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Casual dining sources bringing innovation to table

Heath E Combs -- Furniture Today, November 4, 2011

An extension of Stanley Furniture’s Classic Portfolio line features casual dining with upgraded finishes and looks at the company’s entry level price pointHIGH POINT - Casual dining suppliers say retailers are looking for a cure to the humdrum table-and-four sets that will help shake up their floors.
     Innovation is key and retailers shopping at this week's High Point Market will be looking for something customers will react to in stores, sources say.
     The dining category continues to spawn a growing breadth of looks that move away from traditional. Companies are offering variations in scale, finishes and designs to draw customers this market.
     Chintaly Imports is one company trying a new looks, offering table tops with solid surface materials like those used in kitchen countertops, whose scratches can be buffed out. The company also is offering more marble and stainless steel bases and exotic looks, said Randy Grabowski, vice president of sales. For example, a high gloss lacquer finish is treated with a router that creates crocodile skin look.
     "We're trying to be innovative. We're not trying to be way, way out there on price, but trying to give the customer a good value," Grabowski said.
     Retailers are likely to take a chance on fresh looks, especially if they haven't been selling much of what's currently on their floors, he said. He's also hoping buyers will gravitate to ancillary products in the dining category, like barstools - Chintaly has 25 new ones this market. Retailers are missing sales if they don't offer such products, he said.
     Stanley Furniture is aiming to bring some of the style and glamour of formal dining into the casual category, said Adam Tilley, vice president of product management.
     At this market, the company is releasing a 22-piece expansion of its Classic Portfolio line. The dining pieces are offered at Stanley's entry level price point in three styles: the industrial-influenced Artisan, the European-inspired Old World and the sleek Modern line.
     Tilley said there's a void in the market for affordable, fashion-forward everyday dining. The category can be confusing because formal dining is still a slow seller at retail, while there appears to be no bottom to casual dining pricing, he added.
     "We're really focused on delivering really great finishes that require an artistic hand to apply; great classic styling that really feeds someone's creative sense and then trying to do it at a price that's attainable," Tilley said. "We're calling it relaxed or informal dining. I think ‘casual' dining has kind of a different connotation than what we're going after."
     He said retailers have shown interest in looks that offer fashion and interior design inspiration, but are still functional enough to use at all meals and can hold up to daily wear and tear.
     Powell is at market with eight new barstools and 10 new dining profiles that cover a broader swatch of designs than the company usually introduces, said David Horvath, vice president of merchandising. Those styles include a shift from more casual contemporary looks to touches of modern, transitional and relaxed rustic - an updated country look, he said.
     Retailers are looking for creativity in the dining category, Horvath said. Powell is aiming to meet that need with proprietary finishes, rough sawn treatments, diverse mixed media elements and heavily carved or thin modern legs, he said.
     "It can't be a me-too. It can't be something they've seen in five other showrooms," Horvath said.
     Powell is doing well with casual dining groups in the $799 to $999 retail range from the company's domestic warehouses, Horvath said.
     "We're not hearing the push for promotional, promotional, promotional. We've had success with the midrange price points as of late, the $499 and up. That's a category we're building from within," he said.
     Chris Chamberlin, director of marketing for Conrad Grebel, said that at this market the company will continue rounding out the offerings in its American Hardwood Creations domestic custom dining program. It offers a choice of tables and chairs in ash, maple or cherry.
     That program has been a hit with retailers, so this market the company is adding a fabric seat program, with the choice of a dozen covers - an option that doesn't change the price, Chamberlin said. The company also is adding eight servers, three new tables and three chairs to the program.
     Chamberlin said the American Hardwoods line is popular at retails of $1,299 to $1,999 because it offers retailers a step-up from the floor of dining pricing while not hitting the ceiling of the mid-priced dining range.
     "I think that the big positive we've heard is that everyone's looking for American-made product. If it can be delivered fairly quickly and represents a value to the consumer, American-made, domestic products are a hit," Chamberlin said.
     Bob Roy, CEO of Jofran, said his company is introducing 10 new casual dining sets this week. The mood among buyers has been positive as of late, he said, adding that retail improved during Labor Day.
     "Our inbound order rate was very good in August and quite good in September," Roy said.
     Pricing on imported goods has been more stable, he said, but he added that he expects upward pricing pressures will continue in 2012 as wages and other costs rise overseas.
     Roy said the company made changes recently that give it more control over product development and quality control, giving Jofran better capability to produce interesting looks.
     He added that a good Asian warehouse retail price for a Jofran six-piece set, including a table, four chairs and a bench, starts at about $499.
     Crystal Nguyen, vice president of merchandising at AAmerica, said that this market the company continues to focus on looks that haven't been done to death but are still mainstream enough to appeal to many consumers. The company's offerings include big-scale dining with industrial loft styling, chunky looks with bigger seats and solid reclaimed-wood styles.
     A-America also continues to push an oak dining program with many mixable options. The program includes lifestyle, rustic and Arts & Crafts styles - looks that can be mixed, Nguyen said.
     The company also continues to do well with a Parson's chair program offering a good value and quality seating story, she said.

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