MOHAWK UNLOCKS UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF SOFTNESS WITH SMARTSTRAND SILK CARPET

 

DALTON, Ga. Dec. 1, 2011—Mohawk is once again revolutionizing the carpet industry, this time engineering the most luxuriously soft carpet available today. Only SmartStrand® Silk™ with DuPont™ Sorona® provides more deluxe softness, more comfort and more home enjoyment, while still setting the industry’s standard for stain and soil protection and durability.

 

 “The all-new SmartStrand Silk product platform places Mohawk years ahead of the competition,” said Tom Lape, president of residential and commercial at Mohawk. “Our SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona collection has set records in stain and soil protection, durability, and softness. Now we’ve raised the bar even higher with SmartStrand Silk. With this innovation, we are offering consumers unprecedented softness and a thicker, plusher feel. This is by far the softest carpet available today.”

 

SmartStrand Silk with DuPont Sorona is the only luxuriously soft carpet that has built-in lifetime stain and soil protection that never wears, washes off or diminishes over time. Even powerful stains like mustard, red Kool-Aid® and red wine are no match for this revolutionary carpet, which is easily cleaned with just water and requires no topical chemicals.

 

In addition, SmartStrand Silk proves once and for all that exceptional softness and strength can go together. Durability is built into SmartStrand Silk’s unique triexta fiber. This superior fiber bends easily, rebounds quickly and resists the crushing and matting that can occur with other carpet types.

 

“The revolutionary stain and soil protection, the unmatched durability—that’s all very important—but comfort is the main reason consumers choose to install carpet in their home,” explained David Duncan, senior vice-president of marketing at Mohawk. “SmartStrand Silk unlocks a new level of comfort by offering the most softness available today. Consumers already love SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona—just wait until they feel SmartStrand Silk.”

 

“SmartStrand has a firm position in the lowest claim category, making SmartStrand Silk the perfect combination of trusted reliability and total relaxation,” added Lape. “It offers the consumer maximum softness and minimum maintenance.”

 

Satisfied Customers Say It All

 In October 2011, Mohawk conducted a third-party national consumer research study of people who have purchased nylon, polyester and SmartStrand carpets. The results are unprecedented. For two straight years, SmartStrand has been rated No. 1 in consumer satisfaction.

 

Here’s a closer look at the Brandware study’s findings:

·         Nine out of 10 SmartStrand owners say they would buy SmartStrand carpet again.

·         Consumers perceive retail sales associates who sell SmartStrand as more credible and trustworthy. As a result, the retailer is perceived as having more influence. Additionally, SmartStrand buyers rated the retailer’s reputation higher than buyers of polyester or nylon buyers.

·         Buyers of SmartStrand gave their sales person higher satisfaction scores than buyers of nylon or polyester carpets in five key areas, which include product knowledge, helpfulness, friendliness, professionalism and honesty.

·         SmartStrand received the highest satisfaction ratings related to ALL consumer criteria of maintenance and durability.

·         Consumers are significantly more satisfied with the softness and the wear resistance of SmartStrand than owners of nylon and polyester carpets. This proves that SmartStrand has successfully combined comfort and durability.

 

“The research findings should give Mohawk retailers a great deal of confidence about the selling power of SmartStrand Silk,” said Lape. “There is proven brand equity in the SmartStrand name. SmartStrand Silk leverages this and will deliver the same level of consumer confidence.”

SmartStrand Silk Shows That Soft Is Eco-Friendly

SmartStrand Silk with DuPont Sorona renewably sourced polymer makes being green an easy choice. The carpet exclusively offers fiber made with Bio-PDO™, the key Sorona ingredient, which is produced from corn sugar. Thanks to this central ingredient, 37 percent of Sorona is made from renewable resources instead of the more limited petroleum-based ingredients used in most other carpets.

 

 As a result, production of seven square yards of 40-ounce SmartStrand Silk carpet saves enough energy and resources to equal one gallon of gasoline—up to 10 million gallons of gasoline each year. Production of SmartStrand Silk also emits 63 percent less greenhouse gas than production of nylon 6.

 

Supporting the Softness

Mohawk has created industry-leading merchandising that will help retailers showcase SmartStrand Silk’s incredible advantages. SmartStrand Silk will have its own color wall, where consumers can experience the softest carpet in the most fashion-forward textures, styles and colors. Duncan assures retailers they will not be disappointed.

 

“We’ve created a color wall that really attracts the consumer and draws her in,” explained Duncan. “Today’s consumer spends more time at home, so she’s focused on creating a nurturing, comforting environment for her entire family. SmartStrand Silk will be the carpet of her dreams, so this is a real opportunity for retailers to capture her heart and create a loyal, lifelong customer.”

 

Mohawk is supporting the SmartStrand Silk introduction with new co-op earnings, customizable advertising and marketing materials, and retail sales associates incentives. Retailers should visit www.MohawkToday.com to take full advantage of all of these offerings after the Solutions 2012 convention.

  

 

 

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Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of carpet, hardwood, ceramic tile, laminate, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home and business products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Columbia, Century, Dal-Tile, American Olean, Quick-Step, Lees, Bigelow and Durkan. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.