Lifestyle draws crowd
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, January 21, 2007
High Point — Traffic appeared to be up at Lifestyle Enterprise's three-day mini-market here last week.
The importer expected more than 500 people at its Forbidden City Furniture Show, the second of what could become an annual event, according to James Riddle, Lifestyle managing director. While the final numbers haven't been tallied, organizers believe visitors may have topped 600.
Traffic was steady and appeared to be somewhat smoother than last year. That was probably because the company staggered retailer visits so that sales reps could be able to spend time with each account, said John Wampler, case goods president.
Each buyer attending received an iPod Shuffle mp3 player, which retails for about $79.
Rosso's Furniture, a two-store chain based in Gilroy, Calif., was one of the retailers who returned for a second mini-market. Anthony Rosso, who was part of a small buying group at the event, said his company was shopping all its product categories last week.
He said the show, and Lifestyle's product, was "a great value. That's what it's all about." He visited other showrooms during his two-day stay, but focused mainly on Lifestyle and its line.
Steve Ikerd said that before the first event last year, he had never bought a Lifestyle Enterprise item for his company, Designers' Choice Furniture Galleries, Hickory, N.C. After seeing the line, the company bought 20 containers.
"He made us an offer we couldn't refuse," said his wife, Betty Ikerd.
About 60 other High Point exhibitors opened their doors hoping to catch some residual business from the buyers in town.
"We got what we wanted out of the market," said Rountree Collett, executive vice president and chief financial officer at manufacturer Bernhardt. The company tested a new pine group that draws upon Italian, Spanish and French designs. Collett said he had appointments with several Top 100 retailers, while a handful of smaller retailers dropped by, too.
Doug Bassett, Vaughan-Bassett's vice president of sales and marketing, said his company had more than 50 accounts come through last January, which was more people than it saw at the March and September High Point premarkets combined. After a slow start Monday morning, Bassett said he saw about 25 people. Many of the dealers were aware that the manufacturer wasn't showing any new groups this time, so that reduced traffic.
Hooker had several top sales executives on hand, including Phil Garrett and Frank Richardson, the two national sales managers, and Ray Harm, senior vice president of sales.
Youth producer Opus Designs was open for Monday and Tuesday and saw more than 10 accounts, including a couple that hadn't shopped Opus before, said Marc Katzman, president of sales and marketing.
Lifestyle Enterprise made the market very worthwhile for two retailers in particular. At a dinner Monday night, the company gave away a BMW Z4 convertible to Jeanie Russ of Farmers Furniture in Dublin, Ga. On Tuesday, Burt Tassel of Alperts Furniture, Seekonk, Mass., won a Mercedes SLK 280 hardtop convertible.
| Acknowledgements | ||
| Associate Editor Thomas Russell contributed to this story. | ||
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