Pergo cuts Triangle jobs as housing slump hurts sales

Laminate flooring maker Pergo, hurt by the housing slump and increased competition, recently cut 16 jobs at its Triangle operations.

The layoffs reduced Pergo's workforce in Raleigh and Garner to about 175 people. The company doesn't expect to eliminate any more jobs, said Marc Kmec, Pergo's human resources director.

"We don't take these types of cuts lightly," he said. "We don't cut with a hairtrigger when there are slowdowns. But we're in the same circumstance as any company tied to consumer spending and the housing market."

Kmec declined to comment on financial results or how much Pergo's sales have dropped during the economic downturn.

Introduced in Europe in the 1980s, Pergo laminate wood floors arrived in the United States in 1994 and quickly became the market leader. But many rivals now sell similar products.

Pergo's North American headquarters is in Raleigh, and it opened a manufacturing plant in Garner in 1996.

Pergo is a subsidiary of Germany's Pfleiderer AG, which bought the company for $386 million in 2007.

Under Pfleiderer, Pergo started a national advertising campaign that features a Great Dane as the brand's icon. The company's laminate wood flooring is sold by home-improvement chains and other retailers.