Sphinx to Debut Axminster Area Rugs

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Dalton, Ga. —

Sphinx, the U.S. flagship of Oriental Weavers, is preparing to launch a new axminster area rug line.

"With significant axminster weaving capabilities on 14 looms, each beautifully crafted rug will be woven in Egypt of New Zealand wool and specifically designed and colored for the American market by the company's U.S. product development team," the company said.

The parent company Oriental Weavers has supplied axminsters for the commercial/contract market around the world for more than 15 years.

"Axminster is a very natural step for us and we see outstanding potential for a higher end fashion forward rug assortment in the marketplace. While we do understand it is a challenging economy, it is not the time to overlook future market potential by overreacting to current market conditions," suggested Mike Riley, president of Oriental Weavers USA. "We are focused on maintaining a well-rounded assortment and further diversifying our total floor covering product offering."

The axminster line comes on the heels of the 2008 launch of Sphinx's high-end woven, patterned broadloom as well as area rug pad and carpet pad lines.