Upholstery buyer turnout, orders beat expectations
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, February 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS — LAS VEGAS — Upholstery vendors ended the winter market here last week happy that buyer turnout and orders written were clearly better than expected.
Since most upholstery companies didn't forecast great things for the Las Vegas Market, they were pleased to see more buyers than anticipated — and better yet, find them placing orders for new merchandise.
Orders weren't deep, but some manufacturers saw it as a sign that pipelines have emptied to the point that dealers need merchandise for their floors.
“Contrary to what might have been expected, our customers were buying at this market,” said Lee Fautsch, vice president of sales, residential, at Flexsteel, which saw more than 200 customers on opening day and had steady attendance throughout the week.
What they're buying, he said, “is leather. Leather continues to be the greatest value in the marketplace.”
In addition to their uncertainty about the marketplace, Fautsch said that retailers are uncertain about the stability of vendors. “Retailers are doing the same thing we're doing as individual investors — they're looking for safe havens as suppliers,” he said.
Some factories at market said they are adjusting their product lines to the tempo of the economy and doing other things to help their customers weather the crisis.
Hiatt packed its showroom almost completely with sofas that can be retailed for under $1,000.
“We're trying to be sensitive to retailers,” said Eddie Schroder, creative director for the California-based manufacturer. “Under $999 is the secret formula right now.” The company also showed a number of products, from sofas to chairs, that are UPS-shippable.
Klaussner also keyed in to more affordable leather price points. Four new styles in its upper-end Distinctions program had retail prices ranging from $1,299 to $1,899, broadening the existing line that starts at $1,999 and moves upward. Jay Foscue, senior vice president of merchandising, said three more styles will be added at the High Point Market in April.
Shadow Mountain broadened its line of rustic/western/mountain home leather and leather fabric combos with a domestically manufactured line of six sofas that can be customized with six fabric combinations and delivered in four to six weeks.
Bob Eller, vice president of sales and marketing, said the company also offered dealer incentives such as co-op ads and market promotions that could be called in by dealers not attending the show.
“I think the people who offered incentives definitely fared well,” Eller said. “I told my guys that we're not running a sale but helping the retailer.”
Robert You, general manager of contemporary specialist Focus One Home, described market attendance as spotty. “Our traffic is coming in spurts,” he said at midweek. “It's pretty much what I expected with the economy.”
But You added, “Buyers are definitely in a buying mood but they're very conservative. They're putting together values and style.”
Los Angeles-based Charles Carol Designs went from a black-and-white fashion statement here at the July market to a back-to-nature look in browns, creams, blues and a host of soothing colors, said Robert Vecchio, the company's creative director.
“We try every show to bring something new to the market,” said Vecchio, who said a natural palette seems more comfortable to people in a time of uncertainty.
Company owner Norm Solomon added, “The idea is to make you feel good in a time when there's too little of that — not only in furniture but in the economy in general.”
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New Las Vegas upholstery finds retailers ready
Feb 11, 2009
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