Wolf unveils Lancaster unit
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 11, 2002
Lancaster, Pa. — Wolf Furniture has opened a 60,000-square-foot store here, filling out the greater Lancaster/York/Harrisburg area as part of an aggressive expansion plan that could propel the company into the Top 100.
The midpriced, Bellwood, Pa.-based Wolf invested more than $2 million in an interior and exterior renovation of a former Hechinger's unit for its ninth store, on Route 30 here. It follows the successful January launch of a York store, also a former Hechinger's.
"It is a wide-open, modern facility, with clearly defined areas for causal, contemporary, country and traditional furniture styles," said Gene Stoltz, vice president of merchandising.
The store features more than 100 furniture brands, including product from key suppliers La-Z-Boy, Broyhill, Sealy, Kingsdown and Klaussner, as well as Wolf's third 5,500-square-foot Pennsylvania House gallery and a 5,000-square-foot clearance outlet.
In what has become a tradition for Wolf, the entrance area features enlarged aerial photographs of the surrounding community, in which visitors have enjoyed trying to spot their homes and businesses.
As in Wolf's other stores, salespeople are non-commissioned and the store offers child care during peak traffic periods, said Wolf Chairman John Wolf.
Initial response has been better than expected, "and we had high expectations," said Doug Wolf, president of the fourth-generation, family-owned business, with stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
He wouldn't provide sales figures but said, "We kept two Boy Scout troops and two Girl Scout troops busy for the first eight weekends serving hot dogs," with a contribution to their organization for every consumer served.
Wolf, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, expects the store to generate annual revenues of over $10 million. With same-store sales gains in the double digits, the retailer's total sales this year are expected to top $60 million, Doug Wolf said, likely placing it among the Top 100 stores on next year's Furniture/Today listing.
The move into Lancaster was a logical step given the strong response to its York and Harrisburg stores, Wolf said.
"The ability to advertise jointly to the Lancaster, York and Harrisburg areas makes good economic sense," he added, noting it will improve the company's efficiency and advertising strength.
