Casual dining sources stir activity with fresh designs
By Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2008
High Point — Domestic casual dining manufacturer Saloom came to market prepared for the worst because of the weak economy. Company officials also thought retailers might balk at the price increases that many companies here were adopting in the face of higher costs.
But luckily for Saloom, the company started introducing higher price points late last year as part of a strategic shift rather than a reaction to cost hikes. Its aim was to reach more style-conscious consumers who would pay upper-middle prices for casual dining, a niche it felt hadn't been properly addressed in the category.
Becki Gould, director of marketing, said the move attracted Top 100 retailers the company had never seen, many looking to tell a domestically made quality story. On market's first day, half the visitors to Saloom were new customers.
"This is the best market we've ever had," she said.
The company received few complaints about the reduced number of intros or about pricing, Gould said. "No one said it's too high priced."
Pieces at the higher end of solid wood featured heavier distressing on pieces across a range of styles at market. At many showrooms, rub-through finishes took the place of solid black sets that dominated recent markets.
And as is a trend in other categories, transitional and contemporary looks are supplanting traditional styles in casual dining.
Universal Furniture had a warm reception to its new Entrée solid wood, smaller-scaled dining program. The approach, referred to internally as "just right"-sized dining, has scaling ranged from 48-inch round to a 60-by-40-inch oval. Style features include planked looks, some heavy distressing and black rub-through finishes on some items.
Large dealers responded well to the introduction, which starts at $999 for a five-piece set, Universal said.
"The oak and birch really resonated with our customers. You could classify this as a home run," said Jeff Stone, vice president of merchandising.
Casual dining was a strong seller at Powell, which reported its biggest Wednesday in High Point since the company started tracking.
"We were very strong in it with a lot of new wood casual out of Malaysia," said Bill Benton, president and CEO.
At Jofran, President Joff Roy said early attendance was up, and the company's new China warehouse continued to be a positive story for the business.
"We probably had three to four times our normal Sunday attendance. We saw almost all of our current account base and exceeded our traffic from a year ago," Roy said.
Steel specialist Johnston Casuals expanded on its upholstered chair options, with up to a 48-inch back on some models. The company also continued expanding its steel bed program, is starting to tell an eco-story, and has sought more input in recent months from designers, said Terry McKinney, director of contract sales.
"Traffic was fairly good throughout the week," McKinney said. "I think in general we are seeing a return of interest for U.S.-made goods."
Canadel had a soft opening Sunday afternoon and saw about 18 larger accounts, then had steady traffic throughout the week, said Bob Kelly, senior vice president of sales.
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