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    "source_type": "extension",
    "content_hash": "47063f68a1e123ad527b7cdf6764e3443bed183774c5c19e9eb98b81af85783c",
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    "original_url": "https:\/\/ctasc.com\/state-of-the-industry\/",
    "parsed_content": "Wednesday, February 11, 2026 from Floor Covering Weekly\nIFC\u2019s Julian Dossche; Mohawk\u2019s Jeff Meadows; O\u2019Krent Floors\u2019 Sam O\u2019Krent; Mannington\u2019s Tom Pendley; Stanton\u2019s Jamann Stepp; and, Scott Humphrey, WFCA\nMore of the same expected in 2026\nBy Mallory Cruise-McGrath\nPrior to the tise 2026 show floor kicking off here Jan. 27-29, a panel of industry executives \u2014 including Julian Dossche, president, IFC; Jeff Meadows, president & chief commercial officer, Mohawk Industries; Sam O\u2019Krent, owner, O\u2019Krent Floors; Tom Pendley, president & CEO, Mannington Mills; and, Jamann Stepp, vice president of hard surface at Stanton Design \u2014 shared their thoughts on what they believe the flooring industry should anticipate for 2026 during a discussion titled \u201cState of the Industry 2026: Revolution, Shifts and Insights.\u201d\nModerated by WFCA CEO Scott Humphrey, panelists shared that while they expect 2026 to be more or less the same as 2025, the fundamentals for growth are there and, throughout the supply chain, emphasis should be placed on continuing to simplify the buying experience for end users.\n\u201cWe expect 2026 to be similar to 2025,\u201d IFC\u2019s Dossche shared, anticipating 2026 to continue being impacted by decisions made in D.C. \u201c2026 is going to have a little bit of chop for sure,\u201d he said. IFC is solely focused on hard surface, specifically LVT, a category that remains strong as it continues to provide solutions to end users, Dossche added.\nThe biggest thing for retailers, Meadows advised, is keep an eye on existing home sales. \u201cThe flooring industry is never good if existing home sales are bad,\u201d he stated. \u201cIn 2022, we sold 6 million homes; the last three years we sold 3.8 million to 4 million homes. When people buy existing homes and move in, they change the flooring \u2014that is a leading indicator when business is getting better or worse. If you think about it, the flooring business has been in a recession since 2022,\u201d Meadows shared, noting the industry dropped 20 percent. \u201cThat\u2019s a big recession in flooring, and that\u2019s off of a big high in 2021.\u201d\nFrom a retail standpoint, O\u2019Krent\u2019s expectations for 2026 too is the same as 2025. \u201cWe had great expectations in 2025 but it didn\u2019t happen,\u201d he said, although for 2026, \u201cI still think there\u2019s a ton of money sitting on the sidelines. There\u2019s homeowners that are waiting. I think it\u2019s going to come through this year, probably not in the first quarter \u2014 hopefully second quarter but probably third.\u201d\nMannington\u2019s Pendley said the fundamentals are there. \u201cThe market will be there, demand is there. We need consistency in the market but at the end of day, 2026 will be similar to 2025 but demand is building.\u201d\nAnd while 2025 proved challenging, there were moments of success throughout the supply chain.\n\u201cThose customers that are dialed in with key suppliers and partnerships with key providers, giving the customer what the customer wants is driving success,\u201d said Stanton\u2019s Stepp. \u201cThere\u2019s pent up money but people are hesitant. Whether they want luxury vinyl or wood, there\u2019s a difference in price, and because of mortgage rates [people are] not upgrading.\u201d\nKeeping the buying experience simple for the consumer easy is critical, said Pendley. \u201cBuying flooring, many times, is complicated so retailers that are driving success aren\u2019t focused on the news, they\u2019re focused on the customer and making the [buying] experience easy.\u201d\nO\u2019Krent relied on the basics. \u201cOur focus was always about the customer, paying attention to their wants and needs. Every single customer that walks through the door is that much more valuable today than they were back in \u201821, \u201822,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cTake that time to redirect because when everything is going great you tend to get sloppy but when times get tougher, you\u2019re leaner and figure out what do better.\u201d\nMohawk\u2019s Meadows pointed to one business that stayed strong over the last three years: high end retail. \u201cThe high-end consumer spent money during the recession so if you had a good offering of high-end products, you probably did OK. If you don\u2019t have that, get into it somehow,\u201d he advised.\nIn addition to those who offer high end products, retailers with a diverse business fared better, said Dossche. \u201cRetailers who are in multiple channels \u2014 commercial, builder, multifamily, residential retail, etc. \u2014 having all those assets and driving to those different customers also helped them stay afloat and successful,\u201d he said.\nAnd while last year the \u201cbig word was tariffs,\u201d offered O\u2019Krent, from a retail standpoint his business used it as a reason to encourage customers to \u201cbuy now.\u201d\n\u201cRegardless of what happens in the economy, the price will never be better than what it is today,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s the unknown of when price will change. The consumer likes to push off the purchase decisions but it won\u2019t get cheaper, it will only get higher.\u201d\nUltimately, Pendley stated, \u201cWe need the cost of housing to go down, interest rates to go down and base wages to go up,\u201d he said. \u201cCertainty answers a lot of questions, and we need stability to eliminate uncertainty and then everything will take care of itself.\u201d"
}