Hooker Upholstery Launches Recliner Program, Expands Special Ordering and Modular Options

October 3, 2019  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The three efforts will allow retailers to sell a broad range of the company’s products from a compact footprint, and provide consumers with more choices to customize their products.

“We’re focusing more on a program-oriented approach to new products rather than an item-based business,” said Joelle Kuhlman, vice president of Hooker Upholstery. “This strategy helps our retail partners sell more products from a smaller footprint while giving consumers more choice and a great value.”

The “Recline and Refresh” program makes the company’s five best-selling reclining chairs available with a variety of new functions and a choice of two leather colors. Each model is available with a pushback reclining mechanism, a recliner with a power headrest and power reclining mechanism, or a swivel glider with power recline.

“The program approach allows our retailers the opportunity to sell six items from one retail floor slot versus just one item,” Kuhlman said. “We’re rolling out the program with a set of customizable point-of-purchase materials including banners that show all available styles and functions for each model as well as hang tags for each item with swatches of the leather choices. The materials can be customized for individual dealers with their store name and logo.”

Expanding on its Your Choice program that was launched in April 2019, the company is adding five seating groups – two motion, two casual living with power footrests and one stationary – as well as a pair of club chairs and a recliner to its already expansive product selection. All Your Choice pieces are available for immediate shipment in married covers from the company’s Martinsville warehouse, or are available in a choice of 15 leathers with a custom order lead time at the same warehouse price as in-stock pieces and no minimum orders.

A point-of-purchase “starter pack” that includes a Hooker Upholstery binder, loose-leaf catalog, hang tags and swatches showing the 15 leather cover options are also being rolled out this Market to help retail sales associates place orders for consumers on the sales floor.

The program strategy also is being extended to the company’s lineup of modular sectionals – a category Hooker Upholstery entered in April 2018 that is being expanded for the second time in October. Modular units can be sold in a variety of configurations, which allow dealers to sell multiple SKUs from a single slot on the sales floor.

All the new pieces will be on display at Hooker Upholstery’s High Point showroom, space C-1058 of the International Home Furnishings Center.