La-Z-Boy celebrating 75th anniversary
Month-long 'sale-a-bration' keys in on products, events
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, August 5, 2002
MONROE , Mich. — MONROE , Mich. — La-Z-Boy's 75th anniversary celebration gets under way in earnest this month with a major nationwide promotion backed by an aggressive cable television advertising schedule.
The month-long event, dubbed "sale-a-bration" focuses on the company's signature upholstery products, but also reminds consumers that La-Z-Boy stands for a lot more than the reclining chairs it pioneered in the late 1920s.
"As we continue to focus on the future, it is important for us to also pay homage to the rich heritage that has been the foundation for our success," said La-Z-Boy Chairman Pat Norton. "We are celebrating in a big way."
Doug Collier, vice president of marketing, said advertising and promotional efforts related to the anniversary will be in addition to the company's ongoing national brand advertising.
"Our brand advertising is a very contemporary, focused message … and we don't want to lose that momentum," said Collier. "Anniversary promotions, which include everything from special pricing to consumer prize giveaways, will focus on a specific event."
La-Z-Boy officially kicked off its anniversary celebration in June, when several of its executives rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. In addition to product promotions such as the current one, the company is planning anniversary events at the October furniture market in High Point. However, Collier said specific plans won't be announced for a few weeks.
A 75th anniversary logo and brochure has been developed in conjunction with the promotions, and the company soon will unveil a redesigned Internet site, he added.
"Our people are very excited to be involved" in the anniversary events, he said.
La-Z-Boy was founded in 1927 by cousins Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker. They began by hand crafting wooden chairs in the family garage, and by the end of the decade had developed the first reclining chair.
The first upholstered model was introduced in 1929, and more innovations quickly followed. The first recliner with a built-in footrest debuted in the 1950s, and the recliner-rocker took the industry by storm in the 1960s.
The 1990s saw recliners go gadget-crazy with options such as massage units, coolers and telephone jacks. It was a decade that also saw La-Z-Boy greatly expand its upholstered furniture assortment and its case goods business.
La-Z-Boy is now the parent of 15 wood and upholstered furniture companies with combined annual sales in excess of $2 billion. It has more than 18,000 employees at 41 production facilities in North America, Europe and Asia.
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