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“By the fourth quarter of 2019, housing starts and home improvement construction spending were increasing at double digit rates in response to the 20 percent decline in interest rates in the third and fourth quarter of the year. As a result, U.S. floor coverings dollar sales increased by 2.8 percent in the second half of 2019, while square foot sales began to rise.” – Catalina Research Read More

Catalina’s latest analysis of floor coverings industry trends indicate that the company's March predictions of a double-digit sales decline in this year’s second quarter did not occur. On the other hand, the sharp spring back in demand could be held up with the rising number of coronavirus infections in recent weeks. So, let’s review what did occur over the past three months and what the “new normal” may look like. Read More

ccording to an article on CNBC online, there are approximately 618,000 Millennial millionaires  today and, “by 2030, Millennials will hold five-times as much wealth as they have today and are expected to inherit $68 trillion from their predecessors (their parents) in the great transfer of wealth.” Read More

Catalina Research has released its newest report on flooring, furnishing and home improvement e-commerce trends.  According to the report, e-commerce sales for the leading online retailers of flooring, furnishing and home improvement products soared as the coronavirus shelter-in-place orders accelerated the shift to e-commerce business. Read More

NKBA Living Impacts Design study forecasts primary kitchen and bath influences: connectivity, simplification, wellness and living in place Read More

RēCo Report 2020 Monday, June 22, 2020 from Floor Covering Weekly The annual RēCo Market Intelligence Report has held strong for 17 years. Each year, Floor Covering Weekly commissions… Read More

Once the reins are taken off the economy and consumers regain confidence, kitchen and bath product demand is expected to spring back. Historically low interest rates should give a boost to housing demand, and we expect housing sales to resume double-digit growth rates. Households may also begin to trade up to a larger dwelling if they determine they need more work-at-home space. Read More

According to Catalina Research’s latest Floor Coverings Industry Quarterly Update, “Ceramic tile lost share of total manufacturer sales in the first quarter of 2020 due to supply chain problems. This was due to the sharp drop in Chinese ceramic tile imports since the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed preliminary duties on Chinese-made tiles.” Read More

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is urging members, and all residential construction companies, to halt work for at least 10 minutes on Thursday, April 16, to educate workers on what they should do to keep themselves safe from coronavirus and to help "flatten the curve" for everyone. NAHB has developed a blueprint for builders to conduct these COVID-19 safety stand downs. Read More

U.S floor coverings manufacturer and retailer sales were about to take off in 2020 when the coronavirus hit the country. In the first two months of 2020 housing starts soared, increasing by 35.4 percent. This followed a nearly 20 percent gain in the fourth quarter of 2019, after being flat over the first three quarters of the year.  Existing home sales also increased at double-digit rates in early 2020, after rebounding in the fourth quarter of 2019 from weak sales earlier in the year. The rebound in existing home sales resulted in homeowner residential improvement spending also increasing close to 20 percent over the first two months of 2020. And then the country was shut down. Read More