Clint Engel
LENOIR, N.C. — Broyhill Furniture Inds. is in the midst of rolling out about 100 in-store galleries through early next year as it steps up


its in-store program and steps away from its former plans to roll out more dedicated stores.

Several galleries already have opened but the bulk will open in this second half, said Mark Summerour, vice president of dedicated distribution.

“There’s a large backlog right now that we’re working on,” he said.

The galleries come in four sizes, from about 2,500 square feet to 10,000 square feet, but Broyhill has dropped the separate names that it used to have for the difference sizes — which didn’t really mean much to the consumer, Summerour said.

“We rewrote the (gallery) program last summer and it’s really taken off for us, with a lot more sign-ups and dealer interests,” he said. He wouldn’t disclose all the enhancements for competitive reasons but noted that they include an improved co-op advertising program.

Among the retailers with the most aggressive gallery rollouts is Billings, Mont-based Conlin’s Furniture, which has added Broyhill galleries to four stores and has plans to add them to all 17 by the end of the year; and Sanford, Fla.-based Hudson’s Furniture, which opened four 10,000-square-foot galleries in its Atlanta-area stores earlier this year.

Overall, Broyhill’s in-store gallery count should grow to about 800 by early next year from about 700 at the beginning of this year, and Summerour said more are on tap for 2014 as well.

More than half of the galleries opening this year are large, between 7,500 and 10,000 square feet.

Broyhill, part of Furniture Brands International, started re-emphasizing in-store galleries over stores about a year ago for several reasons, but mostly because it’s a quicker way to grow distribution, Summerour said.

Dealers are more comfortable committing to the smaller space requirements and investment, rather than opening dedicated stores, he added.

For now, there are no immediate plans to open more dedicated stores.

Fifteen dedicated Broyhill stores already are open, including one company-owned store in Blowing Rock, N.C., and the company continues to support them with the same resources that the in-store gallery dealers access. A recently restructured team at Broyhill handles both the stores and the galleries, with David Jetton directing support for dealers in the East and Sharon Stroupe leading the West division. Both report to Summerour.

In setting up the galleries, Broyhill designers visit the location with the gallery director, then develop lifestyle-oriented floor plans and color schemes. They return to the stores to install the galleries and work with dealers to select accessories to enhance the vignettes.

“We really try to make it turnkey for the dealer,” Summerour said.

Sales-per-square-foot for the galleries are running above the industry average for conventional, multi-line furniture stores, he said, although he wouldn’t disclose performance figures.

Most of the gallery dealers also have opted to integrate 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot Broyhill Kids youth galleries in their spaces. The revamped youth program has been well received since the company introduced the concept at the April High Point market, Summerour said.

Whenever possible, Broyhill is supporting the gallery openings with appearances by Tom Broyhill, vice president of international sales for the company and grandson of founder T.H. Broyhill.

Summerour said the visits have a big hit. Retailers advertise, “Come and meet Mr. Broyhill,” and some consumers ask for autographs. Broyhill has posed for photos and even signed pieces of furniture and other memorabilia.