WMC retailer survey: High Point market has problems
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, April 28, 2002
LAS VEGAS — Several buyers from among the nation's Top 200 furniture retailers criticized the High Point market in a survey conducted for developers of the proposed World Market Center here.
Buyers were asked what primary benefits they believed the World Market Center would have for the industry. The responses included:
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"High Point and Tupelo cannot accommodate with enough hotel rooms for the events."
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"If it were developed as an alternative to High Point it would put an end to being gouged by every hotel, car rental company and restaurant in North Carolina."
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"Everything that High Point does not do well … transportation, parking, reasonable accommodations, entertainment."
The survey, conducted late last year and early this year by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and by market research firm L.A. Mayo, aimed to measure interest in the proposed 7.5 million square-foot WMC.
Some 91 buyers from 85 companies responded, and nearly 76% said they planned to attend the first Las Vegas market, planned for early 2004.
About 70 buyers answered the "primary benefits" question. Eighteen referred to High Point or
North Carolina directly, primarily in negative terms.
The question and responses weren't initially provided to Furniture/Today when the World Market Center released survey results just before the April market.
"Given the fact that we released the study at the High Point market, we did not want critical views expressed by buyers about markets other than Las Vegas to be a part of that press release," said Shawn Samson, co-managing partner with Jack Kashani in the World Market Center.
Samson said developers always have stressed the strengths of the Las Vegas project and its host city and not the shortcomings of other markets. Still, they believe full disclosure is necessary. "We didn't want anyone to think there were answers to this question that we were trying to hold back," Samson said.
A few buyers did reply "None" or "Nothing" to the question about the primary benefits of a Vegas market.
"I don't feel that this (market) is needed," one said. "High Point is already huge (too big) and held twice per year."
But many more pointed to some advantages the developers have been pitching all along: "better accommodations and more to do," "newer facilities, accessibility, entertainment," and "proximity, cost and fun."
"The convenience of getting to market, car and hotel availability and dining options would be a big plus, especially next to how difficult High Point is to work," one buyer said.
Another said, "I don't think Las Vegas could do away with High Point, but it sure would be nice to have something to make (High Point) sit up and notice how hard the market is to work; maybe some changes would happen."
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