Flooring buying groups are companies that provide business development resources and networking solutions to independent specialty flooring retailers. Individual retailers that join buying groups are able to take advantage of the consolidated buying power of hundreds of member stores that focus their purchasing power on a select assortment of products from affiliated suppliers. The net result is overall lower pricing, better terms and higher rebates than any individual retailer could achieve on their own.

How Can a Buying Group Help Me?

Joining a flooring buying group can help you in a number of ways. You can gain key advantages in multiple areas of your business that will help it excel over and above your competition. Buying groups offer many digital marketing tools as well as traditional marketing resources to help drive sales and showroom traffic. You can also lower your cost of goods through group pricing discounts and opportunistic inventory buys. Finally, you will enjoy lower operating expenses by leveraging the collective wisdom of all group members with regard to best practices and operating efficiencies

What are the Benefits of Joining a Flooring Buying Group?

One of the main benefits of joining a buying group is access to a higher level of product merchandising.  Buying groups offer complete private labeling on carpet and hard surface products as well as a consistent, designer look and feel to displays and visual merchandising.  This creates a more professional showroom aesthetic and prevents independent retailers from being shopped online or in big box stores.  The cost of showroom displays are typically much lower for members of a buying group, than they would be for an unaligned dealer.   The time, money and effort that it would require to completely private label a showroom can be significantly reduced or eliminated as a member of a buying group. You can learn more about the advantages of a CarpetsPlus membership on our Member Advantages page.

What Should I Consider Before Joining a Flooring Buying Group?

The most important considerations are the cost of entry and the requirements to open a store as a member of a buying group. If you already have a store, will joining a buying group interrupt your current work flow? The answer largely depends on the group you join. Some are closely involved with the daily operations of their members, while others (like ours) allows members to turn their stores as they see fit. Also consider a buying group’s culture, ethics, and leadership: do they align with your own?

Buying group members looking at a carpet sample