Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Snapshot of flooring category
- Hard surface flooring stays steady; carpets and other floor coverings decline
- Specialist floor covering stores still dominate despite falling sales
- Slight declines in households buying flooring each year
- Changes in retailers used or planning to use
- A new spin on green
- Key finding: those with allergies/asthma want new flooring
- Key consumer findings
- Those with pets want new flooring
- Reasons for purchase differ with age
- How respondents research flooring
- How other green concerns fit in
Insights and Opportunities
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- Going green to save green
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- Figure 1: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by age, March–April 2011
- Interest in recycled/renewable products also likely to grow
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- Figure 2: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by age, March–April 2011
- Goodbye to gesundheit
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- Figure 3: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by incidence of allergies/asthma, March–April 2011
- Flooring for Fido
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- Figure 4: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by presence of dog or cat, March–April 2011
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: “Green Technology”
- Trend: “Survival Skills”
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Housing crisis creates declines
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- Figure 5: Total U.S. sales of residential flooring at current prices, 2006-16
- Figure 6: Total U.S. sales of residential flooring, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2006-16
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 7: Fan chart forecast of total U.S. sales of residential flooring at current prices, 2006-16
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Negative drivers
- Foreclosures, falling home prices, and fear hurt the category
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- Figure 8: Consumer confidence index, Jan. 2007-May 2011
- Figure 9: Total home sales and average selling price, 2008-10
- Renting instead of owning
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- Figure 10: Housing units, vacancies, owner-occupied, and renter-occupied units, 2005-10
- New home starts remain unchanged
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- Figure 11: New home starts, January 2009–April 2011
- Costs of raw goods rise
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- Figure 12: Cost of crude oil, January 2009–March 2011
- Positive drivers
- Putting down new floors for resale
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- Figure 13: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring; 2007, 2010, and 2011
- Better days ahead (eventually)
- Rising cost of heating oil may spur demand
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- Figure 14: Price of heating oil, January 2007–March 2011
- More cats and dogs a plus for the category
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- Figure 15: U.S. Pet Population, 2005–09
- Green still matters
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- Figure 16: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by age, March–April 2011
Segment Performance—Overview
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- Key points
- Hard surfaces are stable, carpeting declines
- Hard surface flooring viewed as an investment
- Flooring greener than carpeting
- Sales of floor coverings, by segment
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- Figure 17: Total U.S. sales of residential flooring, by segment, 2009 and 2011
- Figure 18: Total U.S. sales of residential flooring, by segment type, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Hard Surface Flooring
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- Key points
- Hard surface holds (comparatively) steady
- Sales and forecast—hard surface flooring
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- Figure 19: U.S. sales and forecast of hard surface residential flooring, 2006-16
Segment Performance—Carpets and Other Flooring
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- Key points
- Sales of carpeting fray
- Sales and forecast—carpets and other floor coverings
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- Figure 20: U.S. sales and forecast of carpets and other floor coverings, 2006-16
Retail Channels—Overview
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- Key points
- Floor covering stores hit as consumers trade down
- Home centers the big winners
- Other channels suffer
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- Figure 21: Total U.S. sales of residential flooring, by channel, 2009 and 2011
Retail Channels—Floor Covering Stores
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- Key points
- Sales at flooring stores in the basement
- Lumber Liquidators thrives
- Creative promotions may win wallets
- Still appeal to the affluent
- Sales through floor covering stores
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- Figure 22: Floor covering stores sales of floor covering products, 2006-11
Retail Channels—Home Centers
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- Key points
- Home centers see sales growth
- Low prices a key tactic
- Sales through home centers
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- Figure 23: Home center sales of floor covering products, 2006-11
Retail Channels—Other Outlets
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- Key points
- Still struggling from the recession
- Sales through other outlets
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- Figure 24: Other outlet stores sales of floor covering products, 2006-11
Leading Companies
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- Key points
- All leaders stumble
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- Figure 25: Manufacturer sales* of floor covering products, 2008 and 2009
Innovations and Innovators
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- Key points
- Laminate imitates life
- Scratch-resistant hardwood floors
- Odor-free and recyclable carpets
- Green products
Marketing Strategies
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- Key points
- Advertising overview
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- Figure 26: Advertising spends by major flooring retailers and manufacturers, 2008 and 2009
- Brand and merchandising strategies
- Shaw Floors
- Mohawk
- Mullican Flooring
- In-store merchandising and displays
- TV advertising
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- Figure 27: Armstrong Flooring"ARMSTRONG FLOORING", TV ad, 2010
- Figure 28: Karastan carpet and rugs, TV ad, 2011
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- Figure 29: Mullican Flooring, TV ad, 2010
