Doyle Weaver, machine operator, keeps and eye on the needles inside the Colortron machine on Friday morning. The machine is a one-of-a-kind weaving tool. Workers at the Dixie Group carpet plant in Eton, Georgia, produced, inspected and shipped carpet on Friday.The Dixie Group Inc., boosted sales in the third quarter by 23 percent over the same period a year ago despite the sluggish sales growth in the carpet industry as a whole.
The Chattanooga-based carpet company said today it earned $22,000, or less than 1 cent per share, on sales of $69.6 million in the three months ended Sept. 30. In the same period a year ago, Dixie lost nearly $1.9 million, or 15 cents per share.
"Our residential product sales grew 26 percent above the same period in 2010," Dixie CEO Dan Frierson said. "This increase is in contrast with what we believe is a sales decline for the residential market."
Frierson said commercial sales were up 14 percent, "which we believe is above the industry growth rate."