Compass tries fresh format in New Orleans
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, April 2, 2006
Elmwood, La. — Hurricane Katrina may have pushed back the opening of Compass Furniture's New Directions store by a few months, but now it's fueling the success of the fresh format.
The 20,000-square-foot store, attached to the 80,000-square-foot main Compass showroom in this west New Orleans suburb, opened in February and is exceeding expectations, said Billy Rippner, second-generation president of the family-owned business.
While the new store targets the middle market, like the Compass flagship, it does so with a sophisticated contemporary spin. That's a departure from the traditional looks that have been the mainstay for Compass in New Orleans, a city filled with antebellum homes and other historic architecture.
"Traditional has always been the key, but younger people are now coming into town," Rippner said. New Directions, with modern and transitional styles in the flavor of Pottery Barn, is targeting young consumers and others who prefer "furniture for the casual lifestyle."
The Connie Post Cos.-designed store has wide aisles and an airy environment that plays to the furniture's modern looks and sleek lines.
The assortment includes contemporary and transitional looks from many existing Compass vendors, including Fairmont Designs, Standard Furniture, Ashley, Alan White and Broyhill, as well as new suppliers such as Palliser's EQ3, HomElegance, Sofa Trend, American Drew and Bassett.
With the new store, Compass has added about 20 jobs.
"It's a great feeling, being able to give our customers an entirely new spectrum of choices and at the same time help contribute to the area's regrowth," Rippner said.
Compass was planning to open New Directions on Saturday, Aug. 27, but those plans were quashed by Hurricane Katrina, which landed the following Monday. August 27 was the day the city of New Orleans ordered a mandatory evacuation.
The flagship store and New Directions escaped physical damage, but the roof on the company's Compass for Kids store caved in. The main Compass store reopened Sept. 21 — the day the city allowed people back in — while the Kids store needed work and wasn't back at full steam until the end of October.
Since then, business has been booming.
Even though some residents are not expected to return to New Orleans, there's still a great need for replacement furniture for homes people are repairing and rebuilding within at least 50 miles of the city, Rippner said. Demand has been well beyond expectations, he said.
Rippner wouldn't give exact figures but said the hurricane was so significant that Compass now measures sales in pre-Katrina and post-Katrina terms. Last year, despite the nearly month-long shutdown, Compass finished ahead of 2004 with sales of more than $15 million. This year, with continued same-store gains and the new store, sales are expected to top $25 million, he said.
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Compass tries fresh format in New Orleans
Apr 7, 2006
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