Home office activity brisk
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 22, 2006
High Point — Home office vendors saw brisk interest and activity here, thanks to new products that address both style and function.
Suppliers said the category continues to build momentum after a sales slump in 2003 and 2004.
Hekman pursued home office vigorously with 42 new items, four times its usual introductions, said Neil McKenzie, vice president of product development.
Among the successes at market were several sit-to-stand returns for both credenzas and desks in the Executive group. Priced between $2,599 and $2,799, these drew strong response from retailers looking for added features, McKenzie said. He said today's consumers "want function. It makes them operate more efficiently."
Also doing well for Hekman were six laptop desks priced at $899 retail. These have features such as flip-top surfaces, drop-leaf center drawers, pullout trays and plenty of DVD and CD storage space.
Sligh Furniture had strong dealer interest in Melbourne, a new seven-piece group with Scottish and casual English design influences, including a 72-inch executive desk priced to retail at $2,295.
Sligh said it also did well with a Candlewood wall unit, an eight-SKU group that combines elements of home office and home entertainment.
Stanley Furniture launched several home office SKUs in its cottage-inspired Shelter Island collection. Popular items included executive desks retailing at $1,895 and a 54-inch writing desk with a gallery at $795 retail.
A key goal this market was to offer more elegant home office products that can fit into more living areas than just a spare bedroom, said Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager for Stanley's collection business.
"Each piece we try to make interesting and different," Cain said. "We are trying to blur the line between what is a home office piece and what is an accent piece."
Ready-to-assemble specialist Sauder reported strong interest in Via, a new nine-piece laminate home office group aimed largely at office superstores.
The company also did well with Orchard Hills, a laminate group in a Carolina Oak finish.
"There is a general enthusiasm," said Susan Dountas, Sauder's vice president of merchandising. "We are getting a lot of placements in spite of the fact that retail has been soft."
Retailers "are aggressively planning for later this year," she added.
Ready-to-assemble specialist Tvilum-Scanbirk had a good response to new finishes in several groups. Order activity was also strong on a new sit-to-stand desk in Prima that adjusts in height from 28 inches to 45 inches.
SLF entered the home office category this market with 100 SKUs tied to five existing case goods collections. Officials added the category in response to dealer requests and as part of SLF's growth strategy.
With existing warehousing, SLF will be able to ship the goods on mixed containers from China in as little as three weeks, said President and CEO George Revington.
"I think it's just an important category in terms of its use in homes. It just fits our business model so well," Revington said.
