Youth Not just for kids anymore
A dynamic category continues to broaden its target audience
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2006
High Point — The hottest trend in youth this fall is ... not to think of it as kids furniture at all.
Many players have entered the dynamic youth category in recent years, increasing the competition for parents' dollars. In response, several manufacturers have broadened their aim to include young adults and/or infants.
A.P. Inds., Dutailier, Young America and Shermag have had cribs in their lines for some time, and companies entering the crib arena in the past year include SLF, Pulaski and Atlantic Furniture. Still others are offering dressers with changing-station function.
The result is that conventional furniture stores now can offer product previously found mainly in specialty stores, and specialty players now have new sourcing options, with the ability to display an entire room setting from one manufacturer.
Parents can buy a crib and dresser/changing station, then add matching chests, nightstands and beds as the child grows, a key to Young America's Built to Grow line.
SLF and Pulaski Furniture merged this summer, creating Home Meridian International. Shortly thereafter, Home Meridian debuted an infant division, Creations, at the ABC Show in Las Vegas in September. Pulaski showed a prototype piece of its new Build-A-Bear Workshop Home licensed line in Creation's ABC space, then launched the full line, including a crib, at the October High Point market.
Retailer response to Build-A-Bear was very positive and exceeded expectations, said Jim Kelly, Pulaski's executive vice president of marketing and product development.
"As the first furniture line designed by kids for kids, the new Build-A-Bear Workshop Home line allows both mom and child the customization, configuration and colors they told us they wanted," he said.
Research also played a role in Broyhill's reinvigorated youth line.
"We realize there's tremendous sales opportunity in the youth category," said Fran Scheller, Broyhill's bedroom/ dining merchandise manager. "We have an ongoing consumer-insight program into different consumer segments, including baby, youth, tween and teen. We have learned much about the category through these research programs and, as a result, have developed youth collections that address the needs of our youth consumers."
Broyhill and others offer goods that grow with the child, with "the ultimate goal being to promote a lifelong brand-loyal consumer," Scheller said.
Research convinced Broyhill that the most important attribute in teens' rooms is comfort, since they primarily use their rooms for relaxation, she said. Closely following that was a need for organization, with most teens accumulating and collecting a variety of things.
Study and storage long have been key components of youth furniture, driven in part by the fact that children's rooms typically are the smallest in the house, according to Young America, a division of Stanley. The features that support study and storage also make sense for college dorms and first apartments, where space is at a premium.
This idea of expanding beyond the child's bedroom is driving the trend toward more sophistication in furniture design and finishes, including colors usually considered adult.
Youth furniture with a more mature look gives it greater longevity, noted Lee Boone, president of Legacy Classic. Rather than a child growing out of a style in a few years, parents can realistically get a decade of use from the furniture as kids mature, and then pass it along to younger siblings or put it in a guest room.
"Most homes have only one master bedroom, but two or three smaller rooms," said Boone.
"Many furniture manufacturers assume that kids have computers in their rooms," said Broyhill's Scheller. "However, in our study, only a minority of respondents had computers. With the recent Internet scams and scares, parents are often reluctant to allow children the use of their own private computer."
In light of that fact, Broyhill offered a combination desk/ vanity in its Alexandra collection. The desk can be used for homework or for a laptop computer if the child has one. The vanity's lift-top design allows storage of cosmetics or hair products, so that girls can get ready for school in their rooms rather than using the family bathroom.
Alexandra is a painted, white girl's group, which continues to be a staple of the juvenile category. However, some resources, including HomElegance and South Shore, report that more contemporary designs are gaining in popularity.
HomElegance introduced two youth groups in October and added to some existing groups. Youth is about 10% of bedroom business and should snag a bigger slice as the company looks to expand, said Jamie Collins, HomElegance vice president of sales and marketing.
The biggest challenge is providing the necessary functionality while still offering a nice-looking piece, he said.
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