Wood resources see better April than last year
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, March 20, 2005
High Poit — Retail sales have been up and down like a yo-yo so far this year, but case goods exhibitors at premarket here last week came away optimistic on the outlook for April market.
Several manufacturers said buyers told them that, although retail has been spotty, recent sales upticks and a less clouded outlook should make for a better market than a year ago.
Last year, said Ultimate Accents Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ray Steele, possible antidumping duties were looming and it was a presidential election year. Now, aside from rising gasoline prices, there aren't any big uncertainties that might affect the April market, he said.
Buyers' moods seemed to be good, said Todd Hady, Kincaid's vice president of sales and marketing. Like many others, Hady said he'd heard that business was slow in January and early February, but picked up after the Presidents Day weekend.
Bob Stec, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands, said he was told that store traffic has been holding up, but the conversion rate is down.
Because of the Internet and shelter magazines, shoppers are more knowledgeable about home furnishings, said Stec, but that could slow decision-making as consumers become fearful of mistakes and do more shopping around.
Bernhardt Executive Vice President Rountree Collett said bad weather has hampered retail in some places, but Florida has been strong, possibly because of the hurricanes that lashed the state last year.
In those areas where business is sluggish, Bernhardt will work with dealers, Collett said, listening to what they believe will help most, whether it's direct-mail campaigns or co-op advertising.
Pulaski, meanwhile, is scheduling retail events in California, Florida and Texas for the launch of its licensed Casa Cristina collection. The group began hitting retail floors a few weeks ago to a big response, the company reported.
While retail has fluctuated, several manufacturers and importers said their sales are up over last year. Kincaid, which just finished its third quarter, reported its sales are up some. Lexington had a strong January, a good February and, until premarket, a forgettable March, Stec said.
Kincaid saw 25 accounts on Monday of premarket and had good placements with its new offshore container dining program, Hady said. The sharp prices and good styles enabled the company to add accounts, he said, while the program also got stores to buy dining that had been buying only bedroom.
Some case goods companies have big introductions on tap. Stanley, for example, has three collections with dozens of SKUs each. They feature elements that work better in different areas of the country, but each was a hit at premarket, said Phil Haney, executive vice president of marketing and sales for Stanley collections.
Importer Collezione Europa has five collections, including a second licensed group with actors Kevin and Sam Sorbo.
Pulaski showed new case goods at premarket but got its biggest response to occasional goods, including a new lighting configuration for its Keepsakes curio line and 55 new pieces for its Eccentrics occasional line, said Bill Sibbick, senior vice president of sales.
Ultimate Accents showed 123 new items and will cull that to 50 or 60 pieces for April. Butler Specialty had about 150 pieces, including its new licensed Connie Post occasional group with 36 pieces and six finishes.
While premarket allows companies to pare lines, all but gone are the days of tweaking designs for market. Century, which steadily has moved to imports over the past few years, said it isn't that Asian factories don't want to make changes. In fact, they are eager to please, but there isn't enough time to build and ship new samples.
Fine Furniture Design & Marketing President and CEO Geoff Beaston said he takes some big risks in order to get product to retailers in a timely fashion, even ordering first cuttings before premarket. That doesn't mean there's no chance for tweaking, he said, since some pieces will be reworked before shipping.
But because importers must plan ahead, there's less and less difference between premarket and market, Beaston said.
-
Wood resources see better April than last year
Mar 21, 2005
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
