In a move designed to emphasize its global heritage, ceramic tile maker Florim USA is dropping the “USA” designation and changing the name of its American Florim line to AFI. The rebranding effort, which also involves a repositioning of the popular Esquire line, is aimed at reinforcing the company’s ties to its parent company, The Florim Group of Italy

“We are part of a respected company and a member of a renowned family of brands,” explained Jim Dougherty, Florim’s exec vp of sales and marketing, “It’s time we make the most of this association in our name and how we do business.”

       The rebranding strategy bowed at Coverings last month in conjunction with a dedicated rollout of products for the Esquire and AFI lines. “These brands each have distinct images,” Dougherty noted. “We are introducing carefully selected Italian-designed products to fit each brand’s unique style.”

            The two lines will also sport new logos. The Esquire logo has the brand’s previous moniker positioned on a new dark green background. The AFI logo uses angular lettering against a background mixing sky blues and earth tones. All supporting materials for the brands will feature the new logos as well, the company notes.