Alliance Flooring Milestones
Defining moments in our history
⇓ Scroll down so see our timeline ⇓
⇓ Scroll down so see our timeline ⇓
CarpetsPlus of America is established in the fall of 1996 by Ron Dunn and Jon Logue with the philosophy that emphasized independent store ownership backed by the buying power of a national chain. The core principle of this new venture is to provide independents with a menu of professional tools to grow a successful floor covering business and as an alternative to other groups that mandate the way dealers do things.
In January of 1997, John MacCheyne, owner of MacCheyne’s CarpetsPlus COLORTILE in Fairbanks, Alaska, signs on to become CarpetsPlus of America’s first member. MacCheyne said, “The bottom line is if you’re in the floor covering business, and not associated with a group, you need to be. Joining CarpetsPlus when we did provided us with the foundation that we needed to help start, build and continue to grow our business.”
CarpetsPlus acquires COLORTILE in 2002 to become CarpetsPlus COLORTILE. In 1953, COLORTILE opened its first store in downtown Kankakee, Illinois. With over 60 years of national retail presence, COLORTILE is still the #1 consumer-recognized flooring retailer. Today, COLORTILE is still the most recognized name in the flooring industry. Members should take full advantage of COLORTILE’s great consumer awareness and use the name in branding strategy.
The CarpetsPlus COLORTILE “Define Your Style” Design Gallery carpet selling system is introduced in 2003 at the Minnesota Summit. The new system includes a walk-up kiosk to help narrow customers’ choices by using visual aids to define three important decisions – style, durability and color. Each of the six style categories is color-coded which makes it easy to look for that color in the showroom because the colors are replicated on the display cards.
Through this unique program, participating retailers can offer customers increased purchasing power with two revolving lines of credit on one card. One line is dedicated for purchases at participating locations and the other line for Visa card purchases worldwide, everywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Participating retailers can also offer special terms promotions on the retailer line of credit that allow cardholders to enjoy low monthly payments and no-interest rates.
CarpetsPlus COLORTILE is the first group to introduce a brand based on environmental impact. Recognizing the importance of environmental initiatives to consumers, the EcoChoice Flooring brand is born. An assortment of environmentally friendly products, EcoChoice Flooring is merchandised to attract and perhaps be the deciding factor for environmentally-conscious consumers. A portion of the earnings is donated to the Arbor Day Foundation’s reforestation of America’s national forests and Rain Forest Rescue.
The family of exclusive, private brands has been expanded with the introduction of UltraTouch carpet. UltraTouch combines both value-oriented soft BCF nylon and soft BCF polyester into one display. The UltraTouch program has maximum impact at minimum cost. CarpetsPlus COLORTILE is the first retail group to put carpet made with these two fibers together in one display. This is an advantage to salespeople who are comparing these fibers as they talk with customers.
Alliance Web Pro customizable dealer website program launches at Convention. The program is designed to help members develop a web presence in a very efficient and simple manner. Web Pro allows members to make a standard website template feel more like their own by adding their own pages and rotating out graphics for additional looks plus many other features. Web Pro makes even the brand-new user feel comfortable they can achieve this valuable goal.
Ron Dunn takes to the road on his first “Drive Across America” visiting members around the country. As he visits with each member, their families and their store staff, he learns about what works for them and their business. The goal is to visit every member’s store in the next few years to hear their story and then share their insights, experiences and successes.
Proven Ways book is published and released to all members of each division. Members are now able to take full advantage of the entire membership’s collective networking power. They can now have step-by-step instructions on how to begin implementing private sales, how to train sales staff, improve customer service and new creative marketing ideas that work.
Members are able to unleash the power of their store’s brand with this comprehensive marketing program. Media Pro and Web Pro are brought under one name – Alliance Pro Plus Professional Marketing Solutions. With Pro Plus, their brand will stay ahead of a changing marketplace and their local advertising and marketing will generate the greatest return on investment, in addition to saving them time and money.
The exclusive new flagship program, introduced at the 2015 Atlanta Convention, will take member showrooms to the next level. The CarpetsPlus Destination program, the essential new anchor for member showrooms, features three beautiful displays that address color, pattern and performance. These new displays will make selling carpet fun again.
Our first display featuring hard surface is added into our Destination program at the 2016 Tucson Convention. It will be an eye-catching, go-to display for all consumers who enter member stores. The Hardwood Destination display features a rich color palette, offering a wide range of options suitable for traditional or modern settings.
Alliance Flooring formed a strategic partnership with Nationwide Marketing Group, a large resource group for appliance, furniture and electronics retailers. The agreement names Alliance as their partner in helping members expand into flooring. Through this relationship, Nationwide will utilize Alliance’s private label brand, Floorco® Flooring Gallery to create a “store-within-a-store”. The comprehensive program will feature all product categories.
The Kitchen and Bath Design Network division was officially launched at Convention 2019 in San Antonio. Members can now diversify and grow their business into cabinets, countertops and hardware. With the addition of our Kitchen and Bath Design Network, our members’ stores can be a one-stop-shop design destination for more areas of the home than ever.
The event featured daily supplier special buys and product training. In addition, members were able to watch an impressive lineup of educational seminars and industry speakers discussing topics relevant to today’s changing market. Best Practices sessions featured Alliance Flooring members sharing what works for them to help other members improve their businesses and educate staff. Content was delivered in pre-produced videos presented in an “on-demand” format as well as some live events.
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