Club 8 eyes more U.S. Bo Concept stores, galleries
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, March 31, 2003
High Point — Having long ago shed its Scandinavian skin for a more worldly contemporary look, Club 8 is seeking to ramp up its U.S. distribution with Bo Concept stores and galleries.
Looking to replicate its success in Europe, where more than 100 Bo Concept stores are already operating, the Danish manufacturer is reinforcing its product line with case goods, occasional pieces and upholstery designed to round out its good-better-best assortment of contemporary furnishings.
The company, which is showing at market at 220 Elm, space 320, also is looking to cement relationships with U.S. gallery and store dealers.
Adding the Inbound case goods and occasional collection to its assortment this spring and filling in existing lines, Club 8 now has a full line of flat-pack case goods and custom upholstery, all designed to appeal to young or urban adults.
And the best way to sell this line, according to Club 8 executives, is in a dedicated store or gallery space. The company will continue to sell the Club 8 brand to dealers who want to show a bedroom or an office configuration, but Bo Concept is the name of the brand for retailers who dedicate substantial space to the program.
"We feel very comfortable when we create the retail environment for the customer," said David Most, director of U.S. marketing. "We have a concept that is proven successful in other markets, and we are confident that it can work very well in North America too."
Club 8 President Viggo Molholm said the company is in the early stages of making Bo Concept a recognizable brand in the United States and Canada.
"It is a lot of work and some money, but in the States you have to make a choice and pursue your strategy," said Molholm, son of one of the cabinetmakers who started Club 8 in 1952.
Molholm is responsible for steering the company away from its original Scandinavian style palette to a more Euro look. That move has paid off, he said, but the biggest opportunities still lie ahead.
"The market for contemporary is rather small today, but that will increase dramatically in the future. Also, where we see ourselves in price and quality there is almost nobody there," he said.
Although some of the better upholstery goes higher, most pieces in the Club 8 line are priced below $1,000 and many are below $500.
Just as important, Molholm believes his company and its retail partners will profit more through the Bo Concept program. These spacious showrooms — which are identical to the Club 8 showroom in High Point — don't just display product but are lifestyle presentations designed to inspire.
"The best scenario from a partnership perspective for us would be to find people in furniture retail today who want to open stores for an entire market," Molholm said. "Our experience is if we can have fewer committed partners that is what we prefer. They have more power and it's more efficient."
