Bedroom balance
Mix of old and new drives sales
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 10, 2006
High Point — The newest group in the showroom might get the most attention, but manufacturers are finding that a mix of old and new is what really keeps master bedroom sales going strong.
Gramercy Park has been the top dog for Lane Home Furnishings since launching in 2001, said Ray Allori, vice president of merchandising and marketing. The bedroom group has only 14 pieces, but it generates the highest dollars per SKU in the line, he said.
Another top performer for Lane has been the National Geographic Home collection. The great thing about this line is that it can continue to expand because the magazine is a window to the world, said Jim Peltier, merchandise manager.
Royale and Terracina were big introductions for Pulaski Furniture in the past year, but the Edwardian collection, introduced five years ago, continues to be one of the company's top sellers.
The finish, style and price have all meshed well with consumers, according to Janet McPeake, regional sales manager. Other producers have tried to knock off the collection, but the quality construction keeps the original going strong.
Licensing also has helped Pulaski's sales as the Casa Cristina and The Antiques Roadshow groups are performing well. Detailed hangtags tell stories that interest shoppers.
Classic traditional
Fairmont Designs has introduced new looks in recent markets, but the big sellers are the same ones that were on top the year before, said Ken Fonville, vice president of merchandising.
"Our sales would say classic traditional looks are still selling well at retail," said Fonville. Among Fairmont's top designs are traditional French, European and Italian groups.
For Legacy Classic, sales seem to be spread out across two extremes, said Lee Boone, general manager. At one end are the clean, contemporary designs that have been popular for a couple of years now. At the other end are heavily carved groups, which are rebounding after several years of decline. The middle area of basic, traditional designs has faded away, he said.
Multiple options are driving orders for Vaughan-Bassett. The Casual collection has three bed options and four finishes from which to choose. The Cottage collection has six colors — three painted and three stained — giving it a total of 250 SKUs.
Vaughan-Bassett's entire master bedroom line is 100% domestic now, said Doug Bassett, vice president and general sales manager. Domestic sourcing enables the company to provide all these options with two-week delivery.
Traditional designs are still the biggest part of the business for Universal even though retailers find casual to be popular with younger consumers, said Randy Chrisley, president and CEO.
Lower-sheen finishes seem more relaxed and are doing well in bedroom these days. Universal has had one high-sheen group in the line since 1997, but that's the only one that has remained strong.
Extras count
Also, Chrisley said, the value equation is becoming more important. Today's consumers want better pricing while also receiving more function.
"It can't just be an armoire anymore," he said, adding that, to be successful, it also has to include features such as a tie rack, jewelry storage and back-panel access for a television.
These types of extras help draw attention to AICO's bedroom groups, said Martin Ploy, executive vice president. Design touches with added function like hidden storage, soft-closing drawers and LED lights in the drawers so people can see inside first thing in the morning are doing well, he added.
Too often in this industry, men are designing the furniture that is primarily selected by women, he added. It is important for designers to add beauty and romance to appeal to women.
For Bernhardt, two big performers from the October High Point market were collections offering platform beds and wraparound beds, said Heather Bloom, director of brand development. New to the Martha Stewart line was a Rosemont wraparound bed that has been a big hit since the fall.
Quality enhancements
New quality standards drew attention to Broyhill's showroom in Las Vegas in January. Michael McCollum, who recently joined Broyhill as senior vice president of case goods merchandising, said he wanted to standardize furniture coming from various source plants.
Listening to retailers, McCollum said he asks, "What do they expect from us? What can we do to excite them about the brand?"
Changes that Broyhill implemented include dust-proofing cases, finishing drawer interiors, screwing on the back panels and using English dovetailing on drawer fronts.
When Magnussen Home entered the bedroom category a couple of years ago, the company targeted medium-upper price points. While the bedroom was well received, some of the company's longtime clients have stores that offer midpriced and lower-medium goods, so the new items didn't always fit well in their showrooms.
Magnussen Home now offers more occasional in the medium and upper-medium range that better works with the bedroom offerings. At the same time, it sharpened its pencil on bedroom pricing.
New beds introduced at the Las Vegas market in January hit $499 to $599, with the Joplin bed retailing for $399 and possibly as low as $299, said Ron Carpenter, vice president of marketing and business development. This is well below the bed offered in Magnussen's licensed Biltmore Estate collection, which is $999.
"Joplin takes familiar lines and refines them, creating something new, understated and elegant," said Nathan Cressman, director of merchandising.
Antigua Imports has revolutionized its Guatemalan facilities thanks to equipment from the United States. The company bought a half-million-dollar finishing system from Ethan Allen for $20,000, disassembled it and shipped it by rail to Antigua.
Finishing touches
This has allowed the company to offer 20 finishing steps on its unique native woods such as palo blanco, guanacaste and matilisguate. The company has added other machinery as many U.S. factories have closed and sold off the equipment.
Klaussner's case goods sales were up 19% in 2005 and are expected to increase another 25% this year, said Todd Campbell, case goods national sales manager. In bedroom, the licensed Dick Idol Urban Craftsman collection has been hot.
Standard Furniture is doing well with its IFM direct-container program, with limited distribution and the ability to offer private-label sales to big chains.
Michels/Pilliod brought out major introductions at Las Vegas that are generating strong sales. Lifestyle and transitional looks are doing better than traditional styles, said President and CEO Irwin Allen, as the company offers unique groups to differentiate itself.
Even when adding design touches, the promotional specialist still works to get its retail price below $1,000 for a dresser/mirror, headboard and two nightstands.
