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World Vineyards collection aims to tap wine's cachet

By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, June 24, 2004

High Point — High Point— You'll soon be able to sip your Beaujolais and shop a big new home furnishings collection based on wine country style, called World Vineyards.

After a soft launch this summer with rug licensee Hellenic Rugs, World Vineyards will come to High Point in October with case goods and upholstery from Klaussner.

Dick Idol Ventures will put the brand structure it developed for a successful home furnishings license with Montana outdoorsman Idol to work in the new World Vineyards brand. The new line will draw style inspiration from the architecture, decorative elements and furniture of various winemaking regions around the world.

Klaussner's initial furniture launch will include two collections of 90 to 100 case goods and occasional SKUs along with coordinating upholstery. Beds will retail from $799 to $1,299.

A variety of World Vineyards products will debut in October to give the line a complete lifestyle merchandising capability. Besides Klaussner and Hellenic, licensees include StyleCraft Lamps, Natural Creations for florals and 2 Day Designs, a Georgia company that will make occasional pieces from actual wine barrels.

The increasing popularity of wine-related accent furniture and the incorporation of wine-storage function in more collections have paved the way for a full lifestyle collection to appeal to the desirable and growing demographic of wine consumers.

Last year, importer Fine Furniture Design & Marketing introduced a case goods group in cooperation with North Carolina winery Raylen Vineyards.

"We're seeing a lot more furniture out there that incorporates wine storage, but not a multi-category lifestyle furnishings brand," said Jim Williams, chief marketing officer of Dick Idol Ventures. "As far as style goes, this will be geographically based. The long-term potential for new collections within the brand is huge when you consider the number of winemaking regions in the world."

The initial furniture introduction will look to architectural motifs from California vineyards. Wood finishes will reflect the rich hues of wine-stained aging barrels and doors and woodwork in California wineries. Style elements will include trellises, tile, iron gates and hand-painting.

Future collections are expected to incorporate themes from locales in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia and South America.

"On the marketing side, we'll partner with smaller local vineyards for each collection," Williams said. "There's a lot of opportunity there for retail events like wine-tastings with regional food, point-of-purchase materials, vineyard trips and wine clubs.... We're working right now on getting a partner in California."

Klaussner says its experience with the Dick Idol license has primed the company for more whole-home collections such as World Vineyards.

"Dick Idol put us on the map with case goods," said Darren York, merchandise manager for case goods. "It's sold very well and our customers are looking for us to bring out more complete collections."

If World Vineyards does as well as the original Dick Idol collection, Dick Idol Ventures could develop additional brands. The company also may pursue the development of dedicated stores and television shows centered around future brands — again based on the Idol model.

"We interested in investing back and building a brand," Williams said. "We don't want to be an agent — we want to be a brand-building concept."

The wine opportunity

Wine consumers represent a growing and desirable target:

53.6 million people, or 26.4% of U.S. adults, drink wine.
63% are female, primarily ages 30 to 59.
On average, they have more education than the general population and a higher household income, in the $63,000 to $78,000 range.
U.S. retail wine sales in 2002 rose 7% to $21 billion and have grown an average of 6.4% a year since 1992.

Source: The Wine Market Council

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