Distributor markets: NRF hosts scores of retail partners at NEFM

April 1/8, 2019: Volume 34, Issue 22

By Steven Feldman

Uncasville, Conn.—More than 325 retailers were on hand here March 19 for NRF Distributors’ Northeast Flooring Market (NEFM), one of three markets hosted annually by the Augusta, Maine-based wholesaler. The goal, according to Terry Gray, senior vice president of marketing for the top 20 distributor, is to bring a Surfaces-like experience to these local dealers who traditionally don’t make the trek to Las Vegas in January.

Gray noted there’s inherent value in attending a regional market such as NEFM. “There’s so many things you get from coming to a show like this that are unmeasurable,” Gray stated. “It’s one thing to have salespeople come to your store and show you a picture of a display, but it’s another thing to see the actual display. And at a show like this you have [high-level executives], so you can discuss things like pricing or any issues you may be having.”

The theme for this year’s NEFM was Living Coral, which is Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year. The color was highlighted on all NRF signage throughout the show and also donned by NRF personnel. “We are just trying to let people know we are fashion friendly and forward thinking,” Gray explained. “You are never going to put coral on your floor but you want that to accent the greens, grays, browns and beiges. We are selling fashion, not floors. That’s how we go to market.”

When the dust cleared, more than 1,100 people from NRF’s eight-state region attended the show, which boasted 125 vendors led by Tarkett, which occupied the greatest expanse. Gray said the distributor writes in upwards of $3 million during the event with suppliers offering special pricing for this one day. Tarkett, which became an NRF vendor seven years ago, is coming together with distribution and direct sales. And NRF is intricately involved because it is both a residential and commercial distribution center. “Our team is working with Tarkett salespeople to educate, train and nurture their client, which is One Tarkett,” said Leah Ledoux, vice president of corporate commercial strategy. “So, whether we go to an end user, architect, designer, flooring contractor, we try to do that with them so we are bundling our entire story around the brand. Tarkett is one of our largest flagship brands, so we are looking to evolve and move then needle with them.”

With a sales volume of $160 million, NRF grows at about 5% each year. Gray attributes much of that to exceptional service. “We have a 400,000-square-foot warehouse that houses palletized goods and rolled goods,” she said. “So you can sell a product in the afternoon and install it by the end of the week.” NRF is also famous for its truck drivers. “We have 400 keys to our customers’ stores to deliver when they are not open,” she said. “That says something about trust and loyalty. We open the door. We unload the carpet and the cushion and the vinyl and the pallet goods. Sometimes we even pick up the money. We pick up donuts. We do things that nobody else would do.”

NRF customers are quick to sing the distributor’s praises. “I’ve been coming to their shows for as long as I can remember,” said Dennis Jackson, Albany Carpet Warehouse, Albany, N.Y. “I don’t need the big guys when I have NRF. They take care of me 100%. I am extremely loyal because they are honest. When they give me a price, that’s what I pay.”

Debbie Marotta, Personal Touch Flooring, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., considers NRF as family. “We are always there for each other,” she said. “We can go to NRF with anything we need and they’re always there to help.”

And Ken Cokely, Boston Carpet, Canton, Mass., cited NRF’s reliability. “They have an excellent track record with deliveries; when they tell you they will be there, they’re there. And if they make a mistake they chase after it and bring it to us.”

• Liz Shields, Projan Custom Flooring, Tyler Hill, Pa., wanted to expand her ceramic tile and LVT sections and cited the Interceramic tile display and Fusion LVT.
• Personal Touch Flooring’s Marotta called out the new offerings from Interceramic and DelConca’s cement-look tiles.
• Joe Cote, Carpets of Cape Cod, Hyannis, Mass., said ProGen from Tarkett is a “great product we use, American Olean caught our eye and I liked the new imaging technology from Beauflor.”