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Folio 21 Expands for High Point Market
August 26,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedroom on August 27, 2012
Bedroom furniture vendor Folio 21 has expanded its High Point Furniture Market showroom by more than 30 percent, bringing its total space to 15,100 square feet.
The company, which sources upper-promotional to mid-moderate priced bedroom furniture on a direct-container basis from Vietnam, will use the added space to expand its style offerings and show more pieces within existing collections. The company exhibits in Space 647 of the Wrenn wing of the International Home Furnishings Center(http://www.ihfc.com).
With some of our groups, the larger-scaled pieces are generating the best results, said Sean Slack, executive vice president of merchandising. Having the added space in our showroom will enable us to show a great range within these collections, including the well-received contemporary bed wall program that we introduced in April, along with a variety of exciting new introductions.
The company will present a preview of its October introductions to retailers at the Sept. 13-14 fall Premarket in High Point.
Folio 21s original showroom, formerly the Martha Stewart space, has some tremendous architectural details, said Slack. The new area is more open with a distinct contemporary feel.
A number of our best-selling bedrooms are transitional or contemporary, making this the perfect setting, he added.
Like Folio 21s existing space, the expanded showroom features an interior design fashioned by Connie Post of Affordable Design Solutions. A well-known visual marketer, Post has created store interiors for a long list of leading furnishings retailers worldwide.
Connie has a knack for making products stand out at an affordable cost, said Slack. Our retailers always come away from market with creative ideas for their own stores.
Celebrating its one-year anniversary this market, Folio 21 is a joint venture between industry veterans Bill Benton, Sean Slack and James Martin Jr. and the owner of a leading OEM producer in Vietnam.
We launched this company to address the void in the marketplace for quality features at affordable price points, said Slack. Our focus is on providing original styling and exceptional construction, including sophisticated, multistep finishes and unique veneers not usually found in goods at this price level.
The industry has been chasing cheap goods for far too long and we all know it has had a negative impact on gross margin dollar contribution, said Benton, president and CEO. Costs are continuing to rise, while most average-unit dollar sales are dropping. Our mission is to give consumers a compelling reason to step up with superior quality and visible features that the retail sales associate can easily demonstrate.
The margin opportunity with Folio 21s line is significant and our 100 percent mixing capabilities allow dealers of any size to leverage this opportunity, Benton added.
Folio 21 produces and warehouses its entire line of fresh and unique designs at a 3.5-million-square-foot facility in Vietnam.