Orlando—Few would argue that 2023 and 2024 were down years for the flooring industry. It was certainly not the time to invest in the largest total showroom launch in industry history, right? Who would dare be that brazen, that audacious? The answer to that question is CCA Global Partners, which delivered 900 Retail 2.0 showrooms to their Carpet One Floor & Home and Flooring America members over the past 18 months—by far the biggest initiative in cooperative history.
The effort paid off. “In 2024, when others were pulling back, we were taking market share,” Keith Spano, president, CCA Retail Group and Carpet One Floor & Home, told members at conneXtion 2025. “We took market share last year, and we know we are going to take market share this year.”
For Spano, conneXtion 2025 marked his first as president of Carpet One after more than a decade as president of Flooring America/Flooring Canada. As he explained, “This is not just a new role, new position. This is a homecoming. I’ve waited my whole life for this.”
Keith Spano is a third-generation flooring dealer whose grandfather, industry legend and Hall of Famer Lou Spano Sr., started Eldorado Carpet One, member No. 48. Keith Spano is not just a flooring executive; he is a retailer just like the other 1,200 CCA members. “I know how hard retail is,” he said. “I’ve walked in your shoes. I know how hard it is to chase money, know how much pride you have in running your business.”
CCA Global Partners has come a long way since Keith Spano first entered the business; in fact, the last five years has seen a major change in personnel and in retailer programs at the cooperative. “What I tell members is: ‘This is not your parents’ Carpet One,’” he said. “It’s a new day; we have succession at the executive level, at the board level, at the member level. We have 100 of our NexGen (under age 40) retailers here and they’re going to push us to keep innovating and to keep our foot on the gas. We’ve really hit the ground running in 2025.”
While CCA had a minimal decline in purchases last year, it said it significantly outperformed home improvement big box players. In fact, the final month or two of 2024 saw positive comp sales and momentum that is continuing into 2025. The expectation is that members will see positive sales this year.
Retail 2.0 takes off
The new initiative has been a great success, both leaders and membership would agree. Members who have experience with the system said they are closing deals faster and selling at higher margins. Furthermore, it allows them to put more junior salespeople on the floor who can get up to speed faster because the selling system is so easy.
“We have focused on the consumer experience,” said Steve Sieracki, president of Flooring America/Flooring Canada. “The consumer journey is a long process before they go into the store. But when they’re in that process we want to treat them right, whether it be Flooring America or Carpet One.”
Flooring retailers at ConneXtion 2025 seem united in their embrace of 2.0, and customers are gravitating to it. “Our customers really love it,” said Don Baldwin, owner of Baldwin Flooring America, Omaha, Neb. “To see all the colors in a row; they can narrow down the colors fast. I know people who were in our store for hours [in the past] looking at different displays and couldn’t come up with the colors they were looking for. Here they can choose colors in minutes. I’m excited about the future of this.”
Tim Jacobi, owner of Jacobi Carpet One Floor & Home Hastings, Neb., praised 2.0 as a “simple, clean system,” adding: “Our sales team can take pride in the products we sell. There are going to be products that we might not have sold in the past that we will now because of how the products are displayed. That’s because the system is so user friendly. It’s definitely going to help our business grow, there’s no question.”
‘AMP’ing it up
While Retail 2.0 continues to be the main headline at CCA Global, it is far from the only innovation. Advanced Marketing Programs (AMP), a comprehensive technology stack launched by CCA Global, is designed to drive local traffic and amplify member success stories. The new AMP Connect platform offers customer relationship management and automated marketing capabilities for all members, regardless of their point-of-sale system. “We’ve successfully migrated 100% of the membership who can take advantage of the largest flooring database in the industry,” said Dale Jordan, product strategist at CCA Global.
Over the past year, the organization has seen results across the board with members who invested in the premium marketing program. Those retailers are seeing more organic form leads, more search results and more map views. The marketing team also reported that it is prioritizing localized content across member websites, Google Business Profiles and social media platforms.
Internal research showed that CCA Global members who took on the digital programs saw a 70% increase in leads vs. those who did not. “We ask members to follow the plan because we spent the money to do the research,” Spano said.
