Motion arena boasts several winners
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2005
High Point — Home theater, leather sofas retailing for less than $1,000, and sectionals retailing for almost any price were the clear winners in motion furniture showrooms at market.
Producers said dealers most frequently targeted promotional to middle price points with their buying, but upper-end merchandise wasn't ignored.
"I think motion furniture is doing a little better at retail right now than furniture in general," said Jerry Marlin, executive vice president of PeopLoungers. "That's what dealers are telling us."
The upbeat reports came in spite of showroom traffic that was anything but record-setting. Most major motion showrooms were busy two days before the market's official opening, but producers said traffic dropped sharply after Friday, the market's second "official" day.
That meant, in effect, that market was compressed into four days. And traffic overall was about even with or slightly ahead of April 2004.
"I would say that many small- and midsize dealers decided to save their money and go to Las Vegas instead of High Point," said El Ran President Sheldon Lubin. "But in spite of that, our business was good."
El Ran was one of several motion producers reporting success with leather motion sofas retailing for $799 to $999. Producers said such models presented an outstanding value because upgraded leathers and more stylish designs typically are used.
"We really had success with the better leathers," said Jay Foscue, vice president of merchandising for motion furniture at Klaussner, which showed 13 new sofa frames retailing for $799 to $1,299. "It differentiates us from everybody else."
Others reporting success with leather motion sofas included Franklin, Catnapper, Palliser, Lane and Ashley's Millennium division.
Lane, for example, had particular success with a motion sofa and matching console loveseat retailing for $1,099 each, while Millennium scored with a $799 motion sofa introduction.
"We really needed to beef up the entry level (products) of our motion category," said Tom Leon, president of Millennium. "It was a very successful introduction for us."
Enjoying success at the $999 price point was Franklin, which unveiled several motion sofa frames with leather/vinyl covers, and import specialist Leather Italia, which unveiled a pair of all-leather motion sofas targeted at that price point.
"These were very successful at market, and we're going to stock them in our warehouse for our quick-ship program," said Leather Italia President Mike Campbell.
Fabric sofas were hardly ignored. Producers said many dealers were on the lookout for "the next microfiber" to add variety to their sales floors without sacrificing the durability and ease of cleaning that has made the faux suedes so popular.
That fabric could be a textured cover known by many as "Mammoth" because of its thick fibers and smooth hand. Several producers highlighted it in their showrooms, and all reported it was very well received by dealers.
"I think buyers were looking for a little more texture ... something to give it a little more dimension," said Luana Davis, senior vice president of merchandising and product development at Douglas. "We had buyers come in and commit to it on two or three frames. That's pretty unusual."
On the home theater front, major introductions were found in the Berkline, La-Z-Boy, PeopLoungers, Klaussner, Jaymar and Sharut showrooms.
"We see the category becoming more popular with middle America," said Marlin of PeopLoungers. "It started out as a high-end product, but has found its way to the middle."
PeopLoungers, Berkline and Jaymar each unveiled three home theater seating groups at market, while La-Z-Boy, Klaussner and Sharut had one each.
"This category is continuing to grow like crazy," said Cabot Longnecker, who oversees Berkline's home theater program. "We had great response to our new collections ... and it was the higher price points that got the most attention."
Sharut's debut in home theater seating featured a pair of three-seat configurations built in Malaysia. One group retailed for $2,499 and the other at $2,999.
Ashley's Millennium also scored with its new Contours seating collection, featuring pieces that can be configured either as home theater seating or a more traditional sectional. A configuration with two reclining seats was priced to retail at $1,499 in a leather/vinyl cover, while one with three reclining seats was at $1,999.
Sectionals, meanwhile, remained popular at just about all price points. Numerous offerings at key producers such as Lane, Franklin, PeopLoungers, Klaussner, Ashley and Catnapper drew considerable interest.
High-end specialist Ekornes scored with a new sectional featuring its first low-back reclining sofa design. Modeled after the company's signature Stressless reclining chair, it's also its first true sectional.
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Motion arena boasts several winners
Apr 27, 2005
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