Casual covers throw new life into category - casual slipcovers - Home Market Trends

Discount Store News, Feb 19, 1996 by Dawn Wilensky

For budget-conscious decorators, furniture throws were the solution to an age-old problem: what to do with that old couch or stained chair, when buying a new one was cost prohibitive.

For many years, consumers could only buy furniture throws, an unconstructed piece of fabric that lacked any real fashion and covered only about three-quarters of the furniture, usually leaving some of the back exposed.

"Five years ago, the only slipcovers discount store shoppers could find were furniture throws, which many called the Rodney Dangerfield item in home furnishings because it wasn't embraced by consumers and retailers didn't get too excited about it," said Gretchen Dale, executive vice president, sales and marketing at Sure Fit.

This changed when Dale drew on her company's long history in the furniture throw business to develop what has evolved into the casual slipcover, a fashion-forward, semi-fitted furniture cover that not only covers old furniture, but also adds a splash of color, a point of interest or a hook to tie together a coordinated look--all priorities with today's savvy consumers.

New fabrics, textures and finishes further heightened the excitement and accelerated the industry's growth from a $20 million business in 1990 to a $60 million business in 1992, and has since grown to about $200 million in 1995.

Not surprisingly, this early growth attracted an onslaught of new players, and competition was fast and furious. However, as the category has slowed over the past 18 months, many of the smaller companies folded under the pressure of stronger and more successful players like Home Innovations, Cameo, Croscill, Town & Country and, of course, Sure Fit, which remained committed to the category.

Retailers have shared in this commitment and viewed the category as an opportunity to attract a new, more affluent customer and capitalize on a home fashions category with healthy margins.

To this end, retailers across the board have created coordinated programs that team products like decorative pillows, window treatments, borders and fabric by the yard with furniture covers and recliner covers, a relative newcomer.

In certain cases, this has cannibalized the shelf space of furniture throws and lap throws over the past few years. This is especially true at Target, which has virtually gotten out of the traditional throw business.

But other retailers, including Kmart, Caldor and Ames, still devote shelf space and advertising to both categories.

"Kmart is doing an excellent job in the throw business, particularly in the better goods like jacquards and woven goods," said Frank Scalice, senior vice president of sales at Town & Country.

The movement to feature better goods in discount stores has definitely impacted the business, with Target putting a real focus on its better 70/30 cotton and yarn dye fabrications, while continuing to stock a selection of opening price point goods.

"Retailers are ready to take the plunge and bring in these more expensive goods," said Wendy Keryk, president of The Slipcover Company, a division of Home Innovations. "When it comes down to it, best goods sell best, and retailers are definitely reacting to this."

Retailers are also taking a proactive position in merchandising this category be cause a lack of available floor space makes it difficult to create in-store displays similar to those for bedding, bath and tabletop. Some have addressed the problem by displaying minichairs at the point of sale, which provide a scaled-down version the product. For example, Kmart uses a minichair above a gondola of its Color Classics sofa and chair covers in its Westbury, N.Y., store to enable a customer to see, but not touch, the product. Venture, too, uses a similar approach to give its shoppers a better understanding of the product.

Others, such as Caldor and Ames, use advertising to show room settings much like catalogs do to allow customers to visualize what it will look like in their homes.

Specialty stores have a definite advantage in merchandising since a more flexible and generous planogram allows superstores like Bed Bath & Beyond and HomePlace to use a full-size chair that enables customers to touch and get a real sense of the product. The only drawback is that these displays often create additional housekeeping issues.

This hasn't discouraged Bed Bath & Beyond, which supplements a four-sided display in one of its power aisles with a video that shows how to properly apply the two-piece furniture cover, as well as the new one piece slipcover introduced by Sure Fit at last year's April market.

While HomePlace doesn't yet use a visual aid, it does merchandise swatches of all available patterns to help consumers with decorating decisions.

Store-level communication is paramount because effective point-of-sale displays and packaging go a long way in demystifying this often confusing category for the end user. Manufacturers have helped by including a step-by-step video in every product.

Caldor is trying to catch the attention of its customers by educating them about the product line. For instance, in its Marlboro, N.J., store, a 7-ft. run of two-piece casual furniture covers for sofas, loveseats, chairs and recliners is accompanied by signage that instructs the customer on how to apply the furniture covers, as well as how to determine the right size.