LAS VEGAS - Adding to the hype of its behemoth new 22,000-foot anchor showroom debuting at Las Vegas Market, outdoor furniture giant Agio USA of Virginia Beach, VA., announces an expanded outdoor rug partnership with New York-based NuLOOM, and the addition of a new indoor rug program for furniture stores.  Both companies are first time Las Vegas Market exhibitors with an eye to reaching an incremental retailer base of traditional furniture and lifestyle stores, big box, catalog and Internet retailers.  Agio is the largest supplier of outdoor furniture in the U.S.

Under an exclusive arrangement, Agio's sales and distribution network can offer the rugs to traditional, specialty and casual furniture bricks-and-mortar furniture retailers.  Based on the success of the outdoor program, and interest from several leading furniture stores, the program now includes NuLOOM's indoor rug line.

Retailers attending the Market are invited to stop by Agio's showroom C-1295 to learn more about the 125 indoor/outdoor rugs that complement its trend-right outdoor furniture collections. The indoor rug line can be seen at the NuLOOM showroom at the Las Vegas market which is located at A-406. NuLOOM will continue its existing ecommerce business through its own sales force.  

"We are selling so many traditional furniture stores that have added outdoor furniture to the mix, and calling on merchants and owners on a regular basis. In many cases, the rug buyer is the same for indoor and outdoor rugs.  If we are doing business with a retailer, it just makes sense to just walk down the hall to see the rug buyer," said Andy Sokol, vice president, Sales/Furniture Stores for Agio USA.  "The NuLOOM team continues to develop cutting edge designs and materials at affordable price points and we are excited about this opportunity."

"The outdoor room continues to grow in popularity and so has the need for more accessory items," Sokol continued. "Outdoor rugs are increasingly popular to consumers for several reasons: they add color as an accessory to complement the furniture collection, they provide the practical benefit of having a rug underfoot in the walk area, and generally make for a nicer looking living space." 

"We are very excited about our program with NuLOOM. Customers like it because it is affordable and fashion forward. We have a great relationship with Koorosh and Nicole Yaraghi [NuLOOM's co-owners] and the team. The most important things to us in a partnership like this are the people and good relationships," Sokol said.

According to Sokol, 15 furniture vignettes will be shown with rugs in Vegas, and in future 25 displays will be accessorized with outdoor rugs. "It just makes everything look nicer.  A lot of people like to take the presentation in our showroom directly to the retail floor tying the whole package together. Some are selling the rug as a part of a group package.  Some sell them independently.   Merchants tell us it's a good tie in," he explained. 

Whether they go indoors or outdoors, rugs are an easy way to add to the sales ticket; moreover, rugs do not require any additional floor space.  The ordering process is extremely easy: the retailer signs-up with an Agio sales representative, places an order and it ships the next day in most instances.  "We're trying to make it simple and fast for our customers to maximize their sales with a limited investment in inventory," Sokol said. 

Agio works with nuLOOM to coordinate designs that complement its trend-right outdoor furniture styles, Sokol said.  The assortment scheduled for Las Vegas is quite varied so retailers are likely find rugs to fit a wide range of styles - from traditional to neutral to exotic - and even today's popular "aged" look.  Most of what will be shown in Las Vegas will be in stock, ready to ship the next day for two-day service, according to Sokol.  

By providing examples of complementary rugs on display in their showrooms outdoor furniture retailers can show how to accessorize their collections and make it easier for customers to imagine what would go best with the collection they intend to purchase.

According to Sokol, Agio USA offers larger retailers a customized program to match an outdoor furniture collection with a nuLOOM rug that creates a unique furniture group that only one retailer will have.  Direct container programs are also available in addition to the domestic program.  

Sokol added that for retailers selling our indoor or outdoor rugs, the benefits are comprehensive: a quality product, attractive price points, a domestic place to find product, the latest fashions from a good and trusted source, and inventory here in the States that can ship quickly.

The company's rugs are manufactured in Egypt, China, Belgium and Turkey but kept in an 110,000 square foot warehouse in Cranbury, New Jersey for quick shipping.  

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