HIGH POINT SEMINAR: 12 REASONS WHY OUTDOOR FURNITURE SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR MIX
Agio Expert to Present “The Hows & Whys of Making Money in Outdoor”
HIGH POINT, NC (March 29, 2013) – One year after its High Point Market debut, Agio International Co. Ltd. returns this Spring with a clear message to indoor furniture retailers: now is the time to add outdoor to your inventory mix.
Agio, the brand leader in outdoor furniture, will present a daily seminar – “The Hows & Whys of Making Money in Outdoor” – on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 at 4 p.m. Both one-hour seminars begin at Agio’s newly expanded showroom in The Showplace building and conclude at its patio display at Sunset On 3 prior to Agio’s sponsored happy hour event.
“We’ll explore which 10 sets are ideal for first time ventures in the outdoor segment and why just 1,500 square feet of floor space can get retailers started in a new source of revenue for their business,” said Andy Sokol, Vice President Sales, Agio-USA.
Sokol, an industry veteran with more than 25 years of outdoor furniture merchandising experience, with such retailers as Fortunoff and Macy’s, adapted his briefing usually reserved for major furniture store chains and buying groups into an introduction to outdoor for all traditional furniture retailers buying the segment for the first time.
Agio International Co. Ltd. exhibited at the 2012 Spring and Fall High Point shows and received overwhelming responses. For 2013, Agio announced it has expanded its display space and increased the number of collections to be shown. Since then, an increasing number of traditional furniture retailers have begun to recognize the benefit of adding outdoor collections to their inventory.
Sokol described as “phenomenal” the amount of new indoor furniture store customers who have come on board with Agio since last year’s Market. “The furniture industry is embracing us and the category,” he said. “Clearly, continuing to exhibit at High Point makes good sense for our brand.”
12 Reasons Why Indoor Furniture Store Retailers Should Go Into the Outdoor Furniture Business:
1) All sales are incremental … net PLUS to their business
2) A reduction of the indoor assortment (i.e. worst sellers) to make room for OUTDOOR will not hurt the indoor business
3) Though results vary by store and market, same store sales per square foot is typically better than most indoor classifications
4) OUTDOOR furniture inventory turn is greater than most indoor furniture classifications
5) OUTDOOR furniture ads bring in new customers
6) OUTDOOR peaks (April, May, June, July) when indoor furniture sales are at their lowest
7) OUTDOOR business is more conducive to replacement (add on) business than indoor. Outdoor seat cushions and umbrellas, for example, will eventually need to be replaced.
8) OUTDOOR furniture isn’t JUST for the outdoors … Most “outdoor” wicker actually goes indoors. The resin weave wicker category gives the furniture store sales staff another option to fill the family room.
9) Surveys indicate the OUTDOOR Room is #3 on the homeowner’s furnishings list
10) Furniture stores can utilize existing staff—sales, customer service, warehouse, delivery and logistics teams
11) Furniture stores can offer the consumer another (better) option for purchasing OUTDOOR furniture
12) The sales staff is energized when a new category is brought in that provides an opportunity to make sales and add another client to their portfolio.
About Agio
Agio International Co. Ltd., the brand leader in high-quality patio furniture, was originally founded by Shian International of Hong Kong. Introduced in 1997, the Agio product lines are distributed worldwide. Operational facilities include several manufacturing plants in China, including its newly opened headquarters, state-of-the-art showroom and research and development facility in Shunde, Guangdong Province.
Agio-USA is the authorized customer service/warranty and replacement warehouse, and the USA sales and marketing functions, all located in Virginia Beach, Va., USA
For more information, visit www.Agio-usa.com. Agio International Co. Ltd. owns and manufactures products under the Agio, Patio Embers, Agio Select Brand and Agio Reserve brands, in addition to its international brands.