Ashley blazes multi-dimenstional trail
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, March 9, 2003
I think that was a great column Ray Allegrezza wrote (Furniture/Today, Feb. 24, page 64, "Standard writes the book on innovation, reinvention") about Standard's continued evolution and reinvention. But if you look at it more closely, it's more of a follow-the-leader story, in my opinion.
Ashley has really set the bar high and forced more companies to get away from being a one- or two-category resource to being full-line vendors. Ron and Todd Wanek have taken Ashley from a Standard-like era of selling strictly MDF products to offering everything from a floor lamp to a leather sectional.
In today's competitive landscape, if a company wants to be a major player in the market, they have to be multi-dimensional.
I've followed Standard closely for the past four years and have seen that evolution really happen, especially in case goods, where they've gone from competing with the Kemps and Harts in the furniture arena to competing in the Broyhill/Stanley price points.
And it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see some Bernhardt price points (which are already evident in their leather lineup).
It is a competitive must and nobody in my opinion has been more successful and set the tone of the furniture world as Ashley has done. Retail is all about reinventing the wheel, and to be successful as a manufacturer in a highly competitive market you have to be constantly looking at how to reach more consumers and retailers.
Standard is definitely heading down the right path, which was trailblazed by the Waneks and their team.
Clayton Kamin, Kamin Furniture, Victoria, Texas
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