King Hickory winning by playing 'small ball'
By Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, December 9, 2001
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Bob and Linda Palmer, owners of King Hickory Furniture. Like most of us, they are concerned about the economy and its impact on the home furnishings business.
Despite the obvious challenges the industry is grappling with, the Palmers, like many of you I've been talking to, see the glass as half full.
Actually, in their case, they told me the glass was close to overflowing. According to Bob, this November represented the best month ever for the 43-year-old manufacturer.
The news of their success prompted me to ask them about their strategy. As the story unfolded, it soon became obvious the company was scoring not with fancy plays but rather by sticking to the fundamentals, which in this case involved a lot of basic blocking and tackling.
"At King Hickory, we see the family room as our strength. Our strategy this year was to find a means to maximize our importance in that room of the home," Bob Palmer explained.
Linda added, "However, as part of the goal, the objective was to develop a very simple format that could make everyone concerned — us, the reps, the retailer and the end user — successful."
That thinking manifested itself as the Great Rooms program, a collection of family room seating in correlated fabrics and leather. Taking a page from Burger King and its "have-it-your-way" mindset, King Hickory developed the Great Rooms program around six frames in four categories: fabric, fabric/nail trim, leather and fabric, and leather.
The company further sought to simplify the equation by offering best-selling fabrics, timely delivery and a set price for each of the four fabric categories. "For example, all the leather and fabric sofas cost $1,599, regardless of the style selected," Bob explained.
"This is not rocket science. In fact, it is anything but that," he said. "It's the very simplicity of the program that has made it as good as it has been."
I sometimes wonder if, in our attempts to win the game, we spend too much time looking for the fat pitch we can hit into the upper deck.
Former New York Yankee manager Billy Martin earned a reputation for winning by playing "small ball." His game plan was to play smart, basic baseball and chip away … bunt, hit and run, steal a base, whatever the situation called for.
I have no idea if the Palmers are Yankee fans, or have studied Billy Martin's coaching style. However, if you ask me, the Palmers are playing small ball.
But what really matters is that, if you ask them, they will tell you they are winning.
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