Wallpaper borders on a roll - Feature Story - HomeMarket Trends Supplement

Discount Store News, April 1, 1991

Wallpaper Borders on a Roll

Wallpaper borders, a tiny fraction of the home fashions industry just five years ago, have boomed at retail, and mass merchants have been quick to jump on these high-margin, high-turn products. And, home fashions manufacturers are finding that borders that coordinate with their bedding make the collections far more attractive to retailers.

"In the past, we may have just been another coordinate item," said Sunworthy marketing director Duncan Campbell of the firm's wallcovering border program with several manufacturers. "But now, in many cases, we've become the tail that wags the dog."

And according to the manufacturers who look to wallpaper borders to spice up sales, he just may be right. "They've become very important to us," said WestPoint Pepperell marketing manager Darby Todd. "They make the whole package prettier, and make it stand out at retail." Consumers might still buy WestPoint's products, she added, "but it's one more thing to sell the coordinated package. It may not be the most important thing overall, but often it's the kicker, the product that makes the customer buy."

Borders first came on the scene in the early 1980s as standalone decorating product meant to coordinate with traditional wallcoverings; generally as a way of producing a layered effect on walls and/or to cover up rough walls and to produce an aesthetically pleasing cutoff between the papered walls and plain ceilings. However, consumers quickly picked up on borders as a convenient, inexpensive and quick way to decorate and redecorate, leading to a boom in border sales in 1986. But even a boom has drawbacks. The wallcoverings industry had a problem on its hands: fewer consumers were buying the more expensive rolls of wallpaper, choosing instead to purchase a few relatively inexpensive borders to spruce up a room. Dealers were selling more rolls, but for a lot fewer dollars.

One solution to that problem was to raise the price of the borders, which at that point sold for under $5 for a 15-foot roll. But to raise prices on an established product, some extra value would have to be added. One solution: coordination with soft home producers, generally sheet and comforter providers, to turn generic borders into licensed interior decoration products.

These borders, which retail for around $10 (but list for about $15), are sold as part of a complete decoration package, and as an easy-to-use and still inexpensive product, remain desirable at retail. Add the exclusivity angle, and they sell very well, building traffic and add-on sales. As Todd noted, they can also be the deciding vote when a consumer has to choose between several bedroom ensembles.

Target was one of the first mass retailers to experiment with coordinate borders, and its Country Estates program has met with considerable success. Vp/gmm Bob Guelich singled out borders, fabrics and window treatments as particularly hot coordinate products.

Kmart, which has been aggressive in the border market, will introduce Martha Stewart borders this spring, and Wal-Mart has been a leader in the border apartment.

According to Sunworthy's Campbell, there has been a beneficial side-effect to the border introductions at mass retailers. "It's usually a painless way for a mass merchant to get into the wallcoverings market," he said. "The large retailers generally use borders as a test, and in every case that I've seen, within six months they're in the market.

"Borders really create add-on sales," he continued. "They bring in people who would be afraid of undertaking a full wallcovering job, because borders are so easy to work with, cost so little, and make a dramatic impact."

At present, Sunworthy ties in with two bedding companies, WestPoint Pepperell and Dundee, which produces Disney-licensed infant bedding. Both programs "are doing great," Campbell said. "In May, we'll get the Disney classic license back, and we'll be producing a full line of those characters (like Dumbo and Bambi) for a new Dundee collection later this year." Disney has recently licensed Wamsutta/Pacific to produce a new collection of juvenile bedding for introduction next year and Sunworthy will produce the coordinating borders and sidewalls for that program as well.

"Borders as a whole account for about 28% to 29% of the wallcoverings market," Campbell said. "But in juvenile, they're well over 50%. And decorating a nursery or kid's room is usually a consumer's first experience with the product - juvenile tends to people into the market. We're very excited about these licenses; we've been a Disney licensee for 31 years, and getting the classic characters back (an exclusive license with Sears expires in May) makes it a whole new ball game for us."

Disney has taken a massive step in cross-merchandising by printing several million catalogs that illustrate the vast array of coordinated Disney products available from various manufacturers. The manufacturers, in turn, include the brochures with their Disney products. "This is a truly outstanding program," Campbell said. "It will expose millions of consumers to the whole range of decorating options and should really create some excitement at retail."