Gliding to growth
New features, functions aim to expand market
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, June 11, 2006
High Point — Hoping to stimulate an increasingly price-sensitive category, producers and distributors of glider rockers are experimenting with an array of new features, functions and finishes to drive business.
Producers are hoping the strategy will create more awareness for the category and cause it to take on greater importance in a retailer's merchandising strategy.
They believe key promotional price points such as $199 and $299 will remain important, but gliders retailing for $699 and above have been showing up regularly on retail floors — and selling — of late.
That has convinced many producers the category still has plenty of growth potential, so long as features such as beefed-up seat cushions and functions such as locking mechanisms take center stage.
"We must continue to add value, and that's always a big challenge for us," said Dominique Godbout, vice president of marketing and sales at category sales leader Dutailier. "We must make the glider the solution to the consumer's relaxation requirements."
In many cases, producers are trying to accomplish that by taking a page from the recliner category. Reclining backs have become common at higher price points, and many such gliders have additional recliner-like features such as swivel mechanisms.
However, producers are quick to point out that glider rockers remain vastly different from recliners because of their extremely long gliding motion and their compatibility with a gliding ottoman.
"Our reclining glider does very well, and it's the most expensive thing in our line," said Larry Daigneault, president of Newport Gliders, which focuses on the middle and upper end. "But it's still a glider, and we are going to stick with what we are good at."
Butch McCracken, president of Mac Motion Chairs and a long-time proponent of using reclining chair features in gliders, said the glider category often is overlooked by consumers shopping for specialty chairs.
"For the longest time, there wasn't credit given to the reclining features in our chairs," he said. "And even now, its seems like the fully upholstered look is more important than some functions."
McCracken said fully upholstered styles hide the glider mechanism and provide an added safety measure for homes with children.
"Everybody loves a glider rocker," added Gene Gathagan, vice president of sales and marketing at Brooks. "But many times, they don't like the shell that goes around it."
Here's an update on key players in the category.
Best Home Furnishings: The company is making a major push to improve the styling of its gliders by adding a variety of wood accents and new finishes. At the recent High Point market, Best was especially successful with a warm espresso finish that has been popular on its recliners and stationary chairs.
"We've really changed the look of our gliders," said sales manager Greg Sicard. "It keeps everything fresh."
Brooks Furniture: Brooks continues to be strongest at the $299 and $399 price points, but has had success recently with a large-scale glider at $599.
The big news from High Point, however, was the company's decision to begin buying all of its components from Asia. Final assembly is still done at the Brooks plant in Tazewell, Tenn., but the Asian components move allowed the company to drop prices an average of 12%.
At the same time, Brooks added a Dacron fiber wrap to its seat and back cushions in order to deliver more value to consumers.
"We just didn't drop our prices. We took the opportunity to improve our line," Gathagan said.
Coaster: This Asian import powerhouse remains strong at the entry-level $199 and $299 price points, and has gliders that can retail as low as $99 with a container-direct purchase.
Coaster also had success pricing the glider rocker and ottoman as a package, a move that reduces warehousing headaches and helps dealers better manage their inventory.
Dutailier: The company's signature Dutailier line and its upper-end Avante Glide collection focus on price points above $399.
In addition to a reclining back, many models have a mechanism that enables the user to lock the chair back in an infinite number of positions.
"Those two features are the most in demand," said Godbout. "The locking mechanism allows the chair to be used almost the same as a recliner."
At High Point, the company enjoyed success with a new line of gliders that features a full reclining mechanism. The new models will retail for about $899 in fabric and $1,099 in leather/vinyl.
"We sold double what we expected," said Godbout. "Our challenge was to convince retailers that, in today's climate of promotional recliners, you can sell a high-end product."
Holland House: This importer of bedroom and dining room furniture says its glider rocker business is its most stable and predictable category, and the company believes its decision to target aging baby boomers with the product was a wise one.
"It is a very good niche that we have developed there," said controller Frank Gao, who's also involved with product development. "We are in a good position."
Mac Motion Chairs: The company, started two years ago by former Relax-R executive Butch McCracken, is strongest at the $399 and $499 price points, and is one of the few resources to offer a wide selection of leather and leather/vinyl covers.
McCracken said he also has had success recently by packaging several gliders and matching ottomans at competitive price points.
"Offering the two pieces at a retail value has been a real selling point with our dealers," he said.
Newport Gliders: This upper-end specialist loves to tout the fact that its gliders are all domestically produced, and frequently markets the strength and durability of its products. Most models also include a swivel base — a feature the company says others typically include only for an up-charge.
"The quality is in that base," Daigneault said. "We don't have any problems with them."
Newport is strongest at retail price points of $499 and above, and models with reclining backs typically retail for $599 to $699.
-
There's more to recliners than price
Apr 13, 2003
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
