Having the right bait pays off for wood sources
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, March 2, 2008
Tupelo, Miss. — Slower traffic left market exhibitors fighting over those who did attend and, like a fishing outing, the ones with the best bait caught the most fish.
While some exhibitors were bemoaning the shortage of big retail names, Kerry Lebensberger, Ashley's president of sales, said about ten Top 100 retailers came through his company's space.
Ashley has had great success lately with its living room packages, selling 14 pieces of furniture and accents for $999 retail, said Lebensberger. He noted that one retailer sold 200 such packages during a single holiday weekend last year.
Retailers and consumers like both the convenience and value of these types of packages, so it was a natural progression for Ashley to expand to a three-room program, he said. Three packages shown here offered 28 pieces for $1,999. In addition to seating and tables, the offering included a five-piece dining set, bedroom suite, area rug and top-of-bed pieces.
Ashley showed three different bedroom suites from which to choose and will bring out two more flavors at the High Point Market.
Brian Akchin, Fraenkel's president and CEO, said that despite the low traffic this market he placed upholstery and case goods with new retailers that could become big accounts.
Drawing attention for Fraenkel in bedroom were two new groups: Afton Oaks, which draws upon Arts & Crafts, Frank Lloyd Wright and Mission influences; and Bienville Count, a clean look with light shaping and a rubbed finish.
One company enjoying brisk activity at market was Woodcrest, which had dozens of visitors on each of the first two days. Thanks to its STH-500 bed system shown in the front display window, the company recorded 20 to 25 orders each day.
The bunk bed system, introduced late last year, is a twin-over-full design that uses steps instead of a ladder to reach the top bunk. Built into the steps are several drawers accessed on the left side. Made in Peru, Ind., the bed is $599 or $699 retail with trundle drawers.
Competitor Discovery World Furniture introduced a bunk bed with steps this market, but instead of integrating drawers into the structure, it showed a drawer chest. This way, the chest can be pulled out and accessed anywhere in the room, regardless of where the bed is placed. Otherwise, if the drawers were built in and the bed placed on the left wall, they would be inaccessible, according to the company.
Manufactured in Brazil, the twin-over-twin bed system retails for about $400. With the drawer chest, the setup is $550.
Legends Furniture is working hard to keep pace with the ever-changing electronics world. Its new home entertainment centers and consoles integrate technology more seamlessly than in the past. Having something fresh gives the sales reps something to talk about with retailers, which in turn gives them an angle when selling to consumers.
There is no doubt consumers are spending a lot of money on televisions, said Jim Cherry, national sales manager for Legends. He noted that a January article in The Wall Street Journal said worldwide TV sales this year should top $100 billion, with North America accounting for 40% of that total. It's up to furniture manufacturers to figure out a way to tap into that wave.
One Legends entertainment center has surround-sound speaker spaces in the tops of the two side piers. And many of its consoles and center bases have a speaker space under the TV for stereo center channels.
A wall system from Legends' import line even includes space for a subwoofer. Because of the low frequency sound waves from the bass speaker, the cabinet cannot sit on a shelf, said Cherry. The entire unit would vibrate and rattle. Instead, the lowest portion of the side pier has a pull-up bottom so the speaker can sit directly on the floor underneath.
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