Modular furniture - home goods & housewares - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, Dec 15, 2003 by Mike Duff

two ideas drive modular furniture. First is space. Modular furniture provides consumers with the ability to cope with non-traditional space by building into it, piece by piece. Originally, urban apartment dwellers were the target, but as housing has changed to meet changing lifestyles--with shrinking living rooms, bigger kitchens, and the addition of home offices--traditional furniture sets don't always meet emerging consumer needs.

Not only will Ikea's 50-store growth plan bring modular furniture to more consumers, but specialists such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, Linens 'N Things and Danish-based furniture newcomer BoConcepts are driving interest in the segment with products such as stackable bookcases. Williams-Sonoma's growing Pottery Barn Kids format offers trundle beds--Kendle bed and trundle sets start at $149--which include a storage case. Such under-the-bed storage affords organizational flexibility. Furniture was among the "significant contributor" to Kid's division sales--the unit had 6.3% comps--in the third quarter, Laura Alber, Pottery Barn Brands president, said in a recent conference call.

Flexibility is the second idea behind modular furniture. When closet space is limited, an easy-to-use storage container--or trundle--that encourages their impulse to shove stuff under the bed can potentially convince kids to keep some of their belongings off the floor.