Carole Finds Niche with International Sourcing and 'Total Sales Concept'
December 31, 1999
Augusta, GA (USA) — Top American jobber Carole Fabrics found its niche in providing custom window products from imported fabrics, and according to company President Bill Geiger, growing demand for Carole products has driven the company to continually add to its inventory.
At first, European sources supplied all of Carole Fabric's imported fabrics, including die-discharge prints and Italian and French sheers. But in 1994, the company ventured further into international sourcing in order to introduce unique decorative fabrics to the American market. "We have cultivated a number of valuable relationships with sources that have allowed us to bring very unique and decorative products – products not sampled from 19 different places – into the U.S. market," said Geiger.
Since 1994, the percentage of imported fabric has grown from 20 to 35 percent of its sales, and the company continues to add new fabric resources from overseas suppliers. Lately, said Geiger, Asian sources have been providing great product at rational prices and because the sheers business continues to be very robust, Carole has added Swiss and Scandinavian sources to the French and Italian.
Along with its off-shore sourcing, Carole Fabrics offers its customers, who are primarily decorators and designers, two options. "Dealers can order decorative fabrics by the yard or piece, or they can order finished custom products," said Geiger. Custom-finished products are fabricated in Augusta, Ga. – in a 140,000 square foot custom workroom, the largest in the country – and are then dropshipped to the distributor. Geiger developed and patented this system as Total Concept Sales, and it has opened a niche in custom work for Carole Fabrics. Today, with 21 showrooms across North America, he can say with certainty the concept worked.
"With the customer base becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding, what we bring to the marketplace is timely," said Geiger who joined the company in 1972 and became President in 1983. "We have differentiated ourselves by our willingness to deliver finished products to our customers. The only thing the seller needs to provide is advertising and sales, leaving the coordination of labor and all the cut, sew and processing work to us."
This concept means Carole Fabrics has to carry both a huge inventory of fabrics and a large workforce. Currently the company carries an inventory of 4,000 skus and a workforce of 650-700 people, mostly in custom. But these save enormous amounts of overhead for its customers and gives them the ability to fill smaller custom orders with better quality product. Total Concept Sales is part of the value-added Carole brings to the marketplace, said Geiger.
The company also hopes to become a player in the upholstery sector, although according to Geiger, entry to that sector has been slow due to the long-term planning it requires. His team, which consists of Ron Cupp, Vice President of Merchandising, Jerry Van Horn, Executive Vice President, and Cheryl Hyde, