Larry Thomas
\nLAS VEGAS\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d As televisions get larger, the entertainment furniture that holds them is getting smaller.
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\nThat seeming contradiction was apparent at last week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Las Vegas Market, where the massive wall systems that once dominated the category took a back seat to more compact units that accommodate today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s popular \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and wide \u00e2\u20ac\u201d flat-panel televisions.<\/p>\n
Producers said buyers took a keen interest in models that can be set up in multiple configurations, as well as units that have a variety of functions such as media storage, speaker cabinets or video game controls.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The days of stacking up the components inside the pier are gone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Tim Donk, marketing manager at Legends Furniture, which introduced a variety of domestic and imported entertainment centers.<\/p>\n
Donk said many units are now sold without piers, as consumers are choosing to store components in a console that also serves as the base for the television. Items such as a hutch can then be added. If the consumer opts for piers, they typically are used as curio cabinets or bookcases.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our dealers are still selling the big wall systems, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not selling nearly as many as they were a couple of years ago,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Paul Coscarelli, a partner with APA Marketing, which sells the Encore line of entertainment centers.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I like to tell people that the smaller units deliver more function, but take two-thirds of the space at half the price,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he added.<\/p>\n
Coscarelli and other executives said product introductions with such features were well received at market. They said dealers were hoping the new items would stimulate business as they ride the wave of flat-panel TV popularity.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re seeing the larger retailers starting to stock up for busier times,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Karl Eulberg, vice president of sales at Kathy Ireland Home by Martin Furniture. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Inventories are low, and I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good time to be placing orders.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Eulberg said dealers were especially enthusiastic about his company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new Jefferson Heights entertainment center, which can be configured eight ways. And rival Aspen Furniture reported good response to its new Four Seasons collection, which is designed for TV screens of 42 inches to 50 inches.<\/p>\n
Aspen and Martin also reported good response to new units with bi-fold doors that allow the TV to be hidden when not in use.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We think people are not going to use the TV as a status symbol anymore,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Eulberg said.<\/p>\n
At Magnussen Home, the market focus was on a lineup of entertainment centers that debuted in April in High Point. President Jeff Cook said the response from dealers has exceeded expectations, and said the first group of orders will be shipped later this week.<\/p>\n
Upbeat also was the word at Riverside, whose temporary space at the Las Vegas Convention Center was busy from the market\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opening bell.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Most of the retailers that we had hoped to see have stopped by,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Linda Owen, vice president of national accounts.<\/p>\n
Officials at South Shore were pleased with traffic in that company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s temporary space in the Pavilions, but were looking forward to moving into their permanent World Market Center showroom in January.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Entertainment is a hot category for us,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Robert Robichaud, vice president of business development. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re developing a lot of new product in both the assembled and RTA segments.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
At ready-to-assemble major Bush, the focus was on video gaming furniture. The company unveiled several items aimed a teen and pre-teen gamers that include features such as swivel bases, adjustable shelves and storage bins.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Based upon research we have conducted, we know that there is a definite shift of placement from the family room to the youth bedroom when the gamers become teenagers,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Jim Schmidt II, vice president of marketing and merchandising for Bush.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Larry Thomas LAS VEGAS\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d As televisions get larger, the entertainment furniture that holds them is getting smaller.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-furniture-world-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}