New Zealand wool showcased in planes, offices, shops and homes around the globe
December 4 2019 – The global marketing efforts of Carrfields Primary Wool (CP Wool) mean the humble-looking sheep in
your nearest paddock could be producing wool that is destined for some very high places around the world.
Through its subsidiary NZ Yarn, which spins wool yarn for use in carpets and rugs, national wool company CP Wool has
supplied wool that is gracing the floors of the first class cabins on Emirates airliners.
Closer to the ground, CP Wool’s efforts are seeing New Zealand wool showcased on the world stage in several corporate
headquarters in New York; including carpets in the Wells Fargo, American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Time Warner and
Chaincode Labs head offices. The London Stock Exchange’s New York outpost also features New Zealand wool soft flooring.
Further south, weary corporate managers at the KPMG Executive Retreat in Orlando, Florida are relaxing on New Zealand
wool carpets; while across the Atlantic, our wool is cushioning the feet of shoppers in the Tom Ford retail showroom in
Milan.
CP Wool, which represents some 3,500 sheep farmers around New Zealand, is the exclusive supplier of wool to NZ Yarn,
which spins it into yarn for use in the soft flooring industry globally.
Colin McKenzie, Group CEO of CP Wool and NZ Yarn, says its customers include soft flooring manufacturers around the
world who sell products via architects and interior designers.
“We supply our yarn to carpet and rug makers who have connections into the custom design market for corporate offices,
high-end homes and increasing numbers of private jets and luxury yachts. This means New Zealand wool can end up in some
very high profile places. It’s a fantastic way to showcase the quality, beauty and versatility of New Zealand wool to a
global audience.”
For example, the carpet in the Tom Ford showroom in Milan is a very dense plush pile product in rich hues. The KPMG
Executive Retreat features a replica of an intricate oriental design, while the carpet used in corporate offices
demonstrates how wool carpets can be robust and hardwearing yet still beautiful, Mr McKenzie says.
One particular US-based CP Wool customer makes around 750 interior carpet sets for personal, business and private jets
and yachts from New Zealand wool every year.
Another interesting recent project by a CP Wool customer is the refurbishment of the Mary Baker Eddy historic house in
Boston, Massachusetts.
The large stately home was built in the 1930s and was occupied for some time by Mrs Eddy, who was the leader of the
worldwide Christian Science religious movement. It is now being refurbished back to its original condition, including
the manufacture of bespoke New Zealand wool carpet, says Mr McKenzie.
“One of our US manufacturers has made a narrow-woven Wilton carpet specially for the Mary Baker Eddy house, which
replicates a period design from the 1930s. It’s a stunning product which we are immensely proud to have contributed to
on behalf of our growers.”
CP Wool yarn gives global soft flooring manufacturers a novel and differentiated material to work with, which results in
a simply stunning end product, says Mr McKenzie.
“We are providing innovative yarn systems that showcase the beautiful unique characteristics of wool, that designers and
customers love and that our competitors find difficult, if not impossible, to replicate.
“Our whole product innovation strategy is to purposely step off the commodity curve, to become global leaders in
providing leading-edge woollen yarn for carpets and rugs.”
This strategy has resulted in products that stand apart from the rest, and which leverage the tremendous opportunity
which exists to increase the size of the market for wool carpet among corporate and private consumers globally,
particularly in the US, Mr McKenzie says.
“North American consumers have traditionally been slow adopters of wool carpet, with sales at low levels compared with
those in New Zealand and Australia. This opens up a significant opportunity to take New Zealand wool into the soft
flooring market in the US and Canada, as well as other markets including Europe and the Middle East.”
ENDS