by In addition to 29 new bedrooms, the company recently launched its first case goods collection with a mix of bedroom, dining and entertainment furniture
HIGH POINT – Full-line furniture resource Lifestyle Enterprise had one of its largest introductions in recent memory at the recently concluded October High Point Market.
Bedrooms, of course, were the star of the show, with some 29 groups launched including about 10 that were carryovers that did not get here in time for the April Market. The company developed another 19 for October, Derrick Ng, president, told Home News Now.
The new sets retail from $599 to $1,999 for a bed, dresser, mirror and nightstand, representing even sharper starting price points due to a lowering of freight in recent months. Six months ago, the company had nothing below $999.
The starting priced groups include laminate bedrooms from Malaysia featuring USB ports and three-way touch lighting on the headboards. There are also low-profile beds that retailers can sell without a box spring, thus lowering how much money the consumer has to spend in the segment.
Of the grand total, some 15 bedrooms are going into production, nine of which are from Malaysia and six of which are from Vietnam. Ng said the Malaysia sets will ship in December and the Vietnam groups will ship in January before the Lunar New Year.
Ng acknowledged that because of supply chain challenges and costs of freight, the company has not had many aggressive introductions in the past few years. He noted that the timing of the fall introduction was good because of the lowering of freight costs that lowered prices and added extra value to the product mix.
“It’s all about the freight — freight is getting lower from Asia,” he said, adding that this is also showing up in materials shipped between different countries in Asia, including from China to Vietnam and China to Malaysia.
He said the mix of new designs will give retailers plenty of variety for their floors next year.
“It is time for the retailers to refresh their floors,” he said, noting that the product mix will help give the company and its key customers a strong start to 2023.
But the new bedrooms weren’t the only star of the show for Lifestyle. The company launched its first-ever collection of coordinated bedroom, dining and occasional.
Years ago, the company showed coordinated bedroom and dining in its upper-end Forbidden City division. But most of Lifestyle’s dining and bedroom was developed independently of each other.
The new collection includes two beds and three dining sets with companion case pieces. In addition there is an entertainment wall that is part of the group, adding a living room component to the mix.
Made with pine solids and oak veneers in a natural wire-brushed finish, beds, including a panel storage bed and upholstered panel bed, are targeted to retail at $599.
A rectangular dining table and four chairs retails at $1,099 and a 54-inch round dining table and four chairs retails at $899. There is also a pub-height table that retails at $899 with four chairs.
Also made in Vietnam, these groups are expected to go into production in January before the Lunar New Year and hit retail sometime around March.
And to top things off, the company also launched an upholstered bed program featuring five beds available in king, queen and full sizes. Each is available in eight to nine different fabric options and with storage and non-storage footprints, probably the highest level of customization offered in Lifestyle’s bedroom segment.
Also made in Malaysia, the beds are targeted to retail from $399 to $499.
