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Superstores: Little focus, but still selling

By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2005

Atlanta — Next time you need a break from the amplified hubbub of your friendly, neighborhood electronics superstore, take a look at the furniture department: You'll see a missed opportunity.

There, next to the other low-traffic categories like batteries, small kitchen appliances and karaoke equipment, you will find an assortment of desks, entertainment centers and office chairs, often in a state of disrepair, with dust compensating for missing parts.

In spite of their benign neglect of this relatively slow-moving department, electronics superstore chains such as Best Buy and Fry's continue to give furniture floor space. Rival Circuit City doesn't have a furniture department per se, but the chain does offers stands from Bush, Gusdorf and OEM suppliers that are used to display many of its televisions.

For the most part, the electronics chains treat furniture as an afterthought, an opportunity for an add-on only if the customer asks.

The exception to that would be Indiana-based H.H. Gregg, which operates about 50 locations in five states. The Gregg chain promotes furniture in its circulars and maintains a clean and logical department in its stores. Key furniture vendors include Bush, Gusdorf and Tech Craft.

Several of the chains are capitalizing on the opportunity to sell stands with the new generation of tabletop televisions. They frequently offer stands that match the finish and style of a particular television, having worked with RTA furniture producers to develop this match.

Fry's, the Silicon Valley electronics superstore chain, offers one of the largest furniture departments, nearly 2,000 square feet in at least a handful of stores, and most of the displays are well maintained.

Although the company emphasizes high-end electronics solutions, its furniture assortment is decidedly low end. Among about a dozen small desks and workstations, none reach $200 and most are under $100. The television stands hit higher price tags, as much as $499 for an OEM model, but the assortment is quite limited.

Key vendors include Ameriwest, O'Sullivan and Studio RTA for desks and Novimex for chairs. Tech Craft and Studio RTA supply some of the higher-end TV stands, but most of the products are OEM.

At Best Buy, the company appears to be making a move to higher prices and materials, with some solid-wood entertainment armoires at $499.

Studio RTA's Portofino corner unit is one of the standout desking systems at Best Buy.

Entertainment vendors include Bush, Sauder, Bell' O and Sanus.

Nonetheless, all these chains continue to offer at least some furniture, a sure sign that the stuff sells in spite of the limited attention it receives.

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