Mills expect good Showtime turnout

High Point fabric show opens Sunday

Gary Evans and Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, December 5, 2008

HIGH POINT — Despite diminished activity at retail, fabric and leather suppliers expect a good turnout of buyers at next week's Showtime here as upholstery companies get ready to dress their products for the upcoming markets.

While the semiannual fabric show was somewhat weak in June, Tony Sutton, sales manager of LTM Textile Resources, said he had a record number of requests for samples and commitments then, and hopes for the same next week. The show officially opens at noon Sunday and runs through Wednesday.

At this round of Showtime, LTM will feature jacquard chenilles with "great styling and pricing" targeted to the middle to lower-upper segment of the market, he said.

"Our product lineup is pretty strong," Sutton said. "December Showtime tends to be slower so we have ratcheted it back slightly but still I think we are going to have good placements."

The level of appointments the company has lined up is strong, he said, with some manufacturers asking up front about new introductions. "I think attendance will be based on that."

At Wearbest, a high-end domestic jacquard mill, new products focus on innovative construction, fresh colors and novelty yarns. "We'll offer a host of products, including recycled construction, silk construction - which is always received well - and very plush chenille jacquards," said Tom Notaro, vice president of sales and marketing.

Still cautious about the economic climate, Notaro said, "Customers are looking for the best perceived value they can find. They also are looking for innovation and excitement."

Bill Fisch, president of Big Kahuna Fabrics, said he has booked 20% fewer appointments compared to last June but is optimistic "that people that are on the bubble will decide to come.

Fisch said that he's "happy with our (sales) numbers," but that's it's been a challenging year for everybody. "Business is not going to stop - it's still out there - just not at the levels we all have expected."

Big Kahuna is not bringing out a lot of new product this show, relying instead on re-coloring proven winners or adding embellishments such as quilting.

Denise Gutierrez, director of merchandising at Craftex, a producer of mid- to high-end jacquards, said that one positive note in the marketplace is that fabric pricing has stabilized, following increases earlier in the year caused by rising oil prices.

Over the past 18 months, Craftex has targeted the decorative segment with cotton tapestries, novelty yarns and heirloom quality looks, Gutierrez said.

De Leo Textiles has a good list of Showtime appointments and expects factories to be shopping aggressively for covers to spur activity, said Cathy Smith, director of design and merchandising.

The largest supplier of Turkish fabrics in the United States, De Leo will be ready with a big round of new fabrics. The company is adding a velvet line and expanding its Couture line - "a smash hit at the last market," Smith said.

"Our customers know they just can't hide in a hole until the economy turns. They have to put out a compelling reason (for shopping) now," she said.

Valdese will be making the largest and most comprehensive rollout in its history, said Zack Taylor, vice president of sales and marketing.

"We're coming with 25% or 30% more product than at any Showtime since I've been here. It's an aggressive campaign to flood our customers with as many options as we can," he said.

How business will be in the near future is hard to predict. But Taylor expects fabric buyers to focus hard on making the right picks.

"It was evident at October's market that our customers were buying what they needed to inspire their customers through style and sophistication," he said. "I've seen our customers spending more money on fabrics as a means to inspire someone to make that purchase."

Although upholstery producers are working hard to keep costs down, most mills don't see producers cutting corners on fabric price points.

"When you just sell a price, anybody can do that," said Parks Neisler Jr., vice president of Dicey Mills. "But if you can offer them something that they can put on the retail floor that looks a little different and catches the consumer's eye and is still a value - that's where we're getting results," he said.

Dicey continues to upgrade and will expand its eco-friendly program, which Neisler said has been "very successful."

"When the customer looks at eco-friendly, they don't come to us and say ‘show me your green fabrics.' They look at the fabrics and if they're styled right, priced right and look good and (are) eco-friendly on top of that, it's a plus," he said, noting there's no upcharge. Our emphasis is on good, eco-friendly material that sells."

Neisler said that appointments this week are consistent with the past few rounds of Showtimes. As far as business, "It's still tough," he said. "But I'm excited to get some product that was sold in High Point on the retail floor. At some point, it's got to turn because there's some pent-up demand out there."

Dicey is now producing 100% domestically, allowing it to control everything from style to delivery. The company was previously importing about one-third of its goods from China, Neisler said.

Morgan will be here with a new collection of 53 patterns. The range includes cottons, chenilles, velvets, microfibers, prints and polyurethanes. The company is emphasizing color with new shades, including orange, lime, fuscia, pink and plum. And it is adding more color to perennial favorites such as Linato, which will have 13 new flavors.

Darrin Royer, vice president of merchandising and design, said Morgan has already gotten a positive response to new goods being shown here.

"We do a lot of pre-selling, so the guys out on the road have had a great reaction," he said.