Wood buyers seek closeouts, but also order in-line goods
Heath E Combs -- Furniture Today, September 13, 2010
Harden Mfg. said this Davenport four-piece bedroom group, retailing at $399, was one of its best-received items at the Tupelo Furniture Market, in part because of its availability from a domestic manufacturing plant.
TUPELO, Miss. - While closeouts were still one of the main keys to success at the Tupelo Furniture Market, exhibitors said they also drew buyers with in-line goods.
That said, retailers definitely were looking for deals at this month's market, and also for goods they could get quickly from domestic warehouses. They also were optimistic that business will get better later this year, according to exhibitors.
Richard Olmeda, president and CEO of occasional and accent furniture supplier Stein World, said slow business at retail this summer has led stores to keep inventories low, but improved sales heading into the fall has them looking for good deals and product they can get to stores quickly.
Retailers are also aligning with vendors who can support their programs, Olmeda said - a plus for Stein World, which warehouses 120,000 pieces of furniture at its Memphis, Tenn., facility.
"Our message is timely for these economics. We can be their best solution for managing inventory," he said.
Among the pieces doing well for the company are accent chests at $399 to $599 retail, depending on scale and finish, and semi-upholstered accent chairs between $199 and $299.
Lee Scott, vice president of sales for Harden Mfg., said the company saw some new accounts at the market and was pleased to place three groups with a major retail chain.
Traffic in the showroom on Friday, the official opening day of the Aug. 20-22 market, was up about 30% from last summer, Scott added. More customers were seeking domestic product rather than imports because of overseas shipping delays and rising freight rates, he added.
Domestically made four piece bedroom groups from Harden were popular at $399 to $499 retail price points, he said. And for the domestic product, a good selling motto was: Get it in a week, don't have to stock but one, Scott said.
Bryan Sprinkles, sales and marketing manager at custom dining specialist John Thomas Furniture, said the company's main purpose in exhibiting in Tupelo for the first time was to gain new business and move overstocks and closeouts.
Buyers focused on closeouts and overstocks first, he said. They responded well to standard size promotional five-piece dining sets retailing between $299 and $699.
"It was a win-win for us," Sprinkles said. "Traffic was marginal for us, but those buyers attending were looking to place orders."
James Bond, vice president of logistics, sales and marketing for Eagle Inds., said the company began writing orders on Wednesday. He said more customers have also been seeking out domestic case goods from Eagle as a result of overseas shipping delays.
Legends Furniture did well in Tupelo with its domestically made Oak Creek Collection, shown here in a three-cart entertainment stack of 42-inch, 51-inch and 62-inch sizes. It has oak solids and veneers with slate inlay.
Eagle also has done well with a line of fully assembled kitchen islands, he said.
The company introduced four models at the Las Vegas Market in early August and another six in Tupelo, and will introduce more in High Point this fall.
Bond added that Eagle has been able in some cases to reduce prices on products, including a line of fireplace units. The company offered about 16 new SKUs in 24- inch to 64-inch units in a variety of styles, retailing at $499 to $999.
Bob Lephart, vice president of sales and marketing at Sunrise Home Furnishings, said the company's new television credenzas with birch veneer and a transitional bentwood design, priced to retail at $299, were well received by dealers.
He also reported a good response to two recently added bedroom groups, especially at an $899 four-piece retail price. The company plans to introduce more bedroom groups and top out in that category at about a $1,600 price point, Lephart said.
Sunrise also did well here with four SKUs of pneumatic lift barstools with several color options and padded polyurethane seat covers, with plastic or acrylic seat options. He said the pieces, which retail between $59 and $99, are attention getters for stores.
"The dealers are looking for something, be it price, be it function, if it's a conversation piece. These things sell," Lephart said.
-
Tupelo Furniture Market set for Saturday start
Jan 21, 2009 -
Gearing up for Tupelo
Jan 18, 2009 -
Tupelo traffic steady
Feb 23, 2011
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
