Shaw Rugs Begins A New Journey With Home Furnishings Brand

Furniture World Magazine

Shaw Rugs chose the 2003 New York Textiles Show as the opportune time and place to announce the beginning of a new journey, the company's expansion into the broader home furnishings marketplace. At a press conference held this morning in New York, Jeff Meadows, vice president in charge of the Shaw Rugs division of Shaw Industries, Inc., unveiled the new Shaw Living brand identity and gave attendees a view of its new line of home furnishings products. The announcement, though not unexpected, was a momentous event, marking a new milestone in Shaw's history. By entering the home furnishings market, Shaw makes it clear that it intends to be a major player in a much larger consumer arena. The substance of the line has come in part with the acquisition of Georgia Tufters by Shaw Rugs earlier this year. It added top-of-the-bed products, pillows, throws, accent rugs, bath and scatter rugs, as well as printed, woven and tufted rugs to Shaw's already expansive line of area rugs. Meadows explained that with the addition of so many new products-and more to come-it was important to create a separate home brand. The new brand identity, Shaw Living, coupled with the positioning tagline, "For Every Step of Life," is reinforced with products and imagery that appeal to everyone. Meadows further outlined the five-part philosophy behind the brand: innovation, design, color, quality and service. "We have the talent and capabilities to provide a wealth of refreshing new choices for consumers in every walk of life and every stage of life. It's an invigorating time for Shaw and we hope many new customers will enjoy embarking on this new journey with us." Shaw Rugs is a division of Shaw, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., and the largest soft floor covering manufacturer in the world. Shaw Rugs is the largest U.S. producer of machine-woven rugs in wool, nylon and olefin. In addition to the printed and machine-woven categories, Shaw Rugs also produces custom tufted wool and fabricated rugs. For more information, call 1-800-282-7429, write Shaw Rugs at P.O. Drawer 2128, Dalton GA 30722-2128, or visit www.shawrugs.com.