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- Figure 30: Empire Today, TV ad, 2010
- Figure 31: Stanley Steemer, TV ad, 2010
- Print advertising
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- Figure 32: Shaw floors, Living room print ad, 2011
- Figure 33: Artistic tile, dress tile print ad, 2011
- Other initiatives
- Online initiatives
- Apps
- Social media
- Other online initiatives
Type of Flooring Currently Owned
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- Key points
- Wall-to-wall carpeting most popular choice, and most likely to be purchased
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- Figure 34: Type of flooring currently in home, bought last year and planning to buy, March–April 2011
- Carpet in the bedrooms, tile in kitchen and bathroom
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- Figure 35: Type of flooring currently in each room in house: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living area; March–April 2011
- Carpet in the hallway, tile in the eating area
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- Figure 36: Type of flooring currently in each room in house: eating area, hallway, stairs, and basement; March–April 2011
Desire to Change Flooring, and Flooring Wanted
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- Key points
- Wanting to put carpet in the bedroom, hardwood in living area
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- Figure 37: Type of flooring desired in each room: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living area; March–April 2011
- Women more interested in changing flooring
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- Figure 38: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by gender, March–April 2011
- 45-54s most likely to want to change flooring
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- Figure 39: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by age, March–April 2011
- The more children, the greater the desire to change flooring
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- Figure 40: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by presence and number of children, March–April 2011
- Allergies and pets factor in desire to change flooring
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- Figure 41: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by incidence of allergies/asthma and presence of dog or cat, March–April 2011
Flooring Bought in last 12 Months
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- Key points
- Flooring purchases remain unchanged
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- Figure 42: Types of household floor covering bought in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Spend in last 12 months, by type of flooring
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- Figure 43: Spend on various types of floor coverings in past 12 months, 2010
- Trends in spend on flooring, by type
- Spend on carpeting in the $100-499 range increases since 2009
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- Figure 44: Spend on wall-to-wall carpet in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Spending on room-sized or area rugs is unchanged
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- Figure 45: Spend on room-sized or area rugs in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Amount spent on tile vinyl flooring purchases is unchanged
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- Figure 46: Spend on vinyl flooring (tile) in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Amount spent on sheet vinyl flooring increases
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- Figure 47: Spend on vinyl flooring (sheet) in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Spending a little more on wood floors
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- Figure 48: Spend on wood flooring in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Spending less on ceramic tiles
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- Figure 49: Spend on ceramic tiles for floor or wall in last 12 months, 2006-10
- Carpet and vinyl sheet installation mostly contracted out, others mostly installed by household member
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- Figure 50: Who laid each type of floor surface bought in last 12 months, 2010
- Trends in self-installation or use of outside services by flooring type
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- Figure 51: Who laid each type of floor surface bought in last 12 months, 2006-10
Reasons for Buying or Planning to Buy New Flooring
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- Key points
- Replacing, renovating, and adding on the rise
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- Figure 52: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, 2007, 2010, and 2011
- 18-34s purchasing new flooring for room additions
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- Figure 53: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, by age, March–April 2011
- More affluent replace floors for home renovation
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- Figure 54: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, by household income, March–April 2011
- With allergies, asthma, or pets, and replacing flooring because it’s worn-out
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- Figure 55: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, by incidence of allergies/asthma and presence of dog or cat, March–April 2011
Sources of Information Used When Looking at Flooring
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- Key points
- Turning more to friends and TV shows
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- Figure 56: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, 2007, 2010, 2011
- Word of mouth for women, trade professionals for men
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- Figure 57: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by gender, March–April 2011
- 45-54s asking the retailer and researching its website
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- Figure 58: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by age, March–April 2011
- More affluent use more sources
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- Figure 59: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by household income, March–April 2011
- Those with allergy/asthma concerns use many resources to research flooring
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- Figure 60: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by incidence of allergies/asthma and presence of dog or cat, March–April 2011
Flooring and the Environment
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- Key points
- Energy efficiency and green credentials are important
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- Figure 61: Importance of green/environmental factors for flooring, March–April 2011
- Green concerns about flooring change with age
