Moves in 2014 shed positive light on year to come
January 19/26, 2015; Volume 28/Number 15
By Jana Pollack
It’s been 18 months since Andrea Greenleaf became president of Royalty Carpet Mills, and much has changed at the mill, and that goes way beyond a complete remodeling of the company’s Irvine, Calif., headquarters. Changes include the acquisition of new equipment, the launch of more than 50 new styles and the development of new, valuable relationships.
“2014 has been exciting at Royalty,” Greenleaf said. “With new branding, a new display and a group of great product introductions, the company hit the ground running. Although all of those initiatives were challenging and took a while to put in place, the company is now seeing the investments pay off in the form of improved sales, and we believe the toughest parts of the transition are behind us. Going forward our main focus will be on making sure our dealers are familiar with everything that was introduced.”
In addition, Royalty recently introduced a new merchandising system called Genesis. Greenleaf described the Genesis display as a high quality, high performance fixture that incorporates a video screen. “The concept, signage and flexibility of the screen, as well as the photographs, are new to our industry.” She reported a positive reception to Genesis with more than 1,000 displays placed across the U.S. and Canada. “As fashion forward as our display fixture is, I believe the many new style introductions have made it an effective sales tool.”
Royalty also purchased three new state-of-the-art machines this past year, which have been fully utilized in production. “Our design team has developed, and continues to develop, styling that takes full advantage of everything these machines have to offer,” she noted.
The introductions that Greenleaf referred to are vast: More than 50 new styles have been launched over the last year. However, she continues to look to the future, adding that Royalty’s introductions at Surfaces will be both mainstream and uniquely styled. Pet Protect, a carpet with built-in stain resistance that provides a breathable moisture barrier while using proprietary technologies and chemistries to reduce the force of attraction between pet hair and the carpet, will be an additional launch at the show.
Another significant change that occurred during 2014 for Royalty was a decision to part ways with Home Depot. When asked about the choice to walk away from the retailer, Greenleaf stressed that it was an amicable split. “There are times when two companies do not meet one another’s current goals, but that is always changing.” She went on to say that while Royalty has not yet ceased doing business with Home Depot, it is not currently implementing any new combined programs.
The family of brands
Royalty currently markets three brands: Royalty, Camelot and Moda. According to Greenleaf, Royalty is the “mother ship. It’s the brand that can meet our customers’ needs, from multi-family to sophisticated patterns. In addition, Royalty has a history of offering up-to-date styling, unequaled quality and superior service that our dealers can count on.”
Camelot, which was acquired in 1999, serves as the upper-end line. The brand primarily features Stainmaster fiber, aesthetically appealing patterns, higher-end cut piles and a family of multi-tone loop patterns. Mademoiselle was recently introduced to the line, which incorporates various yarn sizes, and luster and dye levels into a high-end TruSoft style. This offers a pallet of 36 colors, including many jewel tones.
While Camelot and Royalty have operated in conjunction for 15 years, Moda was acquired this past October. Greenleaf said she did not anticipate the purchase, but it seemed like the perfect opportunity when it arose. “The Kazarians, who owned Moda, have always been close with my family. As it happens, there was a change in ownership with Moda’s manufacturing partner, and the Kazarians and I happened to have lunch around that time. We pretty much decided that selling Moda to Royalty was in the best interest of everyone involved.”
She went on to praise Moda, saying it has been a leader in carpet styling since its inception. She also spoke highly of its people. “While the Moda brand does bring growing sales and a beautiful product line, I also consider its people to be its greatest strength.”
Greenleaf added that she intends to remain invested in all three brands. “My plan includes further definition and growth for each brand within the marketplace.”