Casual Living®
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 6, 2008
Glen Raven forms Tri Vantage division
Group acquires Hunter Lighting assets
Carls Patio opens two more stores
Retailers share ideas about selling interior designers in phone roundtable
Glen Raven forms Tri Vantage division
Group acquires Hunter Lighting assets
Carls Patio opens two more stores
Retailers share ideas about selling interior designers in phone roundtable
Glen Raven forms Tri Vantage division
Glen Raven recently unveiled the name for its new distribution division, Tri Vantage LLC.
In May 2007, Glen Raven acquired long-standing business partners The Astrup Co. and John Boyle & Co., two of the nation's largest distributors of fabrics, hardware and finishing supplies for the awning, marine, sign and casual furniture industries. After several months of consolidating operations and completing the merger, the new organization has announced its new identity and brand with Tri Vantage.
"We are very pleased to move forward as one united company under the new Tri Vantage name," said Harry Gobble, president and general manager. "Though the name is new, we are well known with a rich heritage of leadership in the specialty fabrics industry. Through Tri Vantage, we have woven the strengths and capabilities of three great companies together to provide the highest level of product innovation and the best service possible to our customers."
Tri Vantage employs more than 300 people in 19 offices and distribution centers across North America.
The company launched a corporate Web site last month at www.trivantage.com with an expanded online catalog.
Group acquires Hunter Lighting assets
The management and employees of Hunter Lighting Group/Kenroy purchased the assets and ongoing operation of the lighting business from Hunter Fan Co.
The new company, Kenroy Home, will sell an expanded range of lighting and home decor products to a variety of distribution channels under the Kenroy Home brand.
It also will sell Hunter-branded lighting to a select group of accounts, under license from Hunter Fan.
Bob Pape, president of Hunter Lighting Group from 1993 to 2005 and most recently president of Hunter's Business Innovation Group, returned to the business in November to lead the buyout effort.
"Becoming the first employee-owned lighting company, purchased with our own sweat equity and savings, is a dream come true for the hard-working Kenroy family, many of whom preceded Hunter's ownership in the late 1980s," Pape said.
"As an independent entity, Kenroy Home will be more nimble and proactive in expanding into new product categories, and will focus on marketing to customers who appreciate our emphasis on design and value-added services."
Hunter Fan will continue to provide logistics, warehouse and distribution services to Kenroy Home from its corporate distribution facility in Byhalia, Miss.
Kenroy Home will continue to operate its product development, sales, marketing, customer service, credit and administration support in Jacksonville, Fla.
Carls Patio opens two more stores
Outdoor furniture specialist Carls Patio opened new showrooms in Naples, Fla., and Agoura Hills, Calif., at the end of February. The Coconut Creek, Fla.-based retailer now has 12 showrooms in Florida and three in Southern California as it continues its expansion in both markets.
The new location in downtown Naples, a 10,000-square-foot freestanding building, was made possible by recent drops in real estate values that were not previously available in the sizzling Southwest Florida market.
Gary Ecoff, president of Carls Patio, called the new acquisition an opportunity to solidify the retailer's position on Florida's West Coast.
"We are committed to the steady growth of our company and will continue to secure locations that make sense both economically and within the parameters of our expansion goals," Ecoff said.
The new California location in the Thousand Oaks area of the Conejo Valley marks the first new opening for the 54-year-old Berks luxury outdoor furniture brand, which Carls Patio acquired in June 2005. The California division is headed by Lyle Ecoff, a 20-year veteran of the casual industry and Gary Ecoff's brother.
"We are very excited to begin to leverage the Berks name," Gary Ecoff said. "They have been an institution for over five decades in the Los Angeles market area, and we now have the opportunity to use that as foundation for future expansion throughout Southern California."
The 17,000-square-foot Agoura showroom co-anchors a newly developed 120,000-square-foot furniture center along with Ethan Allen and a number of other independently owned furniture operators.
Established in 1993 as a division of Carls Furniture, Carls Patio operates 14 retail showrooms as well as its trade showroom Terrace 436, located within the Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) in Dania Beach, Fla.
Retailers share ideas about selling interior designers in phone roundtable
Retailers shared experiences, gave and sought advice for "Doing Business with Designers, Decorators and Commercial Accounts," during the first Casual Furniture Retailers Assn.'s Roundtable-By-Phone.
Karen Galindo of Greenhouse Mall stores in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and Greg Martin of Kolo Collection in Atlanta served as moderators for the March 11 discussion. Both stressed the value of a having a written policy that designers, clients and store sales staff understand. The policy should note designer discounts and charges, such as for delivery.
"In our designer policy, in bold underlined letters, it says: Designer must be installed from the beginning of the shopping process to be eligible for the discount program," Martin said. "If your salespeople have these in place both for the end-user and for the designer, it's easy to diffuse a potentially uncomfortable situation."
Having designers complete a simple form, containing contact information and tax identification number, simplifies the process and provides the store a growing list of design firms, which often brings lucrative repeat business.
Retailers can introduce their products, stores and services to designers by hosting a meet-and-greet party for designers, Galindo said. She advised retailers to remember who their guests are and cater to their upscale tastes by using top-quality invitations, napkins and door prizes. As designer guests left the party, Galindo's staff provided written copies of the stores' designer policy.
"Basically what we told them is, 'There's nothing we won't do for you. Our attitude is: We're your customer service person; we're your sales agent; we'll come to the house with you; we'll bring swatches, we'll do anything you need us to do so we can be accessible to you and make your job better,'" Galindo said. She told fellow retailers to "make sure designers know how much you value their business."
In major markets, decorator show houses often include outdoor spaces, Martin said. Kolo Collection rarely turns down designers' request to provide furniture for such an event because it builds long-term relationships and loyalty. "That designer will be your partner and look to buy from you the next time they have a project because you've helped them out in the past with events like that," he said.
Participating in Parade of Homes or similar community events provides targeted exposure in the design community and to high-end consumers, retailers agreed.
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