FBI Announces Thomasville Acquisitions, Marketing Initiatives

October 5, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on October 2008 Furniture Brands International announced Friday that its Thomasville brand has purchased 16 stores from two operators and has launched a number of new marketing initiatives for the 150-store chain.

A news release Friday said Thomasville has acquired 10 Thomasville Home Furnishings stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, the Atlanta area and Florida from Hendricks Furniture Group. It also reached an agreement to purchase an additional six locations in the Philadelphia area from Encore Enterprises. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. With those purchases, Furniture Brands International will own 42 Thomasville stores in 11 markets. Friday’s announcement said FBI anticipates steadily expanding its footprint of Thomasville stores in current and new markets.

New marketing initiatives began Labor Day weekend with a national TV campaign that’s part of a national television and print initiative designed to build consumer awareness. It will run into early 2009. This month, the company is launching the Darryl Carter for Thomasville collection, which is featured prominently in articles in leading lifestyle publications like Elle Décor and O Magazine. Editorial profiles will be supplemented with advertising in publications that reach more than 12 million readers. The company has also upgraded its Web site with “next-generation” room planning software and a customizable fabric draping program.

“Thomasville’s latest activities are strong examples of our execution of the Furniture Brands strategy,” said FBI Chairman and CEO Ralph Scozzafava. “We will build on this momentum at the High Point market in October, where Furniture Brands will introduce several new lines that incorporate in-depth consumer testing. This rigorous testing process, which Furniture Brands is pioneering in this industry, lets us bring to our retailer partners products that have the designs and features that today’s consumer wants. Our commitment to research will drive improved financial performance at all Thomasville stores through increased demand, better value and more efficient inventory metrics. This commitment to drive the success of our dealers and company-owned stores will only increase as we move into 2009.”