Stein World readies occasional arm
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, May 7, 2007
Memphis, Tenn. — Accent furniture specialist Stein World is forming an occasional division, with plans to introduce product later this year.
"We still have a tremendous amount of growth in the accent division, but also have a lot of tremendous opportunity in occasional," said President Richard Olmeda.
"There is also an appetite for occasional based on our conversations with Top 100 dealers," he said.
The plan is to offer at least 30 occasional groups in October in medium to upper-middle price points. He said his team will meet with at least 25 large retailers in the next two months to discuss needs in their markets.
The company may have some prototypes available in July at the Las Vegas Market. The full launch, which will include occasional tables and home entertainment consoles, will be in High Point in early October.
As part of the effort, Stein World has realigned some staff, and added seven new positions in the United States and six in China.
Much of the sourcing will be done in China and Vietnam, but the company also is looking at other source countries, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
To accommodate the new line, Stein World plans to increase its High Point showroom by about 7,000 square feet to a total of 21,000, and its Las Vegas showroom by about 4,000 square feet to 11,000.
