Accessories attract retail buyers at High Point - International Home Furnishings Market, trade show, High Point, North Carolina

Discount Store News, Dec 9, 1991 by Mary Ellen Kelly

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- Parking was a little easier here in town during the recent International Home Furnishings Market, but not because there were any more parking areas.

Despite significant introductions, repositionings and new merchandising systems among ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturers, attendance at the market was believed to be down for both ready-to-assemble and traditional furniture suppliers, according to vendors.

Currently, the IHFM has no way of verifying how many of the roughly 50,000 individuals who request market passes actually attend. However, the IHFM expects to have a new bar-code system installed in time for the October 1992 market which will provide not only accurate attendance figures, but also the type of companies represented.

Vendor impressions at the October market suggested traffic levels were better at Market Square and other buildings which have a higher concentration of accessories suppliers. One reason for sustained accessories attendance could be a shift in floor space at discounters, giving more to lighting and less to RTA.

There are definitely going to be "space wars" going on between lighting and RTA, noted Bill Agnew, marketing sales manager, RTA distribution at Armstrong Furniture. Agnew acknowledged that "traffic was lighter . . . some accounts just are not coming this market." But those that did stop by the showroom responded very favorably to the new Brunette Oak finish being introduced and expansion of existing lines, including its black polyester finish.

Also noteworthy in RTA at High Point was Soundesign's decision to eliminate all home office and occasional furniture (including the Homecoming Collection) to focus instead on electronics and storage.

"Everything that revolves around home entertainment and home theater" will be Soundesign's new emphasis according to Ben Levy, director of RTA. As part of this new direction, Soundesign will put all its efforts into the Consumer Electronics Show and will not be attending the Housewares Show in Chicago in January.

While Soundesign was repositioning its assortment, Royal Creations was making a mark with the first introduction of a filagree-type trim which received favorable response from retailers. Unlike most suppliers, show attendance for Royal was said to have doubled, due in part to the addition of former Affordable Furniture vice president, Tim Wilson, now Royal's executive vp.

Armstrong joined Bush and Sauder with a preview of new POP and merchandising systems to help chains increase sales and inventory turns while maximizing space.

Kevin Sauder, director of marketing, said one department store had tested the program and expects to go chainwide with a gallery program, and merchandisers from a wide range of retail formats plan to test the program. The first gallery debuted at Pergament's Rooms 'N Lights store in early fall.

Vendors seemed pleased that O'Sullivan Industries was not found guilty of infringing upon Bush's dentil moulding design. As Kevin Sauder put it, "The 'gee wiz--look at that' functional patterns should be patentable. But it is very difficult to see a reason to patent a design or decoration [such as dentil moulding.]"