Entertainment draws crowd
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, May 7, 2006
High Point — With sales of flat-screen TVs soaring, producers of entertainment furniture filled market showrooms with a massive array of wall systems, consoles and storage systems to accommodate the latest TV technology.
Interest in the category, in fact, may be at an all-time high, and producers said buyers were eagerly trying to get a handle on the latest trends.
"It's the most growth-oriented category in this industry," said Eric Shupak, president of Furnitech, an importer of consoles.
As evidence of the growth potential, some form of entertainment furniture was found in at least three dozen showrooms, including many companies either making their debut in the category or significantly expanding their offerings.
"It's a tidal wave," said David Urbanick, vice president of marketing and merchandising at Philip Reinisch, one of the companies showing entertainment furniture for the first time. "The key to the entertainment center business growing is the technology of the electronics industry."
And producers say the electronics industry today is all about plasma, LCD and DLP. In short, that means flat-screen technology and a wide-screen format.
For furniture, that means the traditional TV armoire or entertainment center won't work, but a sleek console or scaled-down wall system probably will.
"The only (television) selling now is the wide-screen format, and the armoire just won't accommodate it," said Raymond Carringer, sales manager at Signature Home Furnishings.
At market, Carringer said Signature had success with several new units, notably a console designed for a bedroom that holds a mounted 51-inch plasma TV. The item features a door panel that covers the TV screen when it's not in use.
Also enjoying a successful market in entertainment was Magnussen, which expanded its showroom for a major rollout.
President Jeff Cook said he was especially pleased the products were placed with both consumer electronics stores and furniture retailers.
"We couldn't have asked for better acceptance of this product," he said. "The response was overwhelming."
Cook and several other executives said versatility is the key to the latest entertainment furniture designs. Most of the newest wall systems are designed so that consoles can be sold separately or in tandem with pier units, occasional tables and the like.
"We had great response to our lower-profile walls," said Linda Owen, vice president of national accounts and marketing at Riverside. "But there was still a lot of interest in models with bi-fold doors and other types of doors that hide the TV."
Tim Donk, marketing director at Legends, reported similar results, and cautioned that producers shouldn't give up on the large wall systems that once were a staple of entertainment furniture.
"I don't think that market is going away, as long as you can accommodate the larger TVs," Donk said, noting that consoles and smaller wall units still outsell large walls by three-to-one.
But even if walls are getting smaller, producers said style is still important. Hank Long, senior vice president of merchandising and design at Hooker, said even consumers who want to show off their flat-screen TV are interested in stylish, good-looking furniture.
"The custom, built-in look is a nice feature, since most consumers can't afford a custom home theater themselves," Long said.
Tamara Evans, vice president of imports at Progressive, said her company's four new home entertainment collections also coordinate with occasional tables. Two of the entertainment units are modular, and they will accommodate screen sizes up to 52 inches, she said.
Coordinating entertainment with occasional encourages dealers to display products in vignette settings, Evans added.
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