Furniture Marketing Group flexes muscles
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, March 7, 2005
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — About three dozen retailers took advantage of the opportunities for professional development and networking at the Furniture Marketing Group's annual symposium here.
The three-day event at the Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World served up a wealth of ideas on such themes as marketing, selling to women and brand loyalty, Disney-style.
FMG's suppliers were on hand with hot buys, and there was plenty of time for rubbing elbows with fellow retailers and vendors.
The symposium also detailed the buying group's expanding menu of services. With Executive Director Mike Herschel at the helm, the group, whose members are large and midsized retailers primarily at promotional and middle price points, has seen its rolls grow nearly 30% in the past couple of years.
That expanding buying power has brought many new vendors to the table, said Bob Cremer, president of FMG and of Aronson Furniture in Chicago.
"We have never been stronger," Cremer said. "Our membership is up significantly. Our vendor participation is up significantly. The word is getting out that we are bringing real value to the table. We are finding more and more stores that are consistent with our existing group, and it just makes for a good relationship for both the members and the vendors.
