Order-writing brisk in Tupelo
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, January 25, 2010
TUPELO, Miss. —
Although the furniture market here didn't officially open until Friday morning, many buyers got a head start on their shopping Thursday and kept showrooms fairly busy.
The unofficial opening day saw a number of buyers from Top 100 stores in the Midwestern and Eastern states roaming the halls along with the usual contingent of small and mid-sized retailers from the Southeast.
“We had a tremendous first day,” said Brian Akchin, president of Fraenkel, a case goods and upholstery resource. “I think people's inventories are low and they are anticipating a busy selling season.”
Closeouts and other promotional specials were on the minds of many buyers, as usual, but exhibitors said there also was considerable interest in goods at middle and upper-middle price points.
“We're getting good traction with our better goods. Those products are really resonating with our dealer base,” said Tim Bohon, executive vice president of Leather Italia, a leather upholstery importer.
He said four sofa frames from the company's new Embassy collection, which targets retail price points of $1,299 to $1,599, already are among the 10 best-selling frames in the entire line.
With retail store traffic still less than stellar, however, promotions are on just about everyone's shopping list, exhibitors said.
“At this point, people are looking for something affordable,” said Ray Steele, vice president of sales at Ultimate Accents.
Steele said $999 remains a key price point for both formal dining and five-piece bedroom suites.
“Everybody is looking for something to drive traffic,” added Lane President Greg Roy. “We've had a recent spike in business and have added some production lines, but we're still a little cautious about the future.”
Retailers shopping the market, including Stuart Shevin, president of Birmingham, Ala.-based Standard Furniture, commented on the abundance of introductions.
“I found more new product here than I have in a long time,” he said. “In fact, at each of the first five showrooms I visited, I bought something that I'm going to bring back to the store.”
Staff Writer Heath E. Combs and Editor-in-chief Ray Allegrezza also contributed to this article.
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