Pick your styles, prices in casual dining
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2003
High Point — Casual dining action was strong this market, thanks to the versatility of sizes, styles and price points. Top performers ranged from small dinettes to larger pieces that blur the line between casual and formal dining.
Standard-sized groups also did well, as did pub- and counter-heights, and bigger tabletops.
In formal dining, this market saw a trend toward reducing the size of tables while maintaining formal styling. In casual dining, manufacturers found success doing the opposite — making tables larger while keeping the look casual.
A hot item at Dinaire this market was a 60-inch-square gathering table. Ligo and Emerald Home Furnishings had hits with leaf tables that measure 36 inches by 54 inches, or 54 inches square with the leaf.
Manufacturers want to offer something new and unique, but that's hard to do while maintaining the popular $599 and $699 price points, said Dan Angus, Ligo's vice president of sales and marketing. About a year and a half ago, Ligo experimented with higher table and chair heights, which led to a strong boost in sales, he said.
Five-piece pub sets sold well at Cramco, with seats raised from 20 inches to 24 inches and tabletops at 36 inches.
Dinec's hot product this market was a granite-top table in both round and rectangular shapes.
Cramco, with new in-house marble production, offered a new chair with marble incorporated into the back.
Reflections Furniture showed a tabletop made in China with marble veneer over a medium-density fiberboard core, a first for the company.
Saloom offered multiple top options like granite, marble, porcelain and tile, but the attention this market was on maple and cherry tops. Dozens of shapes, 22 finishes and multiple tops give Saloom more than 800 table SKUs, not including chairs or case pieces.
The company aims for price points between $2,000 and $3,000, but is working to reduce costs by importing chairs and some base components from Italy.
Many casual dining companies still have strong domestic production, like Saloom's operations in Massachusetts. Reflections still handles 80% of its production in Toronto, with the other 20% from overseas.
As a category, casual dining is better positioned for today's economy than some, said Bill Lee, president and chief executive officer of Superior Furniture, which in a light market reported its best opening day ever.
"If consumers are spending more time at home, they're going to do more decorating, and on rooms the can afford to redecorate," he said.
Superior also continues to benefit from shifting investment patterns. "People losing money in the stock market are pulling out and putting it into second and vacation homes," Lee said, "since real estate seems to be a very safe investment."
Casual dining was the hottest category in 2002 for Emerald Home Furnishings, said President David Beckmann. About 18% of Emerald's sales are in dining, with just a small part of that formal, he said. Direct shipments are growing, making up about a third of sales, he added, and the average delivery time is 90 days.
Stepped-up style and a quick-ship program continued to drive action at Cramco, which has added more than 700 accounts in the past two-and-a-half years. The company built a reputation for promotional dinettes, said Dave Shock, national sales manager, but has achieved growth through improved designs and higher price points, up to $1,400 retail for a table and chairs.
Most of Cramco's new goods, and about 75% of the full line, are part of its two-week quick-ship program, targeting items at $299 retail and higher.
Chromcraft started a quick-ship program this year and retailers have been responding, said Greg Coyle, vice president of product development. Special orders are shipped within six days of receipt. Dining groups at Chromcraft's opening price points were strong this market, Coyle said.
Casual dining giant Canadel continues to grow, increasing sales about 15% during 2002 to C$155 million, said Jean Deveault, sales coordinator. This market, the company focused on a new finishing technique, using distressing and rub-through paints on Canadel's 62 standard finishes.
| Acknowledgements | ||
| Case Goods Editor Powell Slaughter contributed to this story. | ||
