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Merchandise Mart Changes Casual Approach
April 9,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on April 10, 2012
The Chicago Merchandise Mart will reconfigure its casual outdoor furnishings floors to offer designers and buyers a more seamless showroom shopping experience.
Shoppers currently must visit casual/outdoor furnishing tenants, often intermixed with different industries, on floors 15, 16 and 17 in The Mart. By consolidating these showrooms on floors 15 and 16, a casual furnishings destination will be created.
"The colocation of the casual/outdoor furnishing showrooms to one area of the building has been requested by many buyers, tenants and the International Casual Furnishings Association over the years," said John Brennen, executive vice president of MMPI. "This relocation will allow MMPI to renovate the floor and tenants to upgrade their presentations. We are happy to realize this goal and provide a cohesive destination in the Mart for buyers and designers to source the best in outdoor/casual furnishings and accessories on a daytoday basis, and during our September International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market."
The new layout will increase the casual furnishings current 250,000-square-foot Mart footprint by 10 percent.
Visitors to the new casual floors can expect to see redesigned, contemporary floors and exciting showroom buildouts from the industry's top manufacturers. Together, these showrooms represent some 75 product lines.
The Merchandise Mart is securing designer Gary Lee to bring his awardwinning creativity to the design of the corridors of the 15th floor. An existing stairwell connecting the 15th and 16th floors will be complemented by a dedicated stairwell connecting the 14th and 15th floors, improving flow between the casual and residential showrooms.
While the casual furnishings tenants will enjoy these two dedicated floors, they will remain a part of the Design Center at The Merchandise Mart and benefit from trade and consumer business. The changes will not affect the July ICFA Preview Show, or the September market.
It is estimated that the restructuring and construction of the casual/outdoor furnishing floors will be completed by end of 2012.