Selection, value help pump up volume
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 9, 2003
High Point — With prices trending down in the mainstream of the bedroom market, it's more important than ever to pump up the volume.
Brand names and the credibility of 41 years in business are key selling points at Lexington Furniture in Lexington, Ky., said Larry Wells, owner.
"We talk quality first, price second, and tie those together for a value story," he said. "We also cover a lot of territory — east and central Kentucky, and parts of surrounding states. ... We have a Web site in the back of shelter magazines — we refuse to be geographically challenged."
Wells also has reacted to his consumers' changing purchasing patterns.
"The upper end especially has been a piece business, but we're seeing it now at all our price points," he said. "That's the reason everything in our store is priced individually."
Burdorf Interiors in Louisville, Ky., also runs bedroom specials on its Web site, which includes a virtual tour program that lets consumers do some remote shopping.
With several suppliers upping quality and lowering price, and imports' strength in traditional categories, the bedroom furniture coming from Asia is a good fit for Burdorf's traditional-leaning market, said Allan Morris, president and chief executive officer. "Burdorf is using ads in the higher, traditional style categories and is doing well," he said.
Pam Leonard, merchandise manager at The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner, Wash., said a combination of individual pricing and a nice product assortment is helping both volume and margins.
"A lot of people talk about group pricing, but we don't do that a lot, and we always display all the pieces," she said. "I think that's why we almost always sell two nightstands for every bed we order, because we always show it that way. You can have a special on the bed and still keep margin."
Wells said the environment remains tough at retail, especially for big-ticket items like bedroom.
"I think the consumer has hit a brick wall mentally," he said. "We've been advertising heavily, figuring our competition is pulling back, and promoting as if business has been strong.
"Our traffic has been good, and it's quality traffic, but they might come in four or five times before making a decision.
"There's no urgency to buy, and we haven't been able to create that urgency."
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