Home entertainment bolstered by electronics boom
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, October 14, 2007
High Point — Entertainment furniture resources continue to be encouraged by the interest in their category, which is proving to be a small beacon of hope during an industry-wide sales slump.
Exhibitors said many savvy buyers came to market eager to place orders in anticipation of a spike in demand during the holiday shopping season, when they expect another round of heavy price-cutting by electronics retailers.
If that happens, exhibitors say furniture retailers need to be able to meet the demand almost immediately, since most consumers don't realize they need new furniture until after they get their new flat-panel TV home.
"We're hearing from people in the electronics industry that it's going to happen," APA Marketing's Paul Coscarelli said of upcoming television price wars. "And it's going to be more intense than last year."
Coscarelli and other executives said consoles and hutches attracted the most interest at market, but wall systems and larger, dual-purpose items that combine entertainment with home office or bedroom furniture were popular as well.
New dual-purpose items at market included Kincaid's Double Vision dresser, which allows a flat-panel TV to be mounted inside a two-way mirror, and Aspenhome's entertainment chest, which accommodates a flat-panel TV on top of a chest of drawers.
"People are starving for nice furniture to go with all these wonderful new TVs," said Bob Lemons, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Kincaid.
Among console introductions, exhibitors said taller models that keep the television at least 30 inches off the floor are increasingly popular — primarily because TVs with larger screen sizes require a different viewing angle than traditional models.
"With plasma and LCD outselling DLP TVs, I don't think you need to make the console so low," said Hank Long, senior vice president of merchandising at Hooker. "And (taller models) also give you an opportunity to put more style and function into the piece."
Long and others said wire management and ventilation for components have become virtual "must-have" features for consoles, and shelf space for a center-channel speaker has nearly reached that stage.
"It's all about function, function and function," added Albert Lin, vice president of Signature Home Furnishings, which unveiled several new pieces that allow a flat-panel TV to be mounted on the back panel of the hutch.
A number of exhibitors also placed greater emphasis on coordinating consoles with occasional tables, a move that allows entertainment furniture to be shown in vignette settings.
Magnussen Home, for one, ramped up its efforts to merchandise entertainment consoles with occasional tables and upholstery, even though the company is not an upholstery resource. Karen Knoch, merchandise manager for occasional and home entertainment, said the company developed finishes for such pieces that match the most popular finishes on the wood legs of upholstered pieces.
"There is no substitute for seeing it with upholstery," Knoch said of Magnussen's new entertainment and occasional pieces. "We had consoles with all but one table group at market."
Exhibitors said darker finishes, in general, drew considerable interest by retailers who are trying to attract younger consumers.
"Black seems to be where it's at," said Lynn Selmer, vice president of national accounts at Sunrise Home Furnishings. "Anything we do in black seems to get placed very quickly."
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Entertainment draws crowd
May 21, 2006 -
Entertainment buyers like consoles, add-on items
Apr 20, 2008 -
Fresh styles, function on tap in entertainment
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