PRESS FOLDER
PRESENTATION OF
COLLECTION
EGGER LAMINATE FLOORING
2015-2017
PRESS FOLDER
BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 2014
Your contact persons:
Ulrich Bühler
Head of Sales/Marketing
EGGER Group
Stefan Pletzer
Head of Sales/Marketing
EGGER Retail Products
Michael Gerbl
Head of Marketing/Product Management
EGGER Retail Products
For queries:
EGGER Retail Products GmbH & Co.KG
Marketing
Ulrike Sattler
FRITZ EGGER GmbH & Co OG
Communication EGGER Group
Manuela Leitner
Office address:
Weiberndorf 20
6380 St. Johann in Tirol (AT)
Austria
T +43 5 0600-10315
F +43 5 0600-90315
[email protected]
Weiberndorf 20
6380 St. Johann in Tirol
Austria
Phone
+43 5 0600-10638
Fax
+43 5 0600-90638
[email protected]
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BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 2014
Table of contents
EGGER PRESENTS NEW LAMINATE FLOORING
"Always up to date“: EGGER's new laminate flooring collection brings
together a multitude of cutting-edge decors with technical innovations
and comprehensive service.
EGGER RETAIL PRODUCTS IS WELL-POSITIONED
EGGER reacts to the difficult market situation for laminate flooring
with a consistent innovation strategy, high value added expectations,
and even more proximity to customers.
THE EGGER TRUCK TOURS EUROPE
With the EGGER Truck as a multifunctional marketing platform,
EGGER is taking their comprehensive product range and service offer
on the road across Europe. Following renovation, the new laminate
flooring collection is the main focus of the tour.
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BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 2014
EGGER PRESENTS NEW LAMINATE FLOORING
"Always up to date“: EGGER's new laminate flooring collection brings
together a multitude of cutting-edge decors with technical innovations and
comprehensive service.
For the first time, the global manufacturer offers the new EGGER laminate
flooring collection 2015-2017 to professional fabricators exclusively under the
name of EGGER. The choice to not use an additional collection name is a
conscious one. In this way, EGGER underlines the advantages of its strong
brand: wholesale, fabricators, and even end customers benefit from this
clarity, the multitude of decors, and the comprehensive service of the
collection. The market start takes place in September 2014, the introductory
phase for retail runs until January 2015.
"The claim "Always up to date" means a promise to our customers that with this
collection we will remain in step with the times from every point of view," says
Michael Gerbl, Head of Marketing and Product Management for EGGER Flooring.
Here he refers to service, the fact that decors are up to date, and ease of handling.
These aspects guided the EGGER team when developing the collection as well as
all advertising materials and tools used for it.
THE MOST INDIVIDUAL LAMINATE FLOORING COLLECTION IN
EUROPE
The EGGER Laminate Flooring Collection 2015-2017 includes 70 decors with eight
surfaces in five formats, which correspond to the most variate design styles and
customer requirements. The focus is on the trendy oak look. This is already in itself
an attractive offer. However, with this offer EGGER takes a big step further, and
adapts the collection to the specific needs of the respective markets. "People in
different regions have different preferences when it comes to colour, look, and
format. We have done a lot of research in the markets, used expert knowledge, and
done intensive development work. In this way, we can offer our wholesale partners
and fabricators the products that are most suitable for their customers," explains
Stefan Pletzer, managing director of EGGER Retail Products.
The new EGGER laminate flooring collection includes 70 decors in 11 regional
variants, and thus almost 300 articles in total. It is thus the most individual laminate
flooring collection in Europe. The advantage of being represented as specifically as
never before with the right products on the right market outweighs the
corresponding storage and logistics effort, which is the largest in the company's
history. Pletzer says: "Complexity has increased, but wholesalers now have at their
disposal a product range that is perfectly adapted to their market. Thanks to being
sure that the right product was selected, we can offer our wholesale customers a
return guarantee as special service."
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MOISTURE-RESISTANT, LONG, AND QUICK TO INSTALL
In addition to the multitude of decors, the technical features and the related
utilisation options of the new laminate flooring also manage to convince. Floors with
aqua+ technology are available for the first time in an EGGER collection. They are
moisture-resistant and thus can be used in wet rooms, including the bathroom. "This
new product group opens up new possibilities in both the private and the
commercial areas," says Michael Gerbl.
The longboard is another novelty in the range of products available. The "LONG"
format (2,052 x 248 mm) meets the requirements of the still reigning trend towards
open living. The board character of the long format is in particularly high demand for
rooms that seamlessly merge with each other.
