It may be a brand spanking new name in the burgeoning hard surface arena, but it’s backed by experienced leadership and a supplier network with a proven track record of producing high-quality rigid core, engineered hardwood and waterproof laminate flooring.
That best describes the upstart Onn Surfaces brand, which officially launched this month by industry veteran Paul Dominie, who brings 36 years of flooring industry experience across retail, wholesale and manufacturing. “We’re combining vast industry experience and a hands-on approach to make this a successful venture.”
Dominie outlined the key points on which Onn Surfaces will compete:
Not your ‘me-too’ products
While Onn Surfaces intends to compete hard in the engineered wood, resilient and laminate categories, it intends to do so by focusing on differentiation, diversification and innovation—not duplication. “These products are crafted by experts who understand retail,” Dominie stated, describing the selection process as a “war room” where the team meets to scrutinize every pattern and design to come up with potential best sellers. “We’re curating everything that we want into it, very carefully, to ensure the success at the retail level is high. I came from a company where I helped craft award-winning products. I’m going to bring that same passion and design-savvy approach to what we’re doing. We’re not going to put out anything that’s ugly or cheap.”
Onn Surfaces’ initial portfolio entails a trendy array of floating floors, including: WPC, SPC, engineered hardwood and laminates, as well as glue-down planks. Wood represents about 25% to 30% of the total mix, while laminate accounts for roughly 15% of total offerings. All plank products feature Unilin click systems exclusively.
Reliable manufacturer partners
While Onn Surfaces does not own its own manufacturing operations, it works closely with its supplier partners in China, Vietnam and Cambodia to ensure products meet and/or exceed tight specifications and high-quality standards.
“We work with three different reputable manufacturers across the categories we offer,” Dominie said. “We handpicked these manufacturers and we hand-pick our products. Plus, the ingredients that go into our products are all premium ingredients; they’re not taking any shortcuts.”
More importantly, the suppliers that Onn Surfaces works closely with have the flexibility to meet any changes in demand. “These companies are already making a ton of product, and they can scale up production very fast if necessary,” Dominie added. All this without sacrificing product quality. “We’re one of a few companies that actually send our own people and category management teams, not agents, into the factories.”
What’s in a (brand) name?
The extra “N” in Onn, according to Dominie, is a nod to Gaelic culture and tradition (Onn is the Irish name of the 17th letter of the Ogham alphabet). “It has a couple of different meanings,” he explained. “It’s part of the Gaelic tree language, so that’s one of the associations to wood and nature. Also, in various languages it signifies strength, so we were kind of playing around with that. We wanted something a little bit different, a little bit more memorable.”
For a whimsical touch and continuity, Dominie incorporated the brand name across collections throughout the product lineup. For example: Onn:Reflections, Onn:Pulse, Onn:Ward, Onn:Beat and Onn:Sight (engineered hardwood); Onn:Track, Onn:Peak, Onn:Core, Onn:Point, Onn:Rise and Onn:Stride (waterproof luxury vinyl plank); Onn:Spirit (glue-down vinyl plank); and Onn:Guard (waterproof laminate).
Inventory at the ready
Those potential customers concerned about long delays on the water or hangups at the ports need not be worried, according to Dominie. Onn Surfaces currently houses several million square feet of product on hand at select distribution/warehousing facilities here in the States (one in the Midwest, one on the East Coast, one in Northwest Canada and one in Los Angeles), while a full-time logistics team keeps a close eye on inventories should they need to order product ahead of anticipated demand spikes.
“We already have four distribution points across North America, and we’re going to add another one in the next six months,” Dominie stated. “We’ve also set levels within our very advanced software system to start sounding the alarms when we get dangerously low to what our run rates are. We monitor it closely because we know that right now eight to 10 weeks is the timeframe for material from the time it leaves port. We have a dedicated team looking at this on a monthly basis, doing demand planning, forecasting out—just really staying on top of the numbers.”
Different routes to market
Onn Surfaces’ initial foray into the highly competitive U.S. market entails a dual distribution strategy: Servicing specialty retailers through traditional floor covering wholesalers interested in promoting private-label brands while working directly with retailers (in some markets).
“Dual distribution strategy with a lot of points of contact to get the products to retailers quickly,” as Dominie explained. “Dealers are not stocking like they used to; they’re not inventorying product. So then it becomes, ‘OK, how are you going to service me quickly and get me the product?’ Well, our multiple distribution points throughout North America, coupled with large amounts of inventory, will expedite that process. In order to be successful over the long term, you have to be flexible and nimble—and this group definitely has that ability.”
More importantly, the Onn Surfaces brand is not going after the big boxes. “Our support is going to be through distribution and the specialty retail world,” he stressed.
Merchandising aids
Onn Surfaces is focusing on providing its customers with displays and samples in keeping with its quality-first, retail-conscious mindset. “The objective is to help retailers make money by designing displays that they can position with confidence,” Dominie said. “We decided we’re not going to do any more stackers—it’s a cheap way to show product and it’s really not the best way to show product. You’ve got to be able to see all the colors really well, and the samples need to be big enough for a client to use but not too big that she can’t get them in her car if she wants to take them home. Our new sample size is 18 x 28 vs. the traditional 18 x 24 size.”
In that same vein, Onn Surfaces said it plans to retain each style across its product categories so retailers don’t have to worry about retrofitting the units or ordering new merchandisers altogether. As Dominie explained: “If we create a collection, we’re committed to keeping those styles in the collection as opposed to discontinuing one style and having the board useless or having the retailer have to get a new board. At the end of the day, we’re providing a display system that talks to people, is easy to use, doesn’t take up a ton of space but also doesn’t become obsolete as the line grows or shrinks.” As an added bonus, Onn Surfaces employs an in-house sample-making team to enable quick turnarounds. “As simple as that sounds, it’s a big deal.”
Look for the company at NAFCD 2024 in New Orleans in October.
