Accent chairs offer affordable option
Stylish pieces provide way for consumers to freshen rooms without breaking bank
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, July 14, 2008
HIGH POINT — For the many cautious consumers in this economy not wanting to spend a fortune on furniture, accent and occasional chairs offer an affordable solution.
As with accent tables and chests, the occasional chair category is a way to add a piece or two to a room setting without breaking the bank. In the case of many popular lines, price points range from $199 to $699 retail per chair.
Some companies market their chairs with standard fabrics, while others offer consumers an array of fabric and finish options that help tailor the item to what's already in the room.
Sam Moore Furniture offers 750 fabric SKUs and 24 finishes. This versatility has helped spur growth in the category, with transitional and soft contemporary styles among the most popular, said Erin Dooley, vice president of merchandising.
“When business is tough and you don't want to redo something, you can paint the walls and buy a chair,” she said, noting that younger consumers are also showing growing interest in the category. “You can do a makeover with a little chair.”
Dooley also noted that the scale of accent chairs makes them simple to place in a room, whether it's next to a fireplace or near an accent or reading table in the center of the room.
Saverio Mancina, director of marketing for Rowe, said accent and occasional chairs are popular because they can “define a room very quickly and more easily than replacing the sofa” and can find a home in most rooms, ranging from the bedroom and living room to the foyer. Consumers are using chairs to replace loveseats and gain additional seating in the room that complements the sofa.
At Golden Chair, business in the category has been up this year, with nearly 70% of sales in transitional and contemporary styles. One factor driving sales is the fact that the retailer doesn't have to buy a full container of just one or two styles.
“You can take anything in our line and mix it,” said Joyce Chase, sales manager.
“They became secondary for a long time, but at the Tupelo market in January and at the April market, we had more people shopping — saying they needed these categories in their store,” she added. “In times when it is tight, it gives a fresh look without having to redo the whole room.”
She added that another factor helping drive business is the fact that fewer people are spending money on expensive vacations, choosing instead to save money by staying home.
Peninsula Home Collection President Gonzalo Alonso said the occasional chair category has been important to his business, particularly among designers, who like the range and options available in the line.
Peninsula Home offers 40 chair frames, 10 of which are occasional chairs, Alonso said, noting that he likes to add about three new models each market. The chairs also come in 60 different fabrics, as well as COM, or customer's own material.
“For us, it is in a growth mode because of the additional pieces we are offering,” he said. “We are offering new leathers, hair on hides and hides that are treated with acid. There is always a new element…On the design side, there is always an ability to be creative with these frames.”
Peninsula's price points lean toward the high end of the spectrum, between $950 and $1,800 retail per chair.
“It is not mass produced,” Alonso said of the line, noting that Peninsula's frames are manufactured and finished in Peru and upholstered in the United States. “It is made by hand and reaches a segment of the market that is looking for quality and something different.”
At Bailey Street Holding Co., accent and occasional chairs also are an important part of the product mix. In addition to the 55 accent and occasional chairs in its line, it also has 125 different cover choices available on six chair and bench SKUs in its Couture Covers program.
The covers in that program are cut and sewn to fit over the basic frame and can be changed in a matter of minutes. Based on the success of that program at retail, the company also recently announced a licensing partnership with Southern Living Magazine that offers 25 more fabrics on two chairs and a bench.
“It has really been a major factor in the growth of Bailey Street,” said CEO Jim Berk.
While accent chairs — outside the Couture Covers line — represent less than 20% of the overall SKUs in the company's accent furniture line, they generate 35% of revenues, said President Greg Waylock.
Waylock attributed that success to several factors.
“I believe with accent chairs, it's the style, it's the fabric and it's the perceived value,” he said, noting that the company is getting strong reaction and sales from designers, including home staging designers. “We have incorporated a very good grade of fabric on a fairly traditional chair silhouette and have gone more transitional in the styling…People see the value and it's selling.”
