Georgia carpet indusrty could be affected by Sears pullout

ATLANTA - Georgia&#39;s top carpet makers will be affected by Sears&#39; departure from the carpet business, but only for the short term, an industry official says. <br> <br> Sears, one of the oldest carpet retailers, confirmed Monday that it will stop selling and installing carpet next month as it revamps its product mix. <br> <br> Its top two vendors are Shaw Industries of Dalton and Mohawk Industries of Calhoun in northwest Georgia, leading manufacturers in the $50 billion floor-covering and installation market. <br> <br> ``There are 30,000 to 40,000 retailers in the United States. The demand will shift to others,&#39;&#39; John Swift, Mohawk&#39;s chief financial officer, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. <br> <br> Sears sells carpeting in 560 stores nationwide. Spokeswoman Peggy Palter said there are 1,500 sales positions involved, but it is too early to determine how many may lose their jobs because some may be transferred to other departments. <br> <br> ``Installed floor-covering requires a lot of floor space to display, and we think that space can be used more profitably for other businesses,&#39;&#39; Palter said. <br> <br> She said Sears will continue to sell rugs and will honor all warranties. <br> <br> The company&#39;s carpet sales have lagged in recent years as Home Depot and Lowe&#39;s, the top floor-covering retailers, have expanded their flooring products. <br> <br> ``Home Depot and Lowe&#39;s are relatively new players, and I think they have taken a big chunk of Sears&#39; business,&#39;&#39; said Pierre Maloof, owner of Norcross-based Mag Design, which does work for three metro Atlanta Sears stores. <br> <br> Lowe&#39;s and Home Depot would like to install more of the products they sell, but the service side is more complicated than cash-and-carry product sales. <br> <br> ``Carpet is a tough product because of installation,&#39;&#39; analyst John Baugh of Wachovia Securities said. ``You&#39;ve got to go out to the house and measure the job, then go back and lay it. It&#39;s just not a clean sale.&#39;&#39;