Wood intros focus on core pieces at Las Vegas Market
Vendors seek to improve value equation
Tom Russell -- Furniture Today, January 24, 2011
This Shaker-inspired spindle bed is part of A-America’s Corsican bedroom collection. Made with alder solids, it comes in a coffee bean finish.
LAS VEGAS - Case goods vendors continue to sharpen their saws with added function, new services and competitive pricing aimed at improving the value equation they offer large and small customers alike.
With some exceptions, introductions at this week's Las Vegas Market are small and are focused on core bedroom and dining room pieces. Formal dining room is part of collections at companies like A.R.T., Acme Furniture and Fairmont Designs, but much of the emphasis remains on casual dining and bedroom.
Signature Home Furnishings is offering new dressers that are able to conceal a TV behind a mirror. Concealed TVs are not new to the company - it offers mechanisms that lower TVs into a bed's footboard and lower mirrors into a case to reveal a TV screen.
The difference with the new units is that the mirrors slide manually, without requiring a motor, enabling Signature to sharpen its price points. The new pieces are part of its Tremaine and New York bedrooms, with four-piece groups retailing at $1,799 to $1,999, compared with $2,499 to $3,999 for groups with the motorized units.
"We are just trying to change things and allow customers to not have to spend as much money as they were in the past, but be able to get the same function they want," said Albert Lin, vice president.
Function remains an important part of new collections offered by case goods importer Aspenhome. Its Liv360 nightstands feature lighting and electronic data ports in the new Tamarind and Lincoln Park collections. The new collections also include an entertainment desk/chest that has a hidden work surface.
Some sources continue to expand on their solid wood stories.
Case goods importer and manufacturer A-America is launching a casual contemporary 10-piece bedroom called the Corsican collection made with solid alder. It builds on a push the company made in the second half of last year to feature more solid wood bedrooms. It launched 10 new groups in the latter part of the year, eight of which are in production.
"We are continuing that trend because we found good success with it," said Crystal Nguyen, vice president of merchandising.
While she said that moisture control issues have created challenges in bringing solid wood product out of Vietnam, the effort is paying off as more and more retailers see value in the product.
"Given the option, they would like to have better product in their store," she said.
Featuring a modified sleigh panel bed and Shaker-inspired spindle bed in a dark coffee bean finish, four-piece groups start at $2,149 retail. Other features include touch lighting in nightstands and solid wood drawer boxes.
Cresent Fine Furniture also continues its focus on solid wood bedroom with a new group called Retreat Cherry. Made with solid American black cherry, the updated American traditional group comes in a clear cherry finish and has three beds in four sizes - full, queen and eastern and western king.
Available to ship on March 1, the collection has queen beds that retail at $999. The collection also has two sizes of media dressers, at 60 inches and 48 inches.
"It is already in production," said Richard Tomkins, vice president of marketing, noting that it received strong enough response from retailers who previewed pieces in High Point to justify an initial cutting. "We are offering close to immediate delivery."
In Las Vegas, Cresent also is showcasing six bedrooms and 10 entertainment consoles that are part of a new mixed container program from Vietnam.
Case goods importer Elements International is showing six to seven new bedrooms in the starting and mid-priced parts of its line. Most are clean-lined, four-piece groups that retail from $799 to $899 and from $1,299 to $1,399.
While the company expects strong interest in its opening price points, it also expects interest in its higher ones too.
"Some of the better priced goods are gaining traction in the market," said Mike Wurster, president. "A lot of retail customers have held on to their money a while, and if they see something that is a value, they will purchase it."
Like Cresent, Elements also is launching a mixed container program out of Vietnam this market. It will initially cover 15 of its bestselling bedrooms, or roughly half of its lineup out of Vietnam and Malaysia. Once it gets off the ground, the program eventually is expected to include other parts of its line as well including youth bedroom and home entertainment.
A.R.T. Furniture is launching Copper Ridge, a 30-piece casual contemporary collection in a mid-tone finish that falls in its starting price point, with four-piece bedrooms available at $2,399.
The company has excelled at European traditional looks in the past, but decided to fill a void in its line with a casual contemporary footprint with some rustic design elements.
"We obviously need some casual contemporary in our line that is in our good starting price points," said Bill Sibbick, senior vice president of sales and marketing, noting that the collection is styled and scaled to appeal to a broad range of consumers, including younger ones. "We were pleased to be able to round out the line with a collection like this."
In addition to a poster bed and a low profile panel bed, Copper Ridge also offers a 68-inch dresser that is sized for a smaller master or second bedroom. On the dining side, it offers a trestle table, a 52-inch round table, a small display China cabinet and a sideboard and hutch.
Universal Furniture will showcase product it launched in October in its latest Better Homes and Gardens collection, American Roots. This includes four distinct collections with American design influences that are tailored toward younger consumers.
"This was a real focused effort on Gen X and Gen Y," said Don Essenberg, who oversees West Coast sales. "What we are trying to do is catch her after her first furniture purchase when she is ready to buy real furniture that has lasting value."
Four-piece bedrooms retail at $2,499 and under, while a five-piece everyday dining set retails at $1,099. The groups shipped late last year.
"We are just getting these on the floor," Essenberg said. "The retail response has been phenomenal. Our goal was to be on 1,000 floors by the middle of this year and we are 70% there."
-
Wood Introductions Focus on Core Pieces
Feb 1, 2011
Featured Company
-
Wright Labels
Bill and Tom Wright founded Wright of Thomasville in 1961 on the idea that printing was a creative medium and the belief that "a promise made is a promise kept." The Wright brothers focused their attention on providing exceptional printing for the... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
