Why our glass looks half full
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, March 18, 2007
Don't even think about calling me the industry's cheerleader. I don't carry pom-pons, I look terrible in a short skirt and I couldn't do a split if my life depended on it. However, I do admit that I see our industry's glass as half full.
Given the continued sluggishness at retail, one easily could see our glass as half empty. In fact, pessimists probably also would see the glass as cracked. But my hat is in the ring with the half-full folks, and I'll tell you why: The industry is full of success stories from every sector of the business and from companies of every size.
In the big-dog category, take a look at Ashley. I don't care if you look at the manufacturing/sourcing side of their business or their retail presence. On either front, the story is the same. The whiz kids from Wisconsin are kicking butts and taking names.
Then, on an incredibly smaller scale, you have the Texas-based retailer called Eurway Modern Home & Office. Probably best described as a specialty retailer, this three-store chain sells mid-to-better ready-to-assemble furniture as the heart of its mix.
Eurway is operating in the same environment as everyone else, but when its owners peered into their glass, they spotted a few interesting things. For one, they realized their online sales, facilitated by the flat-pack nature of their RTA goods, were steadily rising.
The other thing they realized was that an inordinate number of those online sales were from customers in Arizona, not exactly a skip and a jump from Dallas, Houston or Austin, Texas, cities where they currently have stores.
So, Eurway is planning to open two stores in areas where they've had high online sales — Tempe, Ariz., and Frisco, Texas. Clearly, their glass has no crack. Nor, in my opinion, does their strategy.
Ready or not, like it or not, this business has changed and will change. Even more distressing — or exciting — is that change will come at us with increasing frequency and intensity.
Do me a favor. Look into your glass, then send me an e-mail telling me what you see.
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Why our glass looks half full
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