Eagle into casual dining at Tupelo Furniture Market

Company renews efforts in category

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, August 14, 2009

TUPELO, Miss. — Case goods manufacturer Eagle Inds. is renewing its efforts in the casual dining category at the Tupelo Furniture Market here this week with two new solid wood dining sets.

For the first time in about 10 years, the company is launching dining table and chair sets with companion hutch units.

Eagle already offers rolling kitchen islands and buffet hutch units. However, sales of these have dropped off because they don't have accompanying dining tables and chairs, which the company stopped selling in the late 90s, according to James Bond, vice president of logistics, sales and marketing.

The two new dining sets include a transitional table in oak solids that extends from 45 inches to 63 inches and that seats six comfortably.

A contemporary footprint in poplar and rubberwood solids has gathering height and regular height tables that start at 36 by 54 inches and extend to 54 inches square, which seats eight comfortably.

This contemporary set is targeted to retail at $849 for a table and four chairs, while the transitional set is about $100 higher.

Each set also has buffet and hutch units in various sizes.

The tables and chairs, which are produced in Malaysia, also are available in 14 finishes and are finished and assembled at the company's Bowling Green, Ky., factory. This facility also produces the rest of Eagle's line, which includes home office and home entertainment furniture.

Bond said Eagle is introducing the dining tables and chairs in response to strong customer demand.

"There's not a day that goes by where we don't have a customer that calls and asks for them," he said. "We thought we would give it a try again."

The sets will be on display in space 6208 at the Tupelo Furniture Market, which runs this Friday through Sunday.

Eagle has expanded its Tupelo showroom from 7,000 to 9,000 square feet. An adjoining 2,000 square feet is being occupied by Hinkle Chair Co., a rocking chair and bench resource that sources from the same factories in Malaysia where Eagle has its tables and chairs produced. Eagle also provides logistics services for Hinkle Chair, Bond said.

In addition to the dining products, other new items Eagle is showing in Tupelo include 48-inch and 64-inch desks that retail at $299 and $359, respectively. It also is showing some new file cabinets, solid alder kitchen carts and solid poplar kitchen islands with butcher block tops.