Furniture First Adds 2 Retailers to Roster

September 3, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on September 4, 2012

The Furniture First board of directors approved two new members, both of which are full-line furniture stores in New Hampshire.

Brown Furniture, owned by Phil Desmond and Ron Gobeil, is located in West Lebanon, N.H., and has been in business for 72 years. The other new member is Wolfeboro, N.H.-based Parsons Furniture, owned by Patrick W. Cullinan. The store has been in business for 58 years, and Cullinan has owned it for the last 25 years.

The additions bring the membership to 192 stockholders, with 410 furniture stores in 47 states.

"Furniture First offers a competitive advantage to independents in a difficult economy," said Bill Hartman, president of Furniture First. "Our programs add to their bottom line with rebates, discounts and operational efficiencies. But the other benefits we offer, like our exclusive merchandise and private labels, also help them improve their margins and stand out from the competition in their local markets."

Furniture First takes on only stores that are full-line independents that have been in business for more than five years, though the average age of member businesses is more than 45 years. Stores are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements. Most members, whether they have a single storefront or a chain of locations, serve the middle market of consumers.

Since the group is geographically exclusive by representation, members are not in direct competition with each other, adding to the overall willingness to share and collaborate among the cooperative's members.

At next month's High Point Market, Furniture First will present its private label Mattress 1st lineup to members in the buying group's showroom on the second floor of the Radio Building at 164 S. Main Street. The exclusive, private label bedding line focuses on the promotional end of the mattress market and is manufactured by Serta. 

In addition to the bedding review Furniture First plans a series of members-only group shops to introduce new lines and highlight exclusive private labels. Furniture First's showroom will display select products from several of its suppliers, but the space also serves as a resource for members attending Market. Members can stop by to pick up information about programs and merchandise or they can use a computer, printer and fax machine in an office-away-from home.