Natural Gas Price Increases Affect Costs of Popular Faux Wood Blinds

The rising cost of natural gas has affected prices of blinds and other window coverings. A report, with suggestions from Just.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 26, 2006 -- The rising cost of natural gas has affected wallets in more ways than one. Destruction from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has continued to cause enormous shortages in key polymer resins, devastating the main ingredient supply for faux wood window blinds.

At one point, 85% of North American styrene capacity was lost. Styrene is used to make polystyrene, polyester resins, synthetic rubber, and a host of other products. It is also a key ingredient in faux wood products, like the popular Hunter Douglas EverWood blind.

Uncertainty remains moving forward due to a global natural gas shortage. Recent spot price increases at nearly all market locations in the contiguous U.S. indicate a break from the mostly downward trend since mid December. The return of cold temperatures and escalating crude oil prices has likely contributed to the strength in natural gas prices. Overall, the price increases ranged mostly between 34 and 72 cents.

Raw material costs have doubled, and manufacturers cannot absorb all the expenditure. They have been forced to disregard supply agreements and prices, in turn allocating higher costs. Prices were raised roughly 10% starting at the beginning of February and are now reflected in nearly every supplier’s pricing.

This increase has now removed some of the appeal for faux wood blinds, which give consumers the look of wood without the high price-tag. They are also an ideal product because they withstand moisture and humidity, and are easy to clean and care for. Just, an internet window-covering retailer, offers a 2” Express Faux Wood Blind which ships in 5 days and is 20% less expensive than a regular Faux Wood. This product is one of the lowest priced of its kind, helping consumers offset rising industry costs.

“Faux Wood blinds represent nearly 50% of our revenue, so we were set up to take a big hit if we were forced to increase our prices,” says Chris Blair, Customer Service Manager at Just. “Our decision was to absorb most of the raw material increase, which would keep prices stable for our customers. Not too many of our competitors have the volume to make the same decision."

ABOUT Just- founded in 1999, Just is one of the leading internet retailers of custom window coverings. The company is dedicated to bringing customers the highest-quality window coverings at the lowest price possible. Products include wood blinds, faux wood blinds, mini blinds, vertical blinds, roman shades, cellular shades, pleated shades, roller shades, woven wood bamboo shades, and other window coverings. As a member of the BBB, Just is committed to their customers and offers a complete Satisfaction Guarantee on virtually their entire line. Go online to shop or call 1-800-959-9939 for Internet prices. Hunter Douglas® and EverWood® are registered trademarks of Hunter Douglas,Inc. Just is not affiliated with Hunter Douglas, Inc.

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