January saw World Furniture embark on arguably its most extensive product launch to date, meeting the feeling of renewed optimism amongst retailers with a huge spread of quality options in every category.
Whilst the company reports strong sell-in from every corner of the display, its stand-out performances were: Charlotte, an acacia living, dining and bedroom cabinet collection, finished in rich walnut; Harlow, a new fabric sofa, available in natural and charcoal grey; Kansas, a design-led contemporary chair, available in four unique colours alongside a matching glass dining table; and Rimini, a cabinet and dining range that combines white finishes with bare oak, described by operations director Paul Taylor as “a definite must have for floors, with a truly unique look – it looks amazing with our new Hanbury fabric chair collection”.
Paul continues: “Our dining chair business continues to astound – the performance of the products in this area was outstanding, in particular the fantastic Hanbury fabric dining chair.” Hanbury is available in three colours in PU, and four in fabric, offering great value style, colour and design.
“Charlotte’s sales were so strong that it has become the most successful launch in our history. The perception of value, look and all-round quality of this range had us very confident going into the show – but its performance far exceeded expectation.”
“We believe that the way to do business is without barriers”
Other stand highlights included: the Carnaby dining chair, available in fabric or bonded leather; Madison, an ivory and oak bedroom collection – “always a great look for floors for spring/summer”, notes Paul; Tuscany, a clean, affordable bedroom collection, finished in natural American white oak; the Chloe sofa, which is now available in grey and slate blue; and the Fulham accent chair and sofa, which meets the demand for retro styling, at an affordable price.
Paul also points out: the Kingston dining table, an oak table with oak veneers, the perfect partner for the Hanbury and Carnaby dining chairs; Raffles, an all-reclining sofa, available in brown and black, and as a 3, 2 and chair – “a great tool to combat the multiples”, says Paul; Rio, another all-reclining sofa, in a combination of fabric and bonded leather, available as a 3, 2 and chair, in grey fabric/black and natural fabric/brown; and Regency, a classic, traditional reclining sofa, available at accessible price points.
“Our aim going into 2014 was to continue to improve our offer of value, quality and service,” explains Paul. “We believe that our 2014 portfolio allows us to offer all of this in abundance, and this was demonstrated by the number and calibre of retailers who visited our stand, and, more importantly, placed orders.
“We believe that the way to do business is without barriers, and so we offer many buying options for our customers, including a container option, which continues to prove extremely popular, as retailers identify its astonishing value and flexibility.”
World Furniture’s new 2014 catalogue is now available. “The quality of the photography and styling is, for us, unprecedented,” says Paul, “and I’m absolutely confident that this catalogue will prove to be a vital selling tool for any furniture retailer. We look forward to getting this out to our retail partners, and to a very successful 2014 together.”
