown predominantly in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Many manufacturers are supporting the Campaign For Wool with Point-of-Sale displays so ask your rep or sales contact if they have material for you.

And you can email British Wool for a POS pack which includes a triangle stand, leaflets, a showcard and poster: marketing@britishwool.org.uk

T 02838 334433 www.ulstercarpets.com

from The Stocklists

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The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

Abingdon’s Wilton Royal

Vitronic from Kingsmead

Wilton Royal is a wool brand rich in heritage and famous for quality. The newly re-launched Charter Supreme Gold is a 60 oz product that encapsulates all that is best in a heavyweight British made wool twist. The 15 strong colour bank is a combination of natural berbers and soft heathers that would be fit to grace any room in the land.

The name Vitronic, the origins of which are a bit obscure, has become synonymous over the years with value for money, reliable quality and an outstanding collection of colours. Manufactured in Great Britain utilising British wool both New Vitronic and Vitronic Traditions are favourites with independent retailers and national housebuilders.

T 01274 655662 www.abingdonflooring.co.uk

T 01827 831427

Mondrian from Axminster’s Princetown Collection A range of stunning contemporary carpets, the Princetown collection is beautifully woven from 100% pure new wool. Featuring as delightful berber fleck the Princetown collection balances contemporary structured influences with the soft edge of natural tonal variations.

Available in three colours Mondrian is also joined by Picasso and Matisse as well as existing designs in Gem, Moorland Crest and Natural Plaid. All carpets come in 3’, 12’ and 15’ widths.

T 01297 630650 www.axminstercarpets.co.uk

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www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk

Cashmere Berber - Associated Weavers The Cashmere Berber range is a classic 80/20 with an extra twist - the British Wool content has 15% cashmere yarn woven in to create a silky softness to the touch. The 50oz carpet is available in 9 colours and three widths – 2.5, 4 and 5 metres – and benefits from a 10-year wear guarantee.

T 01422 431100 www.associatedweavers.net

FlooringNews

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

The Wool Collection of Regency Carpets

Town & Country by Cormar

Regency launched their wool collection at the beginning of 2010 and enjoyed an enthusiatic response from the trade for the affordable quality of their 80/20 twists.

Celebrating Wool Week is Cormar Carpet’s re-launched 60oz flagship wool twist collection, Town & Country (pictured in colour London Stone). Made from 80% British wool, 10% nylon and 10% tuftbond, it is a top of the range 1/10th gauge heavy weight twist, retailing at circa £32 per sq m. Available in 20 plain and heather shades and 4 and 5m widths, it offers great value-for-money and is normally delivered by Cormar within 2 – 3 days from order.

Broughton Twist and its berber sister range Carleton are UK made with British wool and available in 40 and 50 oz weights and 4 and 5 metre widths.

T 01772 696787 www.furlongflooring.co.uk

Wooltouch from the Ultimo collection by Lano With the luxurious feel of velvet and made from 100% pure New Zealand wool, Wooltouch brings a touch of class to the home. Available in 12 natural tones with a neutral edge to ensure widespread appeal, the carpet possesses a 1,890gm/m2 pile weight for the ultimate in luxurious underfoot comfort. As part of the Ultimo collection, Wooltouch comes in both 4 and 5-metre widths.

T 00800 5266 5266 www.lano.com

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T 01204 881234

www.cormarcarpets.co.uk

RHS Classic Florals from Brintons Brintons and The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) announce the launch of the new ‘RHS Classic Florals’ collection inspired by the botanical artworks from the RHS Lindley Library, which holds over 23,000 originals.

The Brintons design team have created six exquisite carpets which capture the essence of nature at its most charming. New designs include sweat pea amethyst, poppy dusk, allium celadon and chrysanthemum crimson.

T 0800 505055 www.brintons.net

FlooringNews

The British Wool column Leading retailers set to celebrate Wool Week The largest ever retailer event to celebrate wool will happen this month (11-17th) with wool products hitting the high street in a major way. But already, leading retailers are feeling the impact of the Campaign for Wool and wool promotion following the support of some of the UK’s most widely read consumer magazines.

