Sandberg adds upscale line
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, August 29, 2005
Las Vegas — Longtime promotional bedroom manufacturer Sandberg Furniture is stepping into higher style and price points with its new Platinum division, a line of bedroom and home entertainment sourced in Asia.
Platinum debuted at the July market here with seven bedrooms and four entertainment groups using solid woods and wood veneers, beveled glass, leather, real marble accents and case tops in solid granite.
Sandberg also added three bedroom and entertainment groups in its standard line.
"Platinum is a dramatic step up in our price points and looks," said President John Sandberg. "We feel there are a fair number of current dealers who can use this, but we'll definitely be expanding into a new dealer base also."
Where bedroom suites in the standard Sandberg line retail around $999, Platinum suites go for $1,999 to $2,999. Sandberg entertainment groups retail from $799 to $999, while Platinum retails between $1,299 and $1,499.
"Rather than make a little step up in price and style, we chose to skip a level so we don't cannibalize the top end of our existing business," Sandberg said. "The really big step up also let's you see a real difference between what's Sandberg and what's Platinum. We wanted to take the service capabilities we developed with the original domestic line and apply them to Platinum."
Platinum is available container direct or via warehouse service. Most initial business is expected to come out of the company's Southern California warehouse, since many existing customers are in that region.
Three Platinum groups will ship in late August or early September. The rest will reach retailers in stages by the end of the year.
"You can't go into this with one or two sets and say you're in the business," Sandberg said. "We committed to a significant introduction and already have Platinum in production."
The company will continue to grow and support its bread-and-butter domestic line. "Our business in the Sandberg plant has never been better," he said.
