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Coaster has new Vegas showroom, product

De La Guardia joins company in sales role

Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, July 22, 2008

SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — Full-line importer Coaster will celebrate its 30th anniversary during the Las Vegas Market with a new and expanded showroom, an enhanced Web site, new collections, a new executive and a new catalog.

“The first thing our dealers visiting us in space 1621 of Building C will notice is that at 45,000 square feet, our new showroom is more than three times as large as our previous spot in Building A,” said Toby Konetnzy, director of marketing.

And once inside, they’ll see that about 70% of what’s in the showroom is new merchandise. That will include 25 new upholstery sets in leather and fabric, 75 dining suites, 20 bedroom suites and a host of complementary accessory items.

Buyers also will get to meet Chris De La Guardia, newly named East Coast sales manager, who most recently was president of Ashley’s Ashley Furniture HomeStore division for the Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee markets.

“Chris began his home furnishings career with the former Nationwide Mattress and Furniture Warehouse as a buyer and merchandise manager, then went on to join United Furniture Inds. as national sales manager. He also held various positions at Ashley Furniture, including a stint as the upholstery vice president for the East Coast,” said Konetzny, who added that De La Guardia’s credentials will make him a valuable member of the Coaster team.

Coaster, which has seven warehouses ranging in size from 200,000 to 500,000 square feet in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Dayton, N.J. and Miramar, Fla., also recently purchased 20 tractor-trailers as part of an enhanced delivery initiative.

“The initial 20 tractor-trailers, all touting the Coaster logo, will be used to service our accounts in and around the Dallas area,” Konetzny said. “However, the plan is to grow that fleet to some 200 trucks to facilitate national delivery within the next year or two.”

Currently, the company offers same-day pickup at its warehouses and also can ship within 24 hours.

Dealers visiting the Coaster showroom in Las Vegas also can get an early look at the company’s annual product catalog, which will be mailed in August and features more than 500 new items.

As part of its strategy to enhance customer service, the company also has upgraded its Web site at www.coastercompany.com. Coaster Connect is a new Web feature that allows dealers and sales reps to view Coaster product online, make purchases, access customer information, see account history, check inventory levels and status in real time.

“In today’s market, the name of the game is making it easy for your customer and that’s what we continue to do,” said Konetzny.

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