Republished from Wools of New Zealand Press Release:
MARIETTA, Ga., July 24, 2010—Wools of New Zealand has recruited seven leading wool carpet retailers to form its Premier Partner Advisory Council. Those on the Council include:
• Paul Chapman, ABC Carpets, New York, NY
• Wyoma Craghead, CDC, Austin, TX.
• Peter DiPaola, Cornell Carpets, Mt. Kisco, NY
• Brett Hemphill, Hemphill’s Rugs and Carpets, Costa Mesa, CA
• Steve Lewis, Lewis Floor and Home, Chicago, IL
• Sam Presnell, The Rug Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
• Steve Wilson, Synergy, Denver, CO
Retailers that are part of the Wools of New Zealand Premier Program are privy to special programs that differentiate their showroom and increase their selling power. “Premier Partners are ’showrooms of excellence’,” explains Steve Lewis, Lewis Floor and Home. “They are luxury flooring stores that understand wool and are committed to educating their staff and supporting their customers with exceptional service and installation.”
“By uniting this exceptional group of retailers, we are able to redefine the wool industry and create new ways of doing business that are built on a strong foundation of partnership.” says Elise Demboski, Executive Director of North America for Wools of New Zealand. “With the expertise of the Advisory Council we are building something unique that will benefit our retailer partners, our mill partners and the New Zealand farmers that grow the best wool in the world.”
“Wools of New Zealand is really listening to our needs and responding with many small pluses that add up to make a big difference,” says Sam Presnell of The Rug Gallery. “Some of the exclusive Premier Partner advantages include sales incentives, promotional pricing, Wool Specialist training and aggressive credit card processing rates. Premier Partners are also the sole participants of Wool for a Better Worlda sale event being held in Novemberand will soon benefit from exclusive product introductions. This comes on top of the cleaning materials, testing assurances and the great green story that Wools of New Zealand already offers.”
The Premier Advisory Council intends to take an active role, according to Brett Hemphill, president of Hemphill’s Rugs and Carpets. “We discuss ideas together and work with Wools of New Zealand to launch programs that best benefit the wider group. One such idea resulted in Wools of New Zealand’s partnership with Miele vacuums. Through this program, Premier Partners get exclusive coupons that they can give their wool customers. Right now, we are working with Wools of New Zealand, and several of their mill partners to create Premier Exclusives, which are proprietary products that further differentiate our stores.”
“We believe in the Wools of New Zealand brand and want to partner in its success,” says Lewis. “The Wools of New Zealand brand attests to the fiber and the construction being the most reliable, consistent, quality controlled, tested wool in the world. It is a great story for the retailer to use. No country is more committed to its farming integrity than New Zealand and that makes the Wools of New Zealand brand more important.”
Presnell adds, “Wools of New Zealand is bringing the industry together in new and exciting ways. They are giving carpet retailers a voice and a sense of belonging to a cause greater than themselves. As an Advisory Council member of this Premier Partner group, I encourage wool retailers to step up to this program and join us in making a bottom-line difference.”
