Europe by Net adds print catalog
Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, October 3, 2005
Los Angeles — Online furniture retailer Europe by Net distributed its first print catalog this month after selling exclusively via the Web for the past five years.
The four-color, 72-page print catalog is in some ways a recognition of the limitations of online selling.
"The catalog will be a welcome tool for consumers who, while being computer-savvy and comfortable on the Internet, do not yet consider (online) an optimal means of shopping for luxurious furniture," said Julie Edwards, founder of the London-based company.
Online at www.europe-bynet.com, the company specializes in European furniture lines such as B&B Italia, Cassina, Interlubke, Cappellini and Giorgetti. The site boasts more than 5,000 items from 80 manufacturers.
Consumers who buy from Europe by Net via the print catalog still can use the Web site to track their orders, which originate in Europe. (The company offers free shipping in western Europe.)
The catalog will be distributed throughout the world, including the United States, which represents 50% of the company's sales. The catalog features the more popular items in both contemporary and traditional styles.
Edwards' company promises prices "30% off retail" by buying from manufacturers and shipping direct to consumers. There is no brick-and-mortar store.
Edwards said she got the idea for the company when she compared prices on a baby carriage, finding the same Italian-made item in Milan and, for three times the price, in London.
She declined to provide sales figures for the company.
