Carpet One & 3M Announce EverGuard Contest Winners

Manchester, NH, January 19, 2005--Carpet One and 3M recently announced the winners of their EverGuard sales contest, designed as a friendly competition among Carpet One sales professionals that also increased sales and member profitability. The contest ran for three months this past fall. Contest winners will receive a variety of prizes, from an all-expenses paid trip to Carpet One's upcoming sales professional convention to an AMEX gift card. Carpet One sales professionals had the opportunity to register to win each time that they sold an EverGuard Protection Plan, a leading stain protection warranty developed by Carpet One and 3M. As a result of the contest, Carpet One increased the number of EverGuard plans sold by more than 22% from the previous year, and 49% from the previous three months. Jim Bennett, 3M's CCA global account representative, says that Carpet One's EverGuard Stain Protection Plan is unique in that it covers all accidental stains--those incidents that make you say "oops." While most standard stain protection warranties cover only limited food and beverage stains, Bennett explained, the EverGuard Protection Plan provides ten years of service for all accidental stains, including pet stains and unidentified spots and spills. The plan gives consumers unlimited access to 3M's service center for expert stain removal assistance and advice on carpet care and maintenance. 3M, the manufacturer of Scotchgard Protector, has provided service for carpet protection plans for over 15 years and has the support of a network of more than 1,700 industry-certified professional carpet cleaners. David Hendler, vice president of retail for Carpet One notes, "We have a long history of innovation at Carpet One, all designed to improve the customer experience. Our partnership with 3M to develop the EverGuard Protection Plan is a great example of this. It promotes peace of mind during the buying process, something that is very important to our customers, sales professionals, and owners alike. I am very proud of the effort our stores have put forth to make this program a success." Mercer Carpet One in Westminster, Maryland, was the top EverGuard seller during the contest and also won one of the five grand prizes. According to owner Jim Farrell, customers are generally concerned about wear and stain warranties--they want to be sure that they are covered when they accidentally drop something on their new carpeting. Since no one else has a warranty as extensive, EverGuard sets him apart from his competition. He also notes that he has never received a significant complaint about 3M's service, so he and his sales professionals feel comfortable promoting 3M's products and services. In addition to Mercer Carpet One, four other Carpet One stores received the grand prize: Felikian's Carpet One - CA Tile & Carpet Town Carpet One - NY Marina Carpet One - NY Lippert's Carpet One - OR