Your Guide to TISE 2020

Floor & Decor Opens 228th Store in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

[Brooklyn, N.Y.] Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc., founded in 2000, has continued its growth throughout the U.S. with a new store located at 850 3rd Avenue here, celebrating its grand opening last week. FCW toured the store with Jerry McVeigh, vice president of PRO services, before its opening. This is Floor & Decor’s 228th store across 36 states. Floor & Decor reported net sales of $1,097.3 million in the first quarter of 2024.

McVeigh outlined Floor & Decor’s approach to this new market and how this new Brooklyn location plans to serve the five boroughs of New York City. To start, Floor & Decor planned a city-sized store. “An average Floor & Decor is 7,000 square feet; this one is over 120,000 square feet,” McVeigh shared, noting that “We didn’t want to open smaller store for the flagship NYC location, as we didn’t want to limit visualization.”

The Floor & Decor logo welcomes visitors to its new space.

Indeed, at 129,000 square feet, this Floor & Decor handles a larger capacity of product. This assortment is possible thanks to the large quantity of merchants that Floor & Decor sources from, with McVeigh noting that Floor & Decor buys from 240 different manufacturers and quarries across the world in bulk and that allows this location to ensure that no product will need to be special ordered or waited for — consumers can start their project immediately.

With Floor & Decor’s determination to be a go-to in New York City, McVeigh emphasized Floor & Decor’s role as a price leader, noting that, for example, 3 x 6 ceramic subway tile retails for 15 cents apiece. “We will not be beat,” McVeigh commented.

McVeigh further noted that Floor & Decor is catering to New York City clientele by ensuring that products in store meet the city’s needs. “The store is designed to cater to the Brooklyn neighborhood. [For example], we offer special sized vanities compared to other stores across the country. They wanted the assortment to reflect the neighborhood,” McVeigh said.

Part of the showroom floor opens up to a large variety of hardwood flooring.

Similarly, services offered are geared toward towards helping the customer. “The store’s goal is to inspire customers. You can’t identify products by looking at one piece — you need to see a large display. So, across the store, we offer displays. You can see the product and visualize what the product can do for you.”

To ensure clients can see the product in action, the store contains a design center which offers 32 different vignettes that offers customers visuals of what product would look like in kitchens and bathrooms.

LATICRETE products line the mortar and grout shelves.

Joann Joseph-Viaud, design supervisor, explained that there is a design staff in store to help with the design experience by asking qualifying questions to create a storyboard and “to make space into personal space.”

Joseph-Viaud also remarked that the design staff is present seven days a week and working with the design team is a free in-store service. Furthermore, there are several ways to create an appointment with the team — QR codes are featured throughout the store as well as on the Floor & Decor website. Furthermore, the design center is refreshed twice a year. “We want to be at the forefront of trends,” said Joseph-Viaud.

Similarly, McVeigh highlighted the PRO services geared towards professional installers that Floor & Decor offers, including a rewards program, hotline, education opportunities, job site delivery and the ability to hold product for up to seven days. “We help them walk through and products and cater to them by offering services,” McVeigh said, elaborating that Floor & Decor is focusing on relationship building, “We want to help the professional grow their business.”

Staged vignettes offer consumers design options.

McVeigh noted that, to meet professionals’ needs, they work with NWFA and NTCA to offer workshops and other training opportunities. McVeigh further elaborated, “We wanted to make sure have everything pro prefers and be a one-stop-shop. We offer both Mapei and LATICRETE [products] to ensure pro has what they’re most comfortable with.”

According to McVeigh, Floor & Decor has no plans to slow its growth down. “We’re looking at new markets. The northeast is still untapped. On Long Island alone, there are four Floor & Decor stores.”