Business Briefs: Dixie to buy Robertex firm

photo Dan Frierson, head of Dixie Group

Dixie to buy Robertex firm

The Dixie Group is in negotiations to acquire Calhoun, Ga.-based Robertex Associates Inc. from owner Bob Rothman.

Under the plan, Rothman would stay on for at least five years during the transition, as publicly-traded Dixie absorbs the family business that dates back to 1917. Robertex, a producer of wool carpet under its Robertex and Carousel brands, would give the Chattanooga-based Dixie additional sales and production capacity in the carpetmaker's high-end wool line, which saw increased sales in the first quarter.

"Though uncertainty surrounds the rate of recovery in the housing sector and potential macro-economic issues affecting consumer confidence, we believe that conditions in the upper-end residential portion of our industry will continue to grow during 2013," Dixie CEO Dan Frierson said.


Most Tennesseans gain broadband

A new study released Wednesday by Connected Tennessee shows that more than 80 percent of Tennessee households have access to broadband services of at least 100 megabits per second download speed and nearly 6.4 percent have access to gigabit-per-second Internet connections. Broadband service continues to rise across the state and Chattanooga's gigabit speed offered through EPB is the fastest citywide service in the United States.

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