A lot of development work also went into the surfaces of the floors. The trend
towards the very authentic textures, perfectly aligned with the decor, continues to
dominate. Textures with a pleasant feel, such as Vintage and Grand Canyon,
belong to the anti-slip class R10, which provides the end customer with safety, living
and walking comfort, and easy cleaning. In addition, the fact that there is no decor
repetition in the package provides a final look that is in no way inferior to real
parquet.
Last but not least, the new collection is also comfortable for the installer. The folddown installation system "Unifit" patented by Unilin guarantees a very simple and
significantly faster installation.
SIMPLY EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING SIMPLE
The simple but expressive collection name EGGER Laminate Flooring 2015-2017 is
based on a new overall strategy, explains Stefan Pletzer: "By foregoing a separate
collection name for the target group wholesale and specialised trade, we are
highlighting the strength of the EGGER brand. Because our customers don't only
receive excellent laminate floors, but also the comprehensive service of the entire
EGGER Group."
Dealers and professional fabricators may use the online shop at
www.egger.com/shop to easily and comfortably order floor samples and advertising
materials, such as brochures, as well as sample collections to advise their
customers. With the room visualisation software VDS (Virtual Design Studio),
EGGER also offers digital solutions, which simplify the consultancy work of the
interior designer or the floor installer (VDS Profi), and help the end user (VDS
Mobile App) make a decision.
The EGGER professional programme offers service, know-how, and advantages,
for permanent contact with the fabricator. In addition, flooring customers regularly
receive newsletters with tips regarding colour and trend advice, and, if needed,
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consultancy via the technical customer service, as well as all-round support for
sales and marketing.
NEW PROMOTION STANDARDS
EGGER is also taking innovative paths, reaching into new dimensions, for the
promotion of the new laminate flooring collection. For the first time, the EGGER
Truck is on tour especially for the flooring sector. Truck starting point - The tour will
be in Berlin on 11 September 2014 and will stop in another 50 places until the
summer of 2015, serving as platform for customer events that focus on the new
laminate flooring collection.
All advertising material for the collection is of top quality and optically adapted to the
rest. It guarantees optimal sales talks at POS and a recognition effect in the end
customer. 30,000 of the established collection cases, with original samples and
decor books with large sample images and room situations, were made available.
10,000 updated displays guarantee optimal presentation of the goods at POS
throughout the world. One true innovation is the end consumer brochure called
"Laminate Flooring – Home Decor Magazine" put out by EGGER for the first time.
The brochure was issued in more than one million copies and 18 languages, in
order to durably increase market recognition by end customers, as well as to
actively support specialised trade. In addition to the core topic of laminate flooring, it
also deals with various interior design styles, provides insight into colour science,
and offers useful tips and tricks concerning the home. The brochure has the
character of an interior decoration magazine and can be found in the sale areas of
fabricators, where it can be the first contact point of end consumers with the topic of
laminate flooring, and thus have a decisive role in the purchase.
EGGER LAMINATE FLOORING 2015-2017
 New laminate flooring collection
with 70 decors per region
 Motto: Always up to date
 First presentation for wholesalers on
11/12 September 2014 in Berlin
 Market launch: September 2014 January 2015
 Technical highlights: aqua+ technology
(moisture-resistant laminate flooring),
longboard, Unifit installation system,
authentic surfaces
 First end consumer brochure (more
than 1 million copies in total) to
increase market recognition
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EGGER RETAIL PRODUCTS IS WELL-POSITIONED
EGGER reacts to the difficult market situation for laminate flooring with a
consistent innovation strategy, high value added expectations, and even
more proximity to customers.
The entire flooring market in Europe is under pressure. Thus, a consistent
product, sales, and marketing strategy for laminate flooring is even more
important for EGGER. The EGGER Retail Products Division wishes to secure
its strong market position for the long term, with a high pace of innovation,
clearly focussed sales channels, and needs-oriented product ranges.
CONSOLIDATION IN WESTERN EUROPE, GROWTH IN EASTERN
EUROPE
Especially Western and Southern Europe are marked by very limited construction
activity. This is due to the unstable and relatively weak economy, as well as the
disproportionate construction investments until 2008/2009. Hence, the total flooring
market in these countries is continuing to decline. Depending on the overall
economic development, consolidation can only be expected from 2016 on, except in
the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Germany.
The outlook for the Eastern European market is somewhat more positive. The
largest engines for growth are Russia and Turkey, thanks to their sheer market size.
However, volatility is extremely high in these markets - for example currency
fluctuations, recent political developments, and the overall economic development.
Nevertheless, Stefan Pletzer, managing director of EGGER Retail Products, is
seeing a long-term positive trend: "Turkey and Russia are just now experiencing
massive urbanisation, which is rapidly increasing the need for new buildings and for
renovation. Due to the current crisis situation, projects in these regions are partially
being scaled down, but the housing needs are and remain very high." In this regard,
he assumes a continuous, if very volatile, development in the entire Eastern Europe,
which will experience overall growth.
