KENNESAW, Ga.--Jan. 29, 2007—Wear-Dated® carpet fiber puts its best foot forward at Surfaces 2007. The booth (#4758) will showcase a new brand extension, new education and marketing materials and new products across many mills.

Wear-Dated’s biggest news at Surfaces 2007 is Natural Nylon, the newest brand extension since DuraSoft in 2003. Wear-Dated Natural Nylon combines the superior performance characteristics of Solutia nylon 6,6 with a proprietary insert technology that acts as a glue to bind individual fibers together. The benefits of the patented fiber structure include sharp pinpoint definition for use in solids and distinct patterns, a natural wool-like look now available in constructions previously limited to BCF fiber, and superior appearance retention.

The booth will showcase the “By the Foot” marketing campaign, a lively, colorful campaign displaying the beauty, comfort and durability of Wear-Dated through tactics such as consumer brochures, coop advertising and rack headers. Trade ads recently kicked off the new campaign in Floor Focus and Floor Covering Weekly.

“The tone of ‘By the Foot’ is warm, friendly, and a little bit quirky, like a conversation with a good friend,” said Marianne Cone, director of marketing, carpet fibers, Solutia Inc. “In fact, all of the materials, from rack headers to direct mail, are designed to help the retailer provide consumers with the helpful information they are looking for, in a pleasant, engaging format.”

Wear-Dated plans to showcase several other new resources for retailers, including the “What is Blue?” color forecast, a presentation that looks at colors in a historical context, examining how they have found their way into the world of design. “More and more retailers see the need to be up to date on color and design trends in order to be relevant to the consumer,” said Cone. “This forecast helps them do just that.”

Wear-Dated’s director of In-Store Innovation, Christine Whittemore, will take retailers through “Flooring The Consumer” (http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com), a weblog resource that explores the retail experience, and present “Why Amazing Shopping Experiences Matter” on Friday, Feb. 9 from 8-9:30 a.m. as part of the Surfaces educational program.

Retailers can expect to see a robust line-up of new products across many mills at the Wear-Dated booth, including Gulistan, Prince St. House & Home, Fabrica, Royalty and CW Industries. The new Mohawk Innovations rack will be on display, with 19 new carpet products featuring Wear-Dated fiber and ScotchgardÔ Protector Advanced Repel Technology.

Information about the 2007 incentive program enhancements, as well as roll and sample rebates will also be available.

For more information, visit the Wear-Dated Booth (#4758) at Surfaces ’07 or contact your WDR or Christine Whittemore at cbwhit@solutia.com.  

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Note to Editor: Wear-Dated is a registered trademark of Solutia Inc.