cmi Wins Fourth America’s Magnificent Carpets Award For Timeless Retreat

Furniture World Magazine

cmi (Colonial Mills, Inc.), a leading manufacturer of a complete line of braided-texture area rugs and accessories, announced that its recent brand partnership with Woolrich® is already paying dividends. This was evident at last month’s AmericasMart/Atlanta and the Atlanta International Area Rug Market where the company’s timeless retreat™ rug collection and Loden colorway received one of the 2005 AmericasMart America’s Magnificent Carpets Awards. The America’s Magnificent Carpets Awards is the industry’s most acclaimed celebration of design excellence, showcasing leading manufacturers’ and importers’ highest achievements in the centuries-old art of rug making. All the rug entries were judged on balance, color, design, value, weave, texture, and craftsmanship/artistry. The timeless retreat™ collection brings the beauty of the outdoors inside the home, creating refreshing environments that relax and calm the senses. The collection features an oval shape, alternating potpourri style and five colorways: Deepwater, Loden, Redwood, Bark and Carbon. The durable, reversible rug is a blend of 56 percent wool, 35 percent polyester and 9 percent nylon and is constructed with flat and corded braids. The timeless retreat™ collection will be on display at the spring markets, including the New York Home Textiles Show (Booth # 1325 & 1327) and the International Home Furnishings Market, High Point (Suites at Market Square G-1332). “This is our fourth America’s Magnificent Carpets Award and the second that recognizes one of our licensed lines,” said Donald M. Scarlata, President and CEO of cmi. “How appropriate it is that this collection, which was created by two companies with deep roots in the traditions and spirit of America, would win America’s Magnificent Carpets Award. The timeless retreat™ collection offers retailers an exciting opportunity to complement styles and design themes which are emphasized throughout all Woolrich® Home Furnishings while offering consumers a variety of home accents with a unique, handcrafted feel.” Scarlata added that a host of timeless retreat™ accessories are also available from cmi, including accent rugs, chair pads, trivets, rug slices, heart rugs, stair treads, utility baskets, hampers, waste baskets, nesting bowls, tote bags, and floor pillows. “Within an ever-increasing design focused industry, it’s very gratifying to see a company like cmi continue to win with their unique braided rug products,” said Chas Sydney, Senior Vice President of Floor Coverings and New Business Development, AmericasMart/Atlanta. “Among the nation’s largest, richest, and most diverse selection of power-loomed and machine made rugs, the judges felt the timeless retreat™ collection had an interesting design, unique construction, and great value.” AmericasMart/Atlanta is the largest wholesale marketplace of its kind in the world, and is a leading international market source for a wide variety of consumer goods. It hosts 17 wholesale markets and six Market Wednesdays that annually attract more than 400,000 attendees from every U.S. state and more than 72 countries. Retailers attending its markets identify AmericasMart as the gift/home furnishings/area rug/apparel wholesale marketplace most important to their business -- as compared to all competing U.S. wholesale markets -- in independent research conducted by Moore & Symons, Inc. In 1830, John Rich founded Woolrich® in Central Pennsylvania. Some 175 years later, Woolrich® continues to be the authentic American brand that celebrates the outdoors with functional, durable products for outdoor enthusiasts. As the nation’s oldest continuously operating apparel and woolen fabric marketer and manufacturer, Woolrich®’s heritage and experience are unparalleled. Today, Woolrich® continues the tradition with furniture and accessories inspired by the outdoors for the home. For more information on Woolrich®, visit www.woolrich.com. Founded in 1977, cmi is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the home of Old Slater Mill and the birthplace of our nation’s textile industry. The company has specialized in manufacturing braided-texture area rugs and accessories since its inception. cmi’s philosophy is to be the most innovative in the braided-texture area rug category with the results being new colors, styles, award-winning designs, and shapes which most appeal to today’s consumer. These advances continue to demonstrate to consumers that “braided” is simply a construction process and not a style. cmi sells under its own brand name in thousands of specialty retailers and has private label programs and/or customized programs with Ethan Allen, JC Penney, Sears, and many others. For more information on the timeless retreat™ collection, please contact Donald M. Scarlata, President and CEO of cmi, at 560 Mineral Spring Avenue, P.O. Box 249, Pawtucket, RI 02862-0249 or call, toll free, at (800) 343-9339. Fax: (401) 728-2740. Web: www.colonialmills.com.