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Market turns upbeat

Buyer attitudes best in several years

By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, May 3, 2010

HIGH POINT —

An abundance of product introductions and a decent uptick in business gave attendees at last month's High Point Market plenty of reasons to smile.

Exhibitors said it was the most upbeat show in several years, as buyers responded enthusiastically to most product intros and appeared eager to capitalize on opportunties provided by an improvement in business.

And there wasn't the usual grumbling about attendance. Instead, many exhibitors reported heavy order-writing — a phenomenon rarely observed in High Point in recent years.

“This time, we saw a lot of big retailers not only commit, but buy,” said John DeFalco, executive vice president of importer Primo International. “Normally, most big retailers don't write orders at the show.”

Palliser President Cary Benson agreed, noting that his sales force surprisingly “wrote a lot of business” during the six-day market.

“The mood seemed very positive,” said Benson. “And our attendance was up significantly.”

DeFalco and other executives said the uptick in business wasn't the only factor contributing to the surge in order-writing.

“It probably was a combination of inventory and supply chain worries, along with concerns over potential price increases,” DeFalco said.

Brian Casey, president of the High Point Market Authority, described the show as the most upbeat he had experienced in his four years with the Market Authority.

“As I visited with exhibitors and buyers, I could not believe the groundswell of enthusiasm,” he said during a presentation to the Market Authority Board. “I think it has turned 180 degrees (and) we have established ourselves as the leading market for home furnishings.”

He recalled that when he attended his first market in 2006, many exhibitors and buyers were upset with the way the event was being run, and said the Market Authority staff “took a lot of abuse” from attendees about everything from parking problems to price gouging by hotels. Casey credited his staff with proactively addressing problems and significantly improving the marketing, organization and promotion of the event.

Retailer Keith Koenig, president of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based City Furniture, said the improvements are bearing fruit, and said his staff now prefers to shop in High Point.

“I was an outspoken critic about five years ago … but the High Point Market has never been better,” he said.

Home entertainment, home office and occasional resource Parker House showed at its first High Point Market since October 2006. Sam Perone, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said that based on response to new and existing product, he was glad to be back.

“We had tremendous placements,” Perone said. “Our exposure in High Point has opened a lot of new dealers to our product.”

He added that both showroom traffic and written business were better than expected.

Case goods manufacturer Sunny Designs saw about 200 accounts, including nearly 50 of the Top 100. Last fall, it had about 25 Top 100s visit its space. Officials were pleased with the attendance, considering the company was in a new location in the National Furniture Mart.

“It exceeded our expectations,” said Hokeun Lee, marketing director. “We didn't expect as many buyers would find us. Everyone we were expecting, we saw.”

Lee, Perone and executives of other import companies said some buyers expressed concern about delays in getting goods shipped from Asian manufacturers, but that did little to dampen the mood at market.

Executives said shipping capacity problems have eased in recent weeks, but container shipping costs are at least double the level it reached a year ago. That has created opportunities for importers with U.S. warehouses, as well as companies with domestic production.

“We're benefitting from it,” said Phil Cooper, executive director of Comfort Design, a Klaussner Furniture Inds. unit that has its factory in Asheboro, N.C. “The 'hand-crafted in USA' moniker really resonated with people.”

Senior Retail Editor Clint Engel and Associate Editor Thomas Russell contributed to this story.

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