Winning with brands
Website Editor • December 18, 2019
AW celebrates a success that retailers can build on
Associated Weavers has completed an ambitious brand building journey that has been 10 years in the making and now sets the agenda for retail flooring. 2020 is the year to realise its full potential and drive better business for retailers.
“We have finally arrived at the point where we have fully established the market’s leading brands across each of the key sectors – and now retailers are ready to reap the benefits,” says AW’s UK managing director Gavin Pugh.
The company’s commitment has impressed the industry with its professionalism and AW are often credited with launching the phenomenally successful supersoft sector with the pioneering promotion of iSense by engineering high performance polyamide yarn for maximum softness and luxury in combination with durability. Vivendi was another innovative brand, using solution dyed nylon to create the ultimate family-friendly smart carpet – or “cool carpet for happy people” to quote the brand’s strapline.
Then AW overhauled the mainstream market with Invictus, taking polypropylene to a higher level to elevate its performance and comfort in a crowded sector of me-too products. Invictus now has an enviable status as a go-to range for quality man-made carpet. And then the impeccable timing of Sedna, a range made from recovering and recycling the nylon fishing nets and plastic waste which hit the market at just about the same time that David Attenborough hit our screens with the shocking revelations about what such waste was doing to damage marine life.
Any other manufacturer might call the venue a super showroom, but AW’s ultra sophisticated presentation and technology, and the series of themed showcase rooms for each brand certainly created a centre of experience for visitors.
Colour will play a key part in the developments for 2020 with subtle changes to warmer greys and soft shades of pinks, stone and taupe. Pastel golds may be the new beige!
In Invictus, heavyweight Magnificus will be recoloured in 2020, and to underline the success of this brand, AW revealed that Magnificus, the flagship of the Invictus collection, is set to become its best-seller in 2020 – brands really matter when their quality and performance makes consumers less price sensitive.
So with all those new colours, 2020 is not going to be dull for AW customers. And with all those solid brands to build on, it’s going to be profitable for them too!
Retailers invest in Invictus LVT
AW’s dramatic entry into LVT was one of the market’s most interesting events in 2019 and the decision
to associate it with the already hugely successful Invictus brand has now proved out in the appetite of retailers to stock the collection.
“Retailers really want this brand for LVT,” says Gavin. “This is designer flooring and the smart marketing adds to the appeal, but the actual product presentation is very consumer friendly.”
The flagship of the Invictus LVT point-of-sale is the impressive, interactive point-of-sale unit that dominates a retail environment with style. Retailers are required to make a substantial investment to help finance the cost of these systems but AW has enjoyed considerable success in placing them around the country.
The Invictus LVT launch was well-timed with many retailers looking for a trusted partner to launch or extend their LVT offer. And the portfolio of 84 options in total is well judged as a complete offer – a wide range of traditional best-sellers alongside distinctive, creative options such as the leaves from the banana tree Tropical Forest, elegant Victorian scrolls and a unique colourful cubist Designer Parquet décor.
“The timing is also perfect for the great options we have for parquet, a sector that has gone huge for sales now,” says Gavin. “Retailers can really respond to current consumer trends with this collection.”
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