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- Figure 62: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by age, March–April 2011
- Parents want green flooring
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- Figure 63: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by presence and number of children, March–April 2011
Type of Retailer Used for Flooring
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- Key points
- Shopping goes upscale
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- Figure 64: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, 2007, 2010, and 2011
- Shopping in one place, buying in another
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- Figure 65: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, March–April 2011
- Men buying at mass merchandisers, women at home improvement stores
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- Figure 66: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, by gender, March–April 2011
- 18-44s purchasing from mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs
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- Figure 67: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, by age, March–April 2011
- More affluent purchase at an independent flooring retailer
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- Figure 68: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, by household income, March–April 2011
Reasons for Not Wanting to Change Existing Flooring
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- Key points
- Men are content, women can’t afford it
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- Figure 69: Reasons for not planning to change existing flooring in home, by gender, March–April 2011
- Less affluent can’t afford it
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- Figure 70: Reasons for not planning to change existing flooring in home, by household income, March–April 2011
- The allergic and pet owners can’t afford it
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- Figure 71: Reasons for not planning to change existing flooring in home, by incidence of allergies/asthma and presence of dog or cat, March–April 2011
Impact of Race/Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Blacks want flooring in lots of rooms
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- Figure 72: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by race/Hispanic origin, March–April 2011
- Minorities care about green issues
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- Figure 73: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by race/Hispanic origin, March–April 2011
- Whites go to the retailer for information
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- Figure 74: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by race/Hispanic origin, March–April 2011
- Hispanics buy flooring from mass merchandisers
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- Figure 75: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought, by race/Hispanic origin, March–April 2011
- Figure 76: Source (retailer type) of flooring planning to buy, by race/Hispanic origin, March–April 2011
Custom Consumer Tables
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- Key points
- Parents care about green issues
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- Figure 77: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by marital status and presence of children, March–April 2011
- Men aged 18-34 want green flooring
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- Figure 78: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by gender and age, March–April 2011
Cluster Analysis
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- Rug-rats
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Implications
- Wooden Worshipers
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Implications
- Frozen Floors
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Implications
- Cluster characteristic tables
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- Figure 79: Residential flooring clusters, April 2011
- Figure 80: Type of flooring currently in home, by residential flooring clusters, April 2011
- Figure 81: Type of flooring bought in the last year, by residential flooring clusters, April 2011
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- Figure 82: Type of flooring planning to buy in the next year, by residential flooring clusters, April 2011
- Figure 83: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, by residential flooring clusters, April 2011
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- Figure 84: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by residential flooring clusters, April 2011
- Cluster demographic tables
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- Figure 85: Residential flooring clusters, by gender, April 2011
- Figure 86: Residential flooring clusters, by age, April 2011
- Figure 87: Residential flooring clusters, by household income, April 2011
- Figure 88: Residential flooring clusters, by race, April 2011
- Figure 89: Residential flooring clusters, by Hispanic origin, April 2011
- Cluster methodology
Appendix—Other Useful Tables
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- With four+ people in the house, greater desire to change flooring
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- Figure 90: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by number of people in household, March–April 2011
- Homeowners want carpeting for the stairs and basement, wood for the hallway
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- Figure 91: Type of flooring desired in each room: eating area, hallway, stairs, and basement; March–April 2011
- Less affluent more likely to want to change flooring
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- Figure 92: Desire to change flooring in specific rooms in house, by household income, March–April 2011
- Those in rural areas replacing worn-out flooring
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- Figure 93: Reason for buying or planning to buy new flooring, by urban status, March–April 2011
- Using more sources in the Northeast
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- Figure 94: Sources of information used before deciding to buy flooring, by region, March–April 2011
- Urbanites care more about green
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- Figure 95: Important green/environmental factors for flooring, by urban status, March–April 2011
- No kids, and content with flooring
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- Figure 96: Reasons for not planning to change existing flooring in home, by presence of children, March–April 2011
- More affluent purchase at an independent flooring retailer
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- Figure 97: Source (retailer type) of flooring bought or planning to buy, by household income, March–April 2011
Appendix—Trade Associations
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