Furniture First Moves High Point Showroom

February 25, 2013  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on February 26, 2013

Furniture retail buying group Furniture First is moving its High Point Market showroom to the International Home Furnishings Center.

The showroom is located in space G770 of the IHFC. Bill Hartman, president of Furniture First, said growth in membership and programs made the move necessary.

At the market, the group will feature two private label mattress collections. Mattress 1st, made by Serta, features innerspring and wrapped mattresses that appeal to the promotional market. Health 1st mattresses feature memory foam and gel-infused memory foam. "Being able to offer two private label mattress lines gives Furniture First Members the unique ability to not only be competitive, but to achieve higher margins" said Andrew Kauffman, director of mattresses.

Other merchandise categories will be featured in the showroom as well.

"The new High Point showroom will feature a collection of exclusive fabric combinations from our Cozy Life private label brand," said Tony Moretti, vice president of merchandising, adding that the five frames in the showroom will feature exclusive step-up fabrics and blend-down seating. "We will have coordinated occasional tables, area rugs and accessories to complete the looks."

Furniture First owns, controls and supports the private labels they are featuring with free-standing Web sites, Facebook pages, tagging and point-of-sale materials.

"We have found that private labels help our retailers differentiate their stores and maintain their margins," said Ron Page, senior director of merchandising. "It's no coincidence that our private label programs have grown as our retailers see more and more competition coming from the Internet."

The group will also feature American-made Amish case goods, as well as a domestic wall and media unit program that offers exceptional values that rival imports. Other merchandise features will include 2013 Black Friday gift items that will be strong promotions for the fall selling season. 

Furniture First will hold its general membership and annual meeting April 22 at 8 a.m. in the IHFC Club Ballroom on the 11th floor. The 2013-2014 board of directors will be elected at the members-only meeting.