After leaving the laminate flooring business in North America two years ago, Formica is back with the help of experienced laminate maker Kronotex USA. A new premium laminate flooring brand, called Formica Flooring, was launched today by Kronotex. With extensive distribution agreements and a comprehensive marketing program, Formica Flooring is targeted exclusively to the specialty retail channel.

"The one-two punch of manufacturing excellence and brand-name recognition allows the new Formica Flooring brand to take its place at the top of the premium flooring category," said Norman Voss, president and CEO of Kronotex USA. "Formica Flooring will establish itself in the marketplace with the best decors, designs and layouts. And it will become the distributor and retailer favorite through production and distribution muscle and extensive marketing support."

Formica Flooring includes 38 highly styled SKUs in five lines, comprising high-quality stone and travertine looks, hand-scraped visuals and 6-foot-long, embossed-in-registered planks. The flooring will be produced out of Kronotex's vertically integrated Barnwell, S.C. plant, which comprises 360,000 square feet of space, with further expansions planned. According to Frank Riddick, Formica Corp.'s president and CEO, the vertical integration of the Barnwell plant was one of the deciding factors in working with Kronotex.

"Formica Corporation exited the flooring business in 2004 because we did not have vertically integrated production capability," noted Riddick. "But through this relationship with Kronotex USA, we've found a manufacturer who can make the Formica Flooring brand soar. At the same time, we'll continue to help make Formica Flooring the most attractive, upscale product on the market."

Formica Corp., founded in 1912, continues to market household and commercial decorative surfacing materials worldwide. For more information on Formica Flooring by Kronotex, visit www.formicaflooring.com.



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