Global Furniture USA launching domestic bedroom line

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 29, 2013

EDISON, N.J. — Case goods and upholstery resource Global Furniture USA is launching a new domestically produced segment of its Main Street line at the upcoming 62nd Edison Furniture & Accessory Market.

Leah is one of a number of new domestically produced, casual contemporary bedrooms Global Furniture USA is adding to its Main Street line.

The U9591 set is among the domestically made bonded leather groups Global Furniture USA is showing in newly expanded Main Street line.

The company plans to debut the line at the Feb. 3-5 event held at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison.

Global is showing its direct container import line at this week's Las Vegas Market, but not all of the product it will have in Edison, officials said.

Global has been showing at the New Jersey event, organized by Karel Exposition Management, since 2000. This will be not only its largest introduction at the show, but also the launch of a new domestic component of its Main Street line that will be supported by the company's U.S. warehouse in East Brunswick, N.J.

The transitional to casual contemporary domestic lineup will include more than 100 new SKUs spanning 40 groups. About 60% are upholstery and the rest are bedrooms, said Alex Vaysman, president.

The company is having the upholstery produced in North Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi, while the bedroom is made in Alabama, Vaysman said. Fabric and bonded leather sofas are targeted to retail from $499 to $799, compared with $599 to $999 for Global's imported models.

Four-piece bedrooms are targeted to start at $799 for laminate versions and go up to $1,499 for veneered sets. Pricing is similar for imports, with most of the veneered sets retailing from $1,099 to $1,199.

The company will show the new groups along with more than 35 groups from its imported Main Street line and its main Global Furniture USA line. About 90% of the product in Edison will be shown for the first time, Vaysman said.

Global has taken a 9,000-square-foot space at the show, far larger than its previous 2,000-square-foot location. It will be the largest exhibitor at the winter event, which features more than 700 spaces of furniture and accessories.

"(Vaysman) has been with me so many years and he has such a good reputation," said Larry Karel, owner of Karel Exposition Management. "We are proud of the fact he is unveiling it at our show."

The goods will ship immediately from the company's warehouse in East Brunswick, which also continues to support its bestselling imported merchandise.

Vaysman said he decided to start the domestic line in order to broaden Global's mix.

"We wanted to diversify our company," he said. "We didn't just want to be an import company from Asia.... We wanted to be a one-stop shop for our dealers."

He said the line will be available in time for tax refund season, one of the most important selling periods of the year for lower-middle to mid-priced resources such as Global Furniture USA and for its retail customers.