Orian opens ‘affordable’ segment

-- Home Textiles Today, 9/13/2009 5:05:00 PM

At the New York Market – Orian Rugs is carving out a niche for itself in the affordable area rug category with the launch of two new USA-made collections produced at its Anderson, S.C. headquarter plants.

“We will be offering a lot of very affordable rugs,” said Paul Sullivan, senior vp, sales and marketing. “We will be concentrating on an extensive grouping of rugs that could potentially retail for $79, $99 and $129.”

Sullivan said the idea is to help “keep the market affordable” for shoppers who are strapped during these challenging economic times.

“It seems to be a fact that the retail rug business dropped 600,000 [units] in volume – that is obviously a cause of the economy. But it also shows that rugs need to become more affordable,” he explained.

To answer to that theory, Orian has come up with two new 100% polypropylene collections that are domestically made.

Texture Weave is a machine-made product that also includes heat-set yarns for – as its name suggests – added texture. Designs are contemporary and transitional. “On a machine-woven vs. a tufted product, we can add more color and more style,” Sullivan said.

The second new grouping is Urban Comfort, which Sullivan described as a flokati-like rug construction but sheared for “a slightly less dense” look. “I’d say it’s like our fleece product, which has a 35mm pile height,” he said, adding that Urban Comfort rugs are available in six solid color styles. Targeting younger customers who are decorating a dorm room or their first apartment, these rugs are set to retail for $99 for a 5-by-9.