Occasional vendors enjoy strong market
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2005
High Point — Occasional furniture sold strongly this market, many manufacturers and importers reported, despite business that has gone up and down like a yo-yo for many stores.
The hit-and-miss nature of retail may be one reason the category was important here, according to some vendors. They said occasional furniture is the jewelry of the room and can generate consumer interest.
Interior designers seem to have a steady business now, said Maitland-Smith's Nancy Sturgill, vice president of marketing. More designers are finding a market with middle- and upper-middle-income families.
Sarreid had a good October market, which led to a strong first quarter with sales up 31% over the same period in 2004, said President Charles Hoffman Jr. With strong early traffic, orders by the official opening day of Thursday, April 14, were up 40% over April 2004, he said.
Much of Magnussen Home's emphasis this market was on the new Cristina Ferrare case goods collection, Sunset Boulevard, but occasional sales also were strong.
Jeff Cook, president and CEO, said table sales were up 60% over October, which was a record market. And that doesn't include the occasional tables in the Ferrare and Carolyn Kinder lines, which are counted separately, he said.
Bassett Furniture ordered cuttings on its occasional before market. In February, the company held a dealer show for its Bassett Furniture Direct stores, which gave their seal of approval to a number of designs. The West End collection is expected to ship by the end of May, with two other occasional groups to follow in June.
Butler Specialty brought out 300 occasional and accent pieces this market, and almost all were well received, said Dan Sumner, vice president of sales and marketing. Among the successes was a licensed line with Connie Post. He said traffic, commitments and orders were all up over April 2004.
A new location and a new partner added up to a record market for Stein World. Last year, the company moved to the fourth floor of the International Home Furnishings Center's Wrenn wing, at the skywalk to the Main wing. That drew walk-in traffic, as well as shoppers from nearby lighting provider Emess Design Group, with whom Stein World merged last year.
The company had a "substantial double-digit increase" in orders this market over October, which in turn was much better than April 2004, said James Franks, Stein World's chief operating officer.
A line of petite sink cabinets was a big hit, said Franks. The top seller was a console/mirror package that he said would retail with nice margins at $299.
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Creative occasional pieces draw applause
May 1, 2005 -
Creative occasional pieces draw applause
Apr 17, 2005
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