Henry Link Brand Reflects Lexington's New Approach
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, June 16, 2011
These chairs covered in zebra hide were among the most talked about items in Lexington’s new Henry Link collection. The suggested retail on each chair is $15,000.
LEXINGTON, N.C. - When case goods and upholstery resource Lexington Home Brands launched its new Henry Link Trading Co. brand in April, it sought to introduce more than just a new accent furniture collection.
It wanted to create a brand that addresses how people buy furniture today.
At nearly 200 pieces, Henry Link is believed to be the largest collection in Lexington's history. It also reflects a significantly different approach to product development.
The company has long been known for its whole home collections of bedroom and dining room furniture. But Henry Link addresses that consumer who wants to buy individual pieces rather than entire room suites.
For many consumers, buying by the piece is an economical approach in still uncertain times. Perhaps just as importantly, it lets them decorate in an eclectic approach with multiple styles.
"I think in a lot of cases, people maybe sometimes don't have the funds available to do the entire room, or don't feel the need to do the entire room at once," said Phil Haney, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. "But they really want to do something that makes a statement in the room.... They want more unique pieces that don't look like they all came from the same place.
They want it to look like it's been collected through world travel or destination travel over the years."
That message resonated with many dealers at the April market. Lexington said its showroom traffic was up 30% from a year earlier, and said it got twice as many orders as the most optimistic projections for Henry Link.
One factor in the success, officials said, was curiosity about the line, which the company aggressively promoted heading into the market. In the showroom, dealers and designers saw pieces that reflect a sense of global travel through the use of mixed media elements ranging from embossed leather and penn shell to aged metal, bamboo rattan and even zebra skin.
Prices ranged from $599 for an accent table to a zebra skin chair targeted to retail at $15,000.
While some retailers balked at the prices, they said the variety of pieces stimulated their imaginations about how they could merchandise the line on their floors.
"It was a little pricey for Lexington, but still I would pay the high price for it because it was so unique," said Michael Uvanni, owner of Rome, N.Y.- based Michael J. Uvanni Interiors. "I would start out small and bring in some pieces and test the waters with them."
"We felt the product was right for our market," said Jeff Bacon, general manager of Port Charlotte, Fla.-based Bacon's Furniture & Outdoor Living. "It is unique, interesting and eclectic. It is fun and has a nice story and nice name behind it.... We are excited about it and will make a go of it and create a real neat fun environment in our store."
Mike Forwood, president of Austin, Texas-based Louis Shanks, said his store purchased about 85 Henry Link items, a $250,000 order.
"I think it is just such unique product and that is what we are looking for to separate ourselves from the competition," Forwood said. "It's product that will get someone's heart beating when they look at it. That is half the battle, getting the retail consumer and salesperson excited about the product."
The challenge for some dealers was how to choose from so many items. Lexington said it addressed that by including a 1,000-square-foot shop within a shop concept in its showroom to give retailers ideas on how to display the product in a limited area.
Lexington also mixed the Henry Link product with various other collections to show dealers how easily it can fit in with other goods.
"Good retailers recognize there is a benefit to the boutique approach, but also (want) to be able to spice up the display elsewhere," said Robert Stamper, Lexington's senior vice president of marketing.
The diversity of items also attracted designers, who tend to decorate rooms with select pieces versus entire collections.
"This brand has helped us connect with a whole new group of designers and highend retailers," said Haney.
Henry Link is targeted to hit retail in August and September. Lexington is sourcing the line from eight overseas factories, mostly in the Philippines. The company has a team of employees at the plants overseeing the manufacturing process.
"When we run product, whether it's the first cutting or the 10th cutting, we have quality control people, we have finish people, we have product managers and engineering people," Haney said. "We have people all through these plants, so when the product runs, we are on site, helping, watching, troubleshooting and making sure the product is made to our specifications."
To service the line, Lexington will inventory it all in North Carolina. It already has print and Web-based catalogs in place.
Haney said the company won't introduce any new Henry Link product until next April, giving retailers time to see how it sells.
"Where that piece count goes, I don't really know," he said. "I can tell you that we are not timid as far as adding to the scope and the breadth of the line. The initial sales have been extremely strong, and if that continues at retail, there is no reason this can't be a pretty significant size business for us."
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