Dealing in diversification
A key pillar of CCA’s strategy involves diversification, encouraging members to expand their market presence through multiple brands such as Kiba kitchen and bath studio. Roughly 25%-30% of members have already embraced K&B, with some interesting results.
“Our stores that do kitchen and bath [sell] more flooring than those who are strictly flooring dealers,” Spano explained. “The close rate of those in kitchen and bath for flooring sales is 100%. Project-center mentality makes a lot of sense.”
After back-to-back tough years, Schneider’s Flooring America in Vernon, Conn., is excited about the prospects of the Kiba kitchen and bath studio. “Although we have been working in the kitchen and bath space for the past nine years, we were missing out on the advantages of partnering with CCA vendors,” said Paul Deschenes, owner. “We also did not have the support system that we rely on as a Flooring America retailer. Making the decision to join the Kiba program changed that. After we complete our remodel of the kitchen and bath area in our showroom, we will have more products to offer our customers, including additional cabinet lines, countertops, plumbing fixtures, shower doors, lighting and decorative hardware. With Kiba and Flooring America under one roof, we will be a destination for the retail remodeler and the perfect place for a designer to bring their clients. Everything under one roof.”
Engaging the next generation
CCA Global Partners Retail Group launched its first-ever NEX40 Retreat, a gathering to foster the development and connections of up-and-coming leaders within its cooperative. This first-of-its-kind event for the cooperative brought together 100 young professionals under 40 to learn, share and unlock new possibilities for their businesses and careers.
The NEX40 initiative, led by a rotating leadership council, is focused on strengthening peer relationships within the membership, addressing shared challenges and collectively driving innovation and growth. “NEX40 was a way for me to find my way in our business—it made it okay to not be afraid to make changes,” said Lauren Allwein-Andrews, co-owner of Annville, Pa.-based Allwein Carpet One and NEX40 member.
The retreat, which was held prior to conneXtion, featured a full day of curated activities balancing professional development, networking and team-building fun. “The NEX40 Retreat represents the culmination of a year of strategic planning to create an event that enriches the experience of our NEX40 members,” said Frank Santaniello, vice president of member services, Carpet One Floor & Home.
Vylett Cross, co-owner of Ed’s Flooring America, was recognized as this year’s recipient of the NEX40 Award, which honors a next-generation leader under 40 who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to CCA.
ITR sees positive signs
One of the best attended sessions at a conneXtion event is ITR Economics’ outlook on the economy. Compared to last year, senior forecaster Connor Lokar had better news to share with retail members. “Our outlook is for growth over the next two years,” Lokar said. “2025 will be better than 2024 and 2026 will be better than 2025. The table is set for growth, so get excited and make sure you and your sales team are ready to make hay as the sun shines and the clouds part.”
Lokar said one key factor is that existing-home sales are stabilizing. “This is the single most important [factor] as sales both for the seller and buyer impacts remodeling.”
Lokar did not paint an entirely rosy picture. Interest rates will continue to be a bugaboo for the foreseeable future, he said. “We’ll be dealing with interest rates for the next decade; they won’t come down as much as you’d like.”
Labor and electricity are among the costs that will continue to stay elevated. As Lokar noted, “Inflation is not going back to 2%. On average your costs will be higher 12 months from now. So, if you have a need for a big-ticket item, buy it now because it will be higher in 12 months.”
Likewise, mortgage rates are expected to remain stubbornly high, at or near 7%. However, that is not a reason to sit idly by, Lokar said. “If you need to buy a house, go do it. Residential real estate prices will not go down, so don’t sit on the sidelines waiting it out.”
Speaking to retailers, Lokar said, “You can still grow [your business] with mortgage rates at 7%, just not as much.”
Lastly, Lokar pointed out the strength of the U.S. economy vis-a-vis the world, noting that the U.S. represents 26.3% of the world gross domestic product. “Rest of World” is second at 19.1% followed by China at 16.8%. “We’re awesome, basically,” Lokar said. “The United States is here to stay.”
China will have fewer people driving the economy in the future; the same holds true for Germany, Japan and some other countries but not the U.S. “We’re so lucky to have a millennial surge in the U.S.,” Lokar said.
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