Clint Engel
 GREENSBORO, N.C. — Bassett Furniture is launching its first consumer catalog in a move that will become its primary marketing

tool reaching out to consumers from its Bassett Furniture Direct dedicated stores.

Next week, the supplier is dropping an initial 1.2 million copies of glossy 85-page catalog to existing customers and prospects through a group of 48 BFD stores. The stores are a mix of company-owned and licensed units in the Carolinas, New England, Virginia, Nevada, California and Washington.

The fall catalog will be mailed as well as available in the stores, and Bassett soon will have a version of it online.

The plan is to turn the book into a quarterly publication with distribution through all 136 dedicated stores when the second edition comes out in late December, said Michael Satterfield, Bassett vice president of marketing.

He wouldn’t disclose the expense of the catalog, but said it’s the biggest investment Basset has made in a brand marketing vehicle. He said the cost, like that of other marketing efforts, is shared with the stores.

“This will be our key communications vehicle with consumers as we move into our next phase of retailing,” he said.

With studio-quality photography, the catalog highlights the supplier’s key collections. It also reinforces the strengths of the BFD stores with descriptions of the Simply Yours customization program and the interior design help available to consumers, including house calls by the stores’ design consultants.

The catalog features Bassett’s various lifestyle offerings — from traditional, casual and contemporary looks to 1930s Hollywood glamour — as well as sections on the John Elway collection and construction highlights.

“I think it really communicates a lot of the key things that separate us for our competition,” said Jay Moore, Bassett director of public relations and research.

All products shown include retail prices. While Satterfield said the dealer-owned stores set their own pricing, Bassett has kept its retailers involved in the process, which has led to catalog pricing that’s in line with what consumers will see in the stores.

Bassett is introducing the catalog to preferred customers and top prospects in some markets this week at private store receptions, promoted with a special savings offer.