Badcock Opens in Virginia

July 27, 2006  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on July 2006 Retailer W.S. Badcock Corp. entered its first new state in 17 years with the opening of a 20,000-square-foot store in Danville, Va.

The Danville store is a key piece of Mulberry, Fla.-based Badcock’s expansion plans, which began last year when the company opened a distribution center in Mebane, N.C. The company has invested more than $15 million as it plans future expansion throughout Virginia and into Eastern North Carolina and Kentucky. Operating under the company’s new Badcock & More format, the location will serve as a flagship to entice potential dealers in Badcock’s efforts to grow it’s presence in the Mid-Atlantic region.

 Initially, Badcock had looked at Danville as a possible location for the distribution center, but later realized it would be better suited for a retail store.

 “When we came to Danville, we thought it looked like our kind of area,” said Don Marks, Badcock chief executive officer and president.

“It already has great retail development areas and we felt that there was still opportunity to bring our product, our prices and our style of service to Danville to give an extra choice in the home furnishings market.”

 The Danville, Virginia store is a corporate-owned store, but the company is seeking a potential local owner. Seventy-five percent of Badcock’s more than 330 stores are owned by independent dealers.

“We have dealers that own as many as six Badcock stores, and in an area such as Virginia, which is new for Badcock and wide open in terms of available markets, there is that much more opportunity to build on the investment,” said Mike Whitten, Badcock’s director of dealer development.  “One of the benefits to an entrepreneur looking for a business ownership opportunity is that because we have a dealership system, there are no franchise fees.  We also consign all furniture to the dealers so they don’t have the overhead of purchasing product to fill a large showroom.”

 Badcock plans to open two more Virginia stores in Lynchburg by early 2007.  One will be a corporate- owned store, the other dealer-owned.

Badcock celebrated the Danville opening on Wednesday with a reception including local dignitaries, key executives and Badcock family members who traveled from the Florida headquarters.