Carpeteria Switches to Heil-Brice : Advertising: The San Clemente agency will work on an image change for the Valencia-based chain.

SAN CLEMENTE —  Carpeteria Inc., one of the nation’s largest floor-covering dealers, said Thursday that it has awarded the creative portion of its multimillion-dollar ad budget to Heil-Brice Advertising Inc. of San Clemente.

By selecting a different agency, Carpeteria said it hopes to become less dependent on frequent sales and promotions to bring in customers. Instead, it wants to be thought of as a value-oriented, established carpet and flooring chain.

“The real challenge is to take them from being a promotion-oriented retailer to building value in the consumer’s mind,” said Heil-Brice President Hal Brice. “It’s critical to build an image that goes beyond the weekly promotion.”

Brice said he unsure how much new revenue the Carpeteria account would generate for his 18-member San Clemente office but that hiring will be necessary. And it is smaller than the firm’s largest account, the Food 4 Less grocery chain, which does $16 million in annual advertising.

Brice said his agency first pitched Carpeteria two years ago. It was only during a second review, in May, that the agency won the account from Fotouhi Alonso Inc., an advertising and marketing firm in Los Angeles.

Stan Langer, Carpeteria’s advertising director, said that Heil-Brice won the account because of its “enthusiastic approach to the challenges of our business, both today and tomorrow, and their demonstrated ability to efficiently produce advertising.”

Carpeteria, based in Valencia, has nearly 70 stores in six states, including five in Orange County.