MARKET SITUATION PROMOTES INNOVATION
Given these significantly changed markets and existing overcapacity, the laminate
flooring industry is under pressure. There are additional requirements due to the
demographic developments in Europe, which force a clear target group orientation,
as well as increasing digitalisation. EGGER welcomes these challenges as a great
opportunity: "The entire industry is becoming more innovative," says Pletzer,
"decors are becoming more attractive and new products, such as our cork+ floor,
enter the market. In this way we create new distribution channels." The EGGER
Group, known for its power of innovation, identifies a great opportunity in the flooring
sector: "We will continue to increase our efforts in the area of product and service
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innovations, create new fields of application for our products, and change product
features accordingly. In addition, we will use the Group's network to better approach
target groups across divisions with a focus on laminate flooring," explains Ulrich
Bühler, Head of Sales and Marketing for the entire EGGER Group.
The company is already setting the direction for the future with the new EGGER
Laminate Flooring 2015-2017 collection and the EGGER cork+ flooring collection
launched in the beginning of the year.
CLEAR FOCUS ON DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL
When it comes to distribution, EGGER continues to focus on the clear differentiation
between collections for wholesalers and specialised trade, and for DIY.
For wholesale, the new EGGER laminate flooring collection means a conscious
choice of focus on the brand and the competencies of the entire Group in the
product and service area.
In DIY, EGGER is following a clear product differentiation from wholesale. The DIY
brand Megafloor® for laminate and cork floors includes a range of products which is
clearly oriented towards this distribution channel, linking the products offer with a
corresponding online presence and logistics adapted to the digital ordering process.
STRATEGY OF EGGER RETAIL PRODUCTS
 Currently challenging situations for the  Opportunity: Laminate flooring industry
flooring market in Europe
is becoming more innovative
 Western Europe: Consolidation only to  EGGER's focus: even higher pace of
be expected starting in 2016
innovation, clear separation of
 Eastern Europe: Medium-term growth,
distribution channels, regional products
but very volatile
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THE EGGER TRUCK TOURS EUROPE
With the EGGER Truck as a multifunctional marketing platform, EGGER
is taking their comprehensive product range and service offer on the road
across Europe. Following renovation, the new laminate flooring collection
is the main focus of the tour.
Since March 2011, the wood-based materials manufacturer EGGER has been
touring Europe with the EGGER Truck, presenting to customers current
products as part of a roadshow offering training sessions, and being
represented at trade fairs and events. The EGGER Truck is now receiving an
entirely new interior design, with a future focus on the flooring offered by
EGGER.
Since the start of the tour over 3 years ago, the EGGER Truck has already covered
100,000 km across 22 European countries, and has been used intensively by
dealers, fabricators, and architects. The Truck is an ideal communication platform,
and was awarded the iF communication design award and the RedDot Design
Award. The successful Roadshow now continues. Over the coming months, the
EGGER Truck will be mainly touring Eastern and Southern Europe, and will be
represented at trade fairs, as well as dealer and partner events. To this end, the
Truck undergoes its first complete renovation and receives a new interior layout.
FOCUS ON EGGER FLOORS
As part of the Truck renovation, the focus is now on the laminate and cork flooring
offered by EGGER. Tried and tested, interactive elements installed inside the Truck
remain in place: the visualisation software VDS Profi, VDS HD. The environmental
cycle which shows partially animated and partially real film sequences, sketches the
process from sustainable forestry management to the use of raw materials that are
no longer usable. The Seminar Area also remains inside the Truck to be used for
training sessions and presentations.
NOVELTIES INSIDE THE TRUCK
An installation table allows customers to test the new flooring click system Unifit,
and an expanded presentation area for the new long board format are new inside
the EGGER Truck. In addition, there are samples of all new decors and formats of
the EGGER Laminate Flooring Collection 2015-2017 presented in September 2014.
START OF THE EGGER ROADSHOW ON 11TH SEPTEMBER
The official start following the renovation is on 11 September in Berlin, from where
the EGGER Truck will continue the tour across Europe. In addition to numerous
Eastern European countries, such as Lithuania, Romania, the Czech Republic,
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Bulgaria, or Turkey, it will also reach Italy and Spain. The Truck is fully booked
through to summer 2015. The tour of the EGGER Truck and current location can be
followed on www.egger.com/roadshow .
FACT BOX EGGER TRUCK
 Offers dealers, fabricators, and architects a  The start of the European tour is in Berlin
look inside the EGGER world
on 11 September 2014
 First complete renovation of the EGGER
 Multi-dimensional stations present the world
Truck: Focus on flooring
of EGGER and provide an overview of all
products and services
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