Tasleem Tasab, founder and MD of Serene Furnishings, answers Furniture News’ question about the company's strongest product area and the issues surrounding it.
Tell us about your bed product offering
Serene is known for offering a broad, design-led range of beds, daybeds, sofa beds and headboards – something for every taste, budget and home, with more choice in colour, finish, material and price than any other supplier. Each of the recognised price points are catered for with designs suited to the demands and trends of modern day living and made to the highest quality standards.
What is your current bestseller and why is it so popular?
The Metal collection, featuring an eclectic mix of styles, is where the Serene story started and it remains the company’s bestselling range today. The success of the Metal collection inspired the launch of the Precious Metals collection early last year – a premium range of bedsteads to inspire a new generation of creative bedroom design.
There are a number of reasons behind its popularity – unparalleled choice in size, price, style and colour finish means there is so much on offer and ultimately something for everyone, all backed by large levels of stock at Serene’s state-of-the-art 200,000ft² warehouse facility, ensuring quick turnaround on orders.
What trends are you experiencing right now?
Metal remains a very strong area, however our Fabric collection has seen an exponential uplift in sales with people drawn to its sumptuous colourways – greens and plums in particular are proving very popular – and fabrics with a velvet/chenille touch. In terms of style trends, then it’s currently tall headboards – beds with a dominant presence that provide a design-led focal point for the room.
Have customer preferences changed much over time?
Wood has enjoyed a resurgence, as too has faux leather. However the perennial customer preference is for quality and style at an affordable price – two points that Serene always delivers on.
What are the key issues affecting your bestselling product at a retail level?
With such a broad choice of styles, materials and finishes, securing maximum space on the shop floor in order to present the true depth of the Serene offering is vital.
What are your observations on how best to retail this product?
Serene invests a considerable sum in producing high quality PoS material to support each collection, including brochures and professional photography of each model in situ – lifestyle imagery that helps sell the product. You need to get people imagining what they are looking at in their own home – inspire them to think how it could fit in, how it could look and stunning photography plays an important part in achieving a level of desire in the mind of the consumer.
Maximum use of the shop floor space will enable models to be presented to the fullest and we work with retailers to help create the most eye-catching, creative display possible.
What is your personal preference?
Personally, I like a bed that serves as a statement piece in the room – comfort, character and style combined. Fortunately, here at Serene, we have an abundance of designs that do just that.
This article was featured in the April issue of Furniture News magazine.
