HIGH POINT, N.C. — The price of a new patio set versus the cost of a family vacation? A growing number of furniture makers are trying to sway more consumers who are weighing this decision.
Manufacturers at the High Point Market, the industry trade fair here that wrapped up Thursday, see the recession as a chance to cash in on the trend of extending furnishings to the "outdoor room.”
More consumers are "spending money on their home instead of going away. They’re building these vacation sites in their homes,” said Jerry Epperson, an analyst at Mann, Armistead and Epperson, a Richmond, Va., investment bank.
He said that the summer and casual furniture category has seen steady sales even as overall furniture sales have declined by nearly double digits in recent months.
And a January survey for the American Home Furnishings Alliance found that four out of 10 Americans said they planned reduced vacation time this year because of the recession, including about a third of those with household incomes of $75,000 a year or more.
Eighty percent said they owned some outdoor furniture, but two-thirds of those surveyed said they wanted to add some more pieces.
As consumers have raised their desires from charcoal grills to luxury outdoor kitchens, furniture makers are building outdoor sofas and sidetables that arecomfortable and durable.
"The way I like to say it is there’s a blurring between indoor and outdoor,” said Gary McCray, president of Conover, N.C.-based LaneVenture, a Furniture Brands unit that is thinning its indoor furniture offerings to focus on outdoor products.
Moisture-managing padding, heavy aluminum frames and fabrics that look as if they came out of the family room were key features of the heavier and costlier outdoor furniture on display in High Point.
by the associated press
Manufacturers at the High Point Market, the industry trade fair here that wrapped up Thursday, see the recession as a chance to cash in on the trend of extending furnishings to the "outdoor room.”
More consumers are "spending money on their home instead of going away. They’re building these vacation sites in their homes,” said Jerry Epperson, an analyst at Mann, Armistead and Epperson, a Richmond, Va., investment bank.
He said that the summer and casual furniture category has seen steady sales even as overall furniture sales have declined by nearly double digits in recent months.
And a January survey for the American Home Furnishings Alliance found that four out of 10 Americans said they planned reduced vacation time this year because of the recession, including about a third of those with household incomes of $75,000 a year or more.
Eighty percent said they owned some outdoor furniture, but two-thirds of those surveyed said they wanted to add some more pieces.
As consumers have raised their desires from charcoal grills to luxury outdoor kitchens, furniture makers are building outdoor sofas and sidetables that arecomfortable and durable.
"The way I like to say it is there’s a blurring between indoor and outdoor,” said Gary McCray, president of Conover, N.C.-based LaneVenture, a Furniture Brands unit that is thinning its indoor furniture offerings to focus on outdoor products.
Moisture-managing padding, heavy aluminum frames and fabrics that look as if they came out of the family room were key features of the heavier and costlier outdoor furniture on display in High Point.
by the associated press
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