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New Hooker brand eyes younger consumers

Moderately priced Envision to launch in April

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, March 23, 2009

HIGH POINT — Hooker Furniture is launching a new brand tailored for consumers age 24 to 44 seeking style, quality and value in their home furnishings.

Envision is a moderately priced brand of transitional case goods aimed at young consumers with household incomes of $75,000 and below. Up to now, the Hooker brand has been most popular among consumers over 40 with household incomes higher than $75,000.

Set to launch in April, Envision will include four new bedrooms and dining room, occasional and wall units that complement the updated Louis Philippe style Kemperton bedroom, which was launched in October.

Envision also includes three new standalone occasional groups and two new standalone dining sets.

Most of the new pieces can be seen at premarket here, which is running this Monday and Tuesday.

Covering style categories from casual transitional to urban contemporary and hip traditional, the groups are priced abut 25% lower than other Hooker case goods, with four-piece container-direct bedrooms retailing at $1,995.

"We see a great opportunity and void in the marketplace for a moderately priced case goods line that offers extraordinary value," said Bruce Cohenour, Hooker's senior vice president, in a statement. "For a $1,995 price point, we're giving a product with value that looks like $2,995. We want to overwhelm with exceptional finish, styling, scale, piece selection and function."

Goods in the Envision brand will be scaled for smaller homes, condos, apartments and second bedrooms. A typical Hooker dresser, for example, might be 72 inches wide while an Envision piece would be 62 to 68 inches.

Officials said the launch helps round out Hooker's offerings with a quality and pricing story that places Envision in the better category and the traditional Hooker line in the best category.

It also helps Hooker's wood products reach a broader demographic. Along with Envision, the Hooker case goods lineup also includes Opus Designs youth furniture.

"Now we can reach consumers aged 4 to 64 and give better-than-expected value at each level to each consumer franchise," said James Millner, vice president of merchandising for Opus Designs and Envision.

The new brand is partly built off the success of Kemperton and another lifestyle group launched in October called Island Retreat. Both hit retail in early February.

"We were pleasantly surprised given market conditions for the success being that quick," Cohenour said.

The Envision bedrooms will have 10-12 pieces per group, Millner said. Signature pieces include media dressers and bed benches. Like Island Retreat, two of the new groups also have optional storage beds.

"We know this customer has certain needs and we are trying to meet those needs with the proper piece selection," Millner said. He added that the new brand makes Hooker a one-stop resource for buyers.

Each bedroom has a computer-compatible leg desk as well as nightstands with pullout shelves and USB ports for laptops, iPods and phone chargers.

The Envision pieces, which are expected to ship in June, can be seen in the company's showroom in the International Home Furnishings Center, W-1047.

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Hooker eyes younger consumers

Mar 23, 2009

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