London Fashion Week, held in September is often a telling indicator of future trends for interiors and there has been a noticeable increase on wool on the catwalks and fashion editors have been positioning it strongly. Harold Tilman of the British Fashion Council said: “The emphasis on eco and sustainability is penetrating fashion and wool has all the right credentials being both natural and luxurious.”

“It is well known that fashion clearly influences interiors and whilst many retailers may not be feeling the impact yet, it is likely to filter in to the carpet stores in the coming months but we really hope that retailers get on-board now and take advantage of all this opportunity.”

All the major carpet manufacturers, the Carpet Foundation and SMG buying group are supporting it. Retailers who want to know more about the Campaign for Wool or want a pack of POS for their store, should email marketing@britishwool.org.uk

British Wool go 100% Platinum with new logo British Wool has introduced a new logo this September at the Harrogate Flooring Show to highlight 100% British Wool in products and as a partner to their existing Shepherd’s Crook mark.

The Platinum logo will be available to The new Platinum logo introduced by British Wool. manufacturers that are buying 100% British Wool through the British Wool Marketing Board’s (BWMB) Platinum Certificate, which traces the wool from the wool auction through the processing chain and is signed off at each stage as 100% British Wool. British Wool bought under this scheme qualifies for the BWMB’s environmental Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) accreditation IS0 14040.

Ian Hartley, CEO of the British Wool Marketing Board said: “We have a growing number of manufacturers that want to produce 100% British Wool products and make use of the environmental information and data within our LCA. The trend for both British origin wool and eco-credibility is very strong and we wanted to offer them a visible marketing statement to support their products in store.

“The new Platinum logo is simply an extension of our existing certification system that has been there for many years for the trade.

We believe that many manufacturers now see this certification route as offering real marketing opportunity at consumer level particularly now that there is a growing emphasis on Green issues.”

The new logo which will be available as a carpet label and a swing ticket will also be accompanied by a promotional leaflet which will define the 100% British Wool story for retailers and consumers.

Further information is available from the British Wool marketing team on 01274 688666 or marketing@britishwool.org.uk

Support ‘Wool Week’ this October.

Ulster Carpets offers Natural Choice Natural shades are still attracting a huge amount of attention due to the growing interest in environmental matters. Certainly, many carpet manufacturers are looking at ways to address this but there is probably no better example than Natural Choice by Ulster Carpets which showcases how clever spinning, blending and stunning design can combine to produce something truly amazing without using dyes.

Made from 100%, natural undyed wool, the Natural Choice collection comprises a variety of textured designs inspired by nature which can be matched by a range of plain carpets.

The yarn is manufactured in Ulster’s own spinning mill in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

The Ulster Design team used a variety Chenille in Natural Fawn from Natural Choice of shades from

by Ulster.

British breeds and other wools to create this beautiful collection, which shows the innovative way that the many shades available in British Wool from British sheep breeds can combine to offer a luxurious and stylish product for the home.

Composed from natural, renewable elements Natural Choice will be completely recyclable and biodegradable at the end of its life cycle and therefore have a minimal effect on the environment.

The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

FLOR by Heuga - Country Contemporary

Carnaby by Brockway

Shown is a rug design of FLOR by Heuga's luxurious Country Contemporary deep cut pile wool range, in colours Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and Juniper Blue. Country Contemporary is made of 80% New Zealand wool, 12% polyester, and 8% polyamide. Available in 8 on-trend contemporary colours, in tiles sized 50 x 50 cm.

The dazzling Carnaby from Brockway Carpets' new Designer Collection encapsulates all that’s best about Britain. Carnaby is an eye-catching, one-off loop pile carpet in red, white and blue with an interesting red/blue stipple feature stripe. In luxurious 100% new wool, it's available in a 4 metre width. Visit www.brockway.co.uk to see Carnaby and eight other stunning new ranges that make up the Designer Collection.

T 00800 4384 2266 www.florbyheuga.com

T 01562 828200 www.brockway.co.uk

V&A Twist Collection by Ryalux

Cavalier’s ‘heart of wool’

The V&A Twist Collection from Ryalux offers a sumptuous, elegant palette of 70 colours, inspired by the Victoria and Albert Museum’s magnificent jewellery collection.

