Outlook rosier for metal beds
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2005
High Point — Metal bed importers and manufacturers came out of market with a renewed sense of optimism that could help lead to growth in the category this year.
The optimism correlated with dealer traffic and response to a host of new products.
Wesley Allen, a design leader in the category, offered a number of introductions and new finishes in its namesake line. "We were pretty pleased," said CEO Maier Rosenberg.
The big story was four beds with two-tone finishes, such as copper/black and brass/mocha. The company also added such features as canopies for its Yale and Maxwell beds. New in the high-end Amanda Sutton line was the Allure bed, which retails at $2,600, and mirrors, benches and night tables.
Wesley Allen also introduced a pair of two-tone beds in its starting price point Iron Beds of America line.
Color also was a big story at Corsican Swan Brass Beds. It offered nine new powdercoat pastel finishes, giving its line a total of 25 spring-like colors.
Fashion Bed Group offered a number of new beds in metal and also using other popular materials such as leather and woven abaca. It also broke out of its transitional mode with a contemporary model called the Strata, a $399 retail bed with a gold streak finish.
"We continue to bring out a wider variety of finishes and a wider variety of styles," said Dan Greer, president of the company's Eastern Division.
Fashion Bed officials said traffic was on par with October, which was the company's best market in several years.
Traffic was up at Largo International, especially early in the market cycle. The company brought out some transitional frames in contemporary chrome finishes, including its Fifth Avenue model, which retails for $399. The Soho bed, available in a matte nickel finish, is another contemporary model that retails for about $349. A Soho daybed has a suggested retail of $449.
"All three were extremely well received," said Ray Reese, Largo vice president of sales.
Introductions at Comfort Designs included a platform bed in the Billie collection and an upholstered platform bed in the new Concept collection. Marketing Manager Courtney Savage said customers were upbeat.
"Orders are starting to pick back up," she said. "Our customers are very happy with our product."
Now that market is over, officials hope the positive attitude continues through the year.
Wesley Allen's Rosenberg said business was slow in the last two months of 2004 and the first two months of this year. But March reversed that trend.
"We hope March is not just a single month, but a turnaround month," he said. "We are very excited about our introductions."
Corsican also said sales started picking up in March. Still, company sales representative Jim Vacek senses retailers will be cautious with orders so they don't end up with too much inventory.
"Retailers were looking for salable items — not so much trendy looks, but staple items they can order on a daily basis, which is what we base a lot of our line on," Vacek said.
Meanwhile, metal bed resources are keeping a close eye on rising costs. Last year, significant increases in steel costs cut into margins and also forced bed producers to raise their own prices.
"Last year, we had to deal with how to control our costs with the increase in steel prices," said Rosenberg.
"We haven't had to deal with that in a while," he said. "I'm hopeful one day in the not too distant future that metal prices will decline, but I don't see it happening for another six to nine months."
-
Metal bed makers eye sales, margin gains
Apr 16, 2005 -
Optimism in metal
May 1, 2005
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
