"Inventory" has become a dirty word in the rug business. As a result, retailers are coming to Atlanta's International Area Rug Market July 18 through 21 looking for value-oriented merchandise from vendors who can make quick deliveries.

After nearly a decade of double-digit sales increases, the recession of 2001 caught the rug business by surprise.

Buyers attending the upcoming International Area Rug Market in Atlanta (Jan. 17-20) will see an industry on the cusp of major change. The big, splashy introductions scheduled to be unveiled during the event are evidence of a profound alteration in the way rug companies do business and develop product strategies.

Rug producers are not using the economic slowdown as an excuse to play it safe. In fact, a wave of imaginative new products, many of which reflect a true sea change in styling, will pour onto the market this fall.

As new rug styles come onstream, it's imperative to get rid of slow movers and dead heads.

Burtco Industries and Sabry Rug & Textiles have made new forays into the rug industry.

After a lackluster spring market season, and spotty retail sales activity over the last nine months, rug vendors are embracing two clear emphases to re-energize the rug business: value and creativity.

Major floor covering producers are integrating all types of floor materials into coherent cross-merchandising packages that can include rugs, carpets and hard-surface floors.