Berkline/BenchCraft taking Showplace floor
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, April 4, 2004
HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — Upholstery major Berkline/BenchCraft has signed a long-term lease for the entire fourth floor of Showplace, giving the showroom building here its first true anchor tenant.
The 92,000-square-foot Showplace space, which will be ready for the September premarket, allows Berkline/BenchCraft to show its entire product line in a single location. The company's products are now in three separate High Point showrooms that total about 77,000 square feet.
"This is premier real estate, providing a spacious and exciting place to do business," said Bill Wittenberg, president and CEO. "Until now, we've lacked a space large enough to combine and display our complete product offering."
Most of the five-story, 500,000-square-foot Showplace is temporary exhibit space. However, executives said the building needed an anchor tenant to increase buyer traffic.
"We've been looking for a must-see exhibitor, and Berkline/ BenchCraft is an ideal fit," said Tim McGee, Showplace vice president of leasing. "The added exposure will be good for the building and all our tenants."
He said tenants exhibiting on the fourth floor at the April market will have to move to other floors for the October show, but he believes the drawing power of Berkline/BenchCraft will more than offset the short-term disruption caused by the relocations.
"It changes the whole complexion of Showplace," McGee said. "But in the long run, this will be good for the building."
The only other permanent showroom in Showplace is American Leather's 11,800 square-foot space in the fifth floor penthouse area. It opened with great fanfare last October.
Wittenberg said the deal is the culmination of a showroom search that began two years ago when he and other senior managers teamed with an investment firm to acquire Berkline and BenchCraft from LifeStyle Furnishings International. He said he regrets leaving the International Home Furnishings Center, where the Berkline line has been shown for about 35 years, but said the IHFC couldn't accommodate the company's request for a showroom of about 100,000 square feet.At one point, he said the company discussed constructing its own showroom building. However, officials ultimately decided to move to Showplace because of its top-drawer location and amenities, as well as the speed with which the move could be made.
"We needed to get our showrooms together sooner rather than later," Wittenberg said. "Moving to Showplace, with all brands on display under one roof, dramatically enhances our cross marketing opportunities."
Berkline's current IHFC space is about 35,000 square feet, roughly the same size as BenchCraft's showroom on Uwharrie Road. In addition, the company's Natural Elements rattan line has a 7,000-square-foot showroom in Plaza Suites.
The Showplace showroom will feature high ceilings and an abundance of natural light. In addition to product display space, it will have a cafeteria, kitchen, meeting rooms and a 2,000-square-foot balcony.
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