South Otago farmer Howie Gardner has flown to Las Vegas and
the world's largest flooring product trade fair as part of a
strategy farmers hope will finally see a reversal in the
declining fortunes of wool.
Mr Gardner, a farmer director on Elders Primary Wool, will
join management in presenting the company's new Just Shorn
brand to about 150 flooring store owners in the United
States, who are part of the International Design Guild (IDG)
and, in turn, part of the CCA Global Partners buying chain.
Elders Primary Wool launched the Just Shorn brand last year,
and targeted it at carpet retailers, with the aim of
increasing demand for a fibre, the prices for which have been
falling steadily for the past decade.
"This is our marketing strategy. We are focused at the retail
end and will line up the rest to accommodate orders," Mr
Gardner said in an interview.
The New Zealanders will make presentations on the Just Shorn
brand to retailer groups over two days at a CCA convention
held before the Surfaces conference, which starts this week.
Mr Gardner said the presentations would raise awareness ahead
of the launch in June of branded carpet designs in the United
States.
"This is a key moment for us," Mr Gardner said last week.
There were five retail groups within CCA, and Mr Gardner said
Elders had targeted the IDG to make the launch manageable.
The presentation included video footage shot on New Zealand
sheep farms, including Mr Gardner's, and a presentation to
media.
Mr Gardner said Elders Primary Wool had also been working
with US carpet manufacturers, the details of which would be
released later.
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