Entertainment resources enjoy brisk activity
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2007
Las Vegas — Continuing to benefit from the consumer's love affair with flat-panel televisions, showrooms featuring entertainment furniture enjoyed brisk traffic and order-writing at market.
Exhibitors said entertainment furniture remains a bright spot in an otherwise murky retail landscape, and said buyers were eager to develop programs that would allow them to piggyback onto electronics purchases.
Consoles and hutches were the most-requested items on dealer shopping lists, but not everyone has given up on the larger wall systems that once were staple of the category.
Karl Eulberg, vice president of sales at Kathy Ireland Home by Martin, said, "We've been opening lots of new accounts and getting additional floor space at our existing dealers."
Martin, which nearly doubled the size of its Building A space, was one of many entertainment sources reporting strong business.
"The numbers are back up to the levels of the first market (in July 2005)," said Paul Coscarelli, a partner in APA Marketing, distributor of the Encore entertainment furniture line.
Brenda Dillon, merchandise manager for occasional furniture at Broyhill, said buyers were eager to expand their presence in fast-growing categories such as home entertainment. "Our traffic was strong," she said.
Her comments were echoed by Robert Halsten, vice president of product development at Peters-Revington. "We wrote a lot of media at this market," he said. "All of our groups have at least one or two media pieces."
Dillon said Broyhill had good response to entertainment pieces in three key collections — Intermezzo, Vantana and McKenzie Place, with a tall TV console.
Others unveiling tall consoles included Riverside and Legends Furniture.
"It's an exciting time for us," said Linda Owen, national sales manager at Riverside, which had a permanent World Market Center showroom for the first time.
Tim Donk, Legends marketing manager, said a sofa table available with matching coffee and end tables proved popular. "The average ticket is dropping since we're not selling as many big walls, so (the matching table program) allows the dealer to get more add-on sales," he said.
Two other entertainment sources, Aspenhome and Parker House, reported success with pieces that combine entertainment and home office functions.
"The laptop has changed everything. Now you can live and work anywhere," said Renee Loper, Aspenhome's marketing director. Items from its new LIV360 collection are suitable for a family room and allow family members to interact while working, playing video games or watching television, she said.
West Allen, Parker House's marketing director, reported great response to its new bookcase wall system that includes both an entertainment console and a desk.
"Everybody I know has a TV in their home office, so why not have furniture that serves both purposes?" Allen said.
Other key entertainment introductions were found at Orleans, which unveiled an entertainment console with an electric fireplace in the center, and Signature, with a new medium-sized wall system with a black finish.
-
Entertainment buyers like consoles, add-on items
Apr 20, 2008 -
Array of product on tap for Las Vegas Market
Feb 4, 2007 -
New entertainment sports step-up features
Apr 7, 2008 -
New entertainment sports step-up features
Apr 6, 2008
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
