Thomasville, Drexel Heritage to show in IHFC in April
Companies say they're coming where customers are
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, February 21, 2011
HIGH POINT — In a major shift in market strategy, sister companies Thomasville Furniture and Drexel Heritage are coming to where the customers are instead of making customers come to them.
The divisions of Furniture Brands International have signed a four-and-a-half year lease to occupy 56,000 square feet on the eighth and ninth floors of the Main Wing of the International Home Furnishings Center here, starting with the April market.
The space is slightly larger than the combined showrooms at the company headquarters at 401 E. Main St. in Thomasville. While the corporate offices will remain there, the company felt it was the right time to be more accessible in downtown High Point.
"It's not that we were unhappy being at Thomasville," said Ed Teplitz, president of Thomasville and Drexel Heritage. "But times change, and we have to adapt."
Thomasville Furniture has had its showroom in its Thomasville headquarters location since the 1950s. A company plant is next door, which has made it easy to move market samples to the showroom floor.
Drexel Heritage used to occupy a showroom at 1925 Eastchester Drive in High Point and moved to the Thomasville location in early 2009.
Teplitz said that Drexel saw some decline in traffic when it moved to Thomasville. However, there also was an increase in traffic at Thomasville Furniture from Drexel customers that were now coming to that location.
By moving to High Point, the companies now plan to capture more customers for both brands and help maximize buyers' time while they are in town.
"Drexel is a gallery program, and we need to be where the customers are coming," Teplitz said. "Customers also aren't coming to market for as long as they used to come and it's a half a day to get to Thomasville. That's a large time commitment that many don't want to make."
In the case of Thomasville Furniture, he said the company is still committed to its store program and wants to help its independent store owners grow that business. However, the company also wants to extend its reach to dealers in primary and secondary markets where it doesn't have distribution.
The showroom occupies the entire Main wing on the eighth floor formerly occupied by Great River Trading Co. Great River is moving to the 13th floor of the same wing, said Tom Mitchell, president and CEO of the IHFC.
Drexel Heritage will occupy about 22,000 square feet of the space on the eighth floor and Thomasville will occupy much of the remainder of the eighth floor and part of the ninth floor on the Main Wing.
The showrooms are joined by a central staircase and share a dining area and bullpen for sales reps.
The company finalized the lease in late December and construction began in mid-January with completion planned in time for the spring market, which opens April 2. The companies will not show during High Point's Premarket, which runs Feb. 28-March 1. Robert Idol, vice president of creative strategy at Furniture Brands, is overseeing the showroom design.
"We want to inspire and wow our showroom visitors and offer a fresh, modern-minded perspective on these two beloved brands," Idol said in a statement.
Teplitz did not say how much the company is spending on the showroom renovation but said it's "a substantial investment. We demolished everything and are starting off fresh."
"Working with the IHFC has been very easy and they are a great partner - we are looking forward to being there," Teplitz added.
The IHFC shares that sentiment.
"Obviously we are very pleased to have these fine lines join us in the IHFC," said Mitchell. "Their two-floor showroom in our Main wing is a dramatic and must-see presentation.... It has literally changed the face of that wing of the building."
Teplitz said the company has received positive reaction from retailers about the move. Jeff Bacon, general manager of Port Charlotte, Fla.-based Bacon's Furniture & Outdoor Living, said his store has been a customer of Thomasville for 25 years. He looks forward to the convenience of the new showroom.
"One of the things we try to focus on is being efficient at market, and having them in the IHFC allows us to do that," he said. "It allows us to spend less time traveling out to Thomasville. Now we can stop in there real quick if we need to and we can also efficiently run back in there if we needed to make a fabric or leather choice we couldn't make before, rather than getting back in the car to go to Thomasville."
Teplitz said the company will maintain its headquarters in Thomasville. It also will move its contract furniture showroom, now on the third floor, to the first floor in the former Drexel Heritage space.
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