Wool is at the very heart of what we do at Cavalier Carpets - it's the one common denominator at the core of the Cavalier product range. For us every week is wool week because nothing can rival wool both in terms of performance and aesthetics.

Typical of our commitment to wool is our latest addition, the stunning ‘Woodland Heathers’ which gives a more sophisticated feel to that ‘Cottage’ look.

T 01254 268 000 www.cavaliercarpets.co.uk

Available in any width up to 5 metres in two superb qualities and made from the finest New Zealand wools.

T 0845 6528811 www.ryalux.com

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FlooringNews

The Wool Benefits Series from Wools of New Zealand

Natural Partnerships Natural Beauty, a key benefit of New Zealand wool, underlines why the natural whiteness of the wool makes it the natural choice for dyeing all shades in the colour spectrum, perfect for the most stylish and fashionable interiors.

It is for this reason that Kingsmead Carpets specified New Zealand wool to produce its new ‘Artwork’ collection, to be launched in January 2011.

The Artwork Collection not only epitomises the superior properties of New Zealand wool through its range of beautiful colours, but it offers consumers a new and creative decorating medium.

For the best in contemporary floor décor, ‘Artwork’ offers 20 plain shades influenced by fashion colour trends and 5 co-ordinating ‘Artwork Stripes’ inspired by shirting fabrics.

Available in two hard-wearing qualities, 45oz and 60oz, the range satisfies all tastes from the conservative to the modernist. The plain colours are available in 4m and 5m widths and for versatility the stripes are available in an additional 1m width to augment styling options for hallways and stairs.

Joanna Ramsden, Colourist and Creative Manager at Wools of New Zealand, adds: “With the growing interest and available choices in interior décor, it has never been easier to use and live with colour. Colour is back – it is the most powerful element in decoration and plays a significant and subconscious role in our lives. It affects our senses and can alter our home by enhancing the mood and improving the quality of life within.

Viewing the floor as a blank canvas is a great way to inject individual creativity into the home. Carpets can make as much of an impact as any other decorating medium – not only embellishing a room but also making a focal statement.

Being instinctive and following your individual preferences is key to making a house a home. Paint, wallcoverings and furnishings have been influential for interiors for some time. Floorcoverings can now play their part.

from The Stocklists

‘Artwork’ is a prime example of how to transform floor space using a mix & match styling concept.The collection endorses all the natural benefits inherent in New Zealand Wool – Beauty, Health, Comfort and Integrity.

Additional reasons for buying a Wools of New Zealand carpet include non-allergenic, soil repellent, fire resistant and insulating properties, as well as the renewable and sustainable attributes.

The twist pile collection made from 80% wool, 10% nylon and 10% Kingloc polyester will be the first under the refreshed Wools of New Zealand brand logo.

All branded carpets are independently tested to meet the stringent performance requirements associated with the Wools of New Zealand mark.

This reassurance further enhances the desirability of branded carpets.

For further information refer to www.woolsnz.com www.kingsmeadcarpets.co.uk

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The Campaign for Wool - a showcase of quality

Esprit by Penthouse Carpets Esprit represents all that’s best about wool and was the star of the Harrogate Flooring Show.

The carpet is 75% British Wool and comes in a full range of contemporary colours - 12 beautiful plains and 12 heather colours.

Saxony by Bronte Carpets 100% wool Saxony is available from Bronte in 40 standard colours but also any colour of your choice via their special dye service. It’s also any width up to 12m with no joins - or there is a made-to-plan service.

Available in 4 and 5 metre widths.

Bronte offers 17 qualities including four 80/20 twists and a hand-crafted border collection is also available. The company have been established 28 years and pride themselves on using only the finest quality 100% wool.

T 01706 341231 www.penthousecarpets.co.uk

T 01282 862736 www.brontecarpets.co.uk

Contemporary Life Contemporary Life are proud to be supporters of 'The Campaign for Wool'.

Using only wool or wool rich fibre in production, they create masterpiece products such as their Lyndhurst 90 velour featured and remain committed to the environmental and aesthetic benefits that only wool fibre can bring to the market.

T 01254 296829 www.contemporarylife.co.uk

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“All we are saying, is give fleece a chance!”

FlooringNews