Consumers spur Saks to sell Seymour furniture
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, September 15, 2003
Birmingham, Ala. — It may be one of the few times consumers pushed a retailer into the furniture business. And it involves an English actress with a hit TV series, an American department store group and a Canadian furniture maker.
This summer, the Saks Department Store Group, based here, launched its exclusive Jane Seymour St. Catherine's Court home collection, primarily consisting of upscale home textiles with accompanying tabletop, lamps and accessories. The products are inspired by the award-winning actress' country home in Bath, England, which dates to the 10th century.
In order to display the collection in lifestyle boutiques, Sax turned to Shermag, the big Canadian producer, to make some furniture pieces, including beds, armoires, small chests and a dining table and chairs.
The furniture was planned strictly as display props, said Howard Winkler, senior vice president of Saks Department Store Group. But that soon changed.
"We had requests for the furniture every day," Winkler said. As a result, SDSG plans to have the furniture available for sale by year's end, he said.
The logistical challenge for the retailer, he said, is that two of SDSG's divisions, Profitt's and Parisian, do not carry furniture. The company's Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, Boston Store, McCrae's and Younkers divisions all sell furniture.
All told, SDSG has about 240 stores. Furniture/Today estimates the group's furniture and bedding volume at $96 million in 2002.
The retailer isn't ready to discuss pricing of the furniture and other details. Winkler said the Seymour collection is selling well.
The Seymour presentations are based on store size — ranging from 2,000 square feet with six beds, down to 500 square feet and two beds.
SDSG is putting significant resources behind the program, including an elaborate catalog, TV ads, billing inserts, a home book and personal appearances by the actress, who has appeared on stage, in movies and as the star of the TV series, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."
The St. Catherine's Court collection incorporates historical elements and English formality.
A new, contrasting collection is set to debut in 2004. To be called Coral Canyon, it is based on Seymour's home in Malibu, Calif.
"It represents a combination of eras," Seymour said, "with a Normandy-type kitchen, and mostly white-on-white throughout the rest of the house. There also are splashes of color, references from Tuscany and Santa Fe."
Winkler expects the Seymour boutiques to be expanded to encompass Coral Canyon, but the size will depend on the long-term success of the current collection.
