Carpet takes two steps forward, half step back

摘要

In 2013, the American soft floor covering industry achieved its first significant increase in manufacturers' sales since 2004, even as it continued to lose market share to hard surface flooring. Catalina Research estimated that the soft flooring increase in 2013 of 4.2 percent generated a total of $10.17 billion in sales while volume increased by 3.9 percent to 10.6 billion square feet. These numbers represent broad-loom, area rugs, carpet tile, bath mats, auto and aircraft carpeting and artificial grass. Shaw had a good year in 2013 in carpet and hard surface flooring, according to Randy Merritt, president of Shaw Industries. "Last year started slowly, but built as the year progressed. We saw good strength in new construction and in retail on the residential side," Merritt reported.