August 2010 Archives

This November, homeowners getting ready for the holiday season will have extra incentive to choose branded Wools of New Zealand carpet and rugs thanks to Wool for a Better World, a four-win program designed to benefit consumers, Premier Partner retailers, wool carpet manufacturers and the Shear Joy organization.

Wools of New Zealand's participating Mill Partners will offer Premier Partner retailers a minimum 10 percent off wholesale prices for the Wools of New Zealand brand products during the promotion, Nov. 1 through Nov. 30.

"Wool for a Better World goes far beyond a sale event," explains Elise Demboski, Executive Director of North America for Wools of New Zealand. "It is an exciting way for us to spread the news about wool's beauty, health and safety benefits, while differentiating our showrooms that are committed to wool."

Retailers appreciate the potential of the event. "Through its Premier Partner program, Wools of New Zealand is energizing the market by bringing top industry players together to raise the awareness of and sales for wool," says Sam Presnell, owner of The Rug Gallery in Cincinnati, OH. "Wool for a Better World month is just one of the many ways Wools of New Zealand is utilizing the strength of its partners to make things happen. More than 20 mills are participating in this event, along with an exclusive group of showrooms committed to wool," stresses Presnell. "We are excited to be a part of it and appreciate all Wools of New Zealand is doing to differentiate our store and increase our selling power."

Wools of New Zealand is also providing retailers with a number of creative elements including print and internet ads, emails, posters, window decals and an event-specific website woolforabetterworld.com

Demboski adds, "In addition to promoting wool's benefits, we are also taking this opportunity to help others by making a donation to Shear Joy. Together, our mill partners and our Premier Partners have proven that there is tremendous power in working as a united group towards a common goal. And this is just the start...there is much more to come."

Shear Joy is a Heifer International program that provides sheep to needy families in third world countries. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training to improve the lives of the poor. Today, it operates in more than 50 countries.

Wools of New Zealand's Premier Partner Program is a group of leading luxury showrooms supported with exclusive advantages that differentiate their business and increase their wool selling power.

The next time you're in a restaurant and are having a hard time hearing your dinner companion, look around. Chances are the floor and walls are hard surfaces, which mean that all the sounds made in the restaurant are just bouncing around without much opportunity for absorption.

Sound is transmitted by the vibration of air molecules. So, if you are surrounded by hard surfaces, any sound is reflected back into the room. Carpets, on the other hand, are extremely effective sound absorbers because the individual fibers, piles tufts and underlay have different resonant frequencies at which they absorb sound. In this respect, wool carpets are extremely effective, as the millions of wool fibers in an area of carpet have a range of lengths, diameters, crimps and spirality, which enables them to absorb sounds over a wider range of frequencies.

Typically, carpets can reduce airborne noise by 35%; however, tests of wool carpets of varying constructions produced an average noise reduction of 46%. With underlay, reductions of 50% to 70% were achieved. It is important to note that sound absorption will be lower if the carpet backing is too impermeable. The ultimate combination for noise absorption is a wool carpet with a wool underlay. Also, cut-pile carpet will absorb more than loop, because of the more open nature of its surface.

In addition to verbal noise we also generate surface noise. Surface noise in a room is the sound from footsteps, dropped objects and furniture movement. Bare tile floors produce 7-12 times more surface noise than carpets, which cushion the impact of the noise, absorbing and deadening the sound. This type of noise control is particularly important in busy restaurants and other locations where people need to be able to communicate amidst a lot of activity.

Overall, by reducing the noise levels and reverberation times, wool carpet improves a room's acoustics, whether it is in a public facility or your home. Background noises disappear; speech comprehensibility increases and occupants automatically speak in a softer, more relaxed voice, rather than generating even more noise by trying to makes themselves heard above the sound around them.