England's gallery program expanding
Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, June 15, 2003
New Tazewell, Tenn. — England's in-store gallery program is expanding at a rapid rate, and the La-Z-Boy upholstery producer also plans to unveil this year two prototypes for freestanding stores.
The company has 125 in-store galleries in place, with another 30 commitments in hand.
The store program hasn't yet hit its stride, but England is taking steps to get it jump-started. The company currently has four stores operated by independent dealers. The new prototypes will feature about 10,000 square feet of display, including 1,000 square feet for England bedding. As with the in-store galleries, the stores will be merchandised with coordinating accessories and table groups.
"It's a very simple program for both the dealer and the consumer, and it's working very well in our (in-store) galleries," said Dennis Valkanoff, England's senior vice president for sales and marketing. "We see no reason why it shouldn't work just as well if not better in stores."
England Custom Comfort Centers, as the in-store galleries are called, typically require about 4,000 square feet of display space, allow shoppers to match on computers a selection of fabrics and frames, and receive a firm delivery date of 21 days or less. Computers match only those fabrics that work with a specific frame, and won't show any fabric that isn't available.
"There's no question about whether the fabric goes with that frame or if it's in stock," said Valkanoff.
England is attempting to help retailers move consumers' attention away from price alone, he said. "The consumer wants to be told that it's good and great and lovely, and not just that they should buy it because it's cheap," he said. "Our dealers are winning because they're not selling on price. We're talking to consumers about features and benefits and quality."
Comfort Center dealers in urban and suburban areas are averaging $260 in sales per square foot, while small-town galleries are generating $130 per foot, Valkanoff said. "It's a very simple program that works very well, even in small towns," he said.
-
Branded stores continue to expand
Dec 18, 2005 -
La-Z-Boy revamps in-store gallery program
Jul 26, 2007 -
First Broyhill store to open in May
Feb 2, 2003 -
Broyhill adding galleries
Aug 20, 2006 -
Broyhill adding galleries
Aug 7, 2006
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
