Youth producers aiming to fill voids
Older kids, boys among the targets for upcoming introductions
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, February 23, 2003
High Point — New youth furniture collections have manufacturers looking to improve weak spots in their lines.
Vaughan-Bassett introduced youth for the first time two years ago and suffered some growing pains in the form of production backlogs, said Gene Clark, vice president for youth sales. One difference between the adult business and the youth business is that adult bedroom retailers are more patient, he said, as youth retailers don't like placing an order and waiting for it to be shipped.
"We didn't anticipate the good response we got when we introduced the product," Clark said. The growth is continuing, and he expects youth goods will make up about 10% to 15% of the company's 2003 sales.
Clark said Vaughan-Bassett plans two youth introductions for the April High Point market. The first — an addition to a popular adult line — will likely be offered in both a white and cherry finish. Another collection is aimed for girls, as the majority of sales are in feminine styles right now, he said. Still, the company's introductions will be limited.
Focusing on service
"We feel like we've got a full plate on what we're selling," he said, adding that the company is focusing on service and delivery with a goal of never being out of stock more than a couple of weeks.
Maple specialist Vermont Precision has been focusing on girls groups for the last few years, but now sees it needs to refocus on the boys, said President Geoffrey Jackson. Styles and color combinations have been geared more feminine or unisex, he said, but two new groups are planned for boys' rooms or second bedrooms. The groups will feature solid ash with seven finish options at medium price points.
Sales in 2002 were flat compared to 2001, Jackson said, with youth making up about 75% of the company's business. To spark additional sales, the company is aiming to expand its adult bedroom offerings and better balance the overall product mix, he said. However, "attracting new dealers these days is very difficult."
At Stanley, the Young America division also is looking for new boys offerings to boost sales.
"So far what we're seeing this year is modest growth," said Glenn Prillaman, vice president and product manager for Young America.
Nearly all of the introductions Stanley has made in youth during the past seven years have been designed for girls or as unisex, said Prillaman. Even the rustic Canyon Kids from 2001 had pieces styled to appeal to both genders. Last year's big hit was the Summerhaven/Winterhaven collection, coastal styles in a honey pine finish for Winterhaven and a white rubbed-through tone for Summerhaven.
In response, Prillaman said Young America now is working on more masculine youth designs to show at the April market.
Lea Inds. has found great success in girls furniture thanks to its licensed Jessica McClintock collection. Lea introduced the feminine group in a frosted white with rubbed-through effect at the April 2002 market. It added a cherry finish in October, while also launching a marketing campaign identifying Lea furniture as the La-Z-Boy Youth Collection.
For the upcoming High Point market, Lea will introduce as many as five groups, with a heavy focus on boys, said Bryan Edwards, national vice president of sales.
Extra touches
One of the introductions — a lifestyle oak group — gives consumers solid oak and veneers at a price range comparable to Brazilian pine, said Earl Wang, vice president of product development and design. The "kid-ready" group has worn corners, burnished edges and distressing, he said. Adding more value to the pieces are touches such as secret compartments and hidden drawers. The bed and double dresser will retail for about $399 each.
Multiple bed options are planned for Lea's new 302 Jackson Creek collection, Wang said, while the 329 Pine Retreat reworks the existing Carolina Retreat in pine with a unisex appeal. Pine Retreat comes in a medium-brown stained finish with options for red and blue painted finishes.
These groups are targeting older kids, second bedrooms and guest houses, said Edwards.
Older kids are also the focus of some new pieces from Palliser Furniture.
"We have definitely covered the 6-to-14 age group well with our products," said Werner Disselkamp, merchandise manager for youth furniture. Palliser has many offerings in contemporary and transitional styles on laminate construction, but the playful nature of the designs doesn't have a strong appeal with teen-agers.
Added last year were Riki and Sandi, two groups in a relaxed, urban casual style with multiple bed options. Introduced at the Canadian Home Furnishings Market in January was Mantaro, Palliser's first imported wood suite. The pieces have a metropolitan look with solid-wood case fronts, tops, gables and interior surfaces; the panel bed comes in twin and full sizes.
Like Palliser, fellow Canadian manufacturer Canwood offers a wide variety of beds to children of all ages. Among the options are mate's beds, bunks, a junior loft and a college loft.
Youth is the anchor of the Canwood product line for many of its customers, said President Mel Kemp. Youth sales make up about 45% of Canwood's total business, with adult bedroom and home entertainment accounting for the rest.
Canwood has more youth products planned for High Point, but the company wants to put a greater focus on two new master bedroom groups and a corner entertainment unit shown at the Toronto show last month, Kemp said.
Contemporary on rise
Another Canadian manufacturer, A.P. Inds., is rapidly growing its U.S. business, according to Gary Bryant, vice president of sales and marketing. Bryant expects U.S. sales in 2003 to be up 20% to 25% over 2002. Fueled by a robust market in Toronto, he believes the company's Canadian sales will improve somewhat this year, leading to a probable 12% to 15% growth overall.
He believes the market is leaning more toward contemporary styles.
"We're getting fair amount of interest in our contemporary," he said. There is some casual contemporary out there now, he observed, but A.P. also has a new sophisticated contemporary group, Sorrento, with more than 30 pieces at opening price points.
Ready-to-assemble major Bush Inds. is making a strong push in youth furniture under its new brand of assembled furniture, Eric Morgan, which also includes home entertainment.
The Eric Morgan collections offer bedroom furniture with coordinating study and storage options that utilize space in innovative ways, said Cynthia Peterson, director of public relations. The Skater and new Young Living groups have all-melamine surfaces.
Skater, in a dark beech finish, has modular sleep/study options, including twin, full and queen-sized beds, captain's bed and bunk bed. Young Living, available for delivery later this year, features contemporary styling with accents like brushed aluminum hardware and frosted glass.
-
Wood intros focus on core pieces at Las Vegas Market
Jan 24, 2011 -
Fresh product being shown at Vegas market
Jul 20, 2008 -
Wide variety of product on tap for Vegas show
Sep 7, 2009 -
Array of product on tap for Vegas market
Feb 2, 2009 -
Case goods
Sep 23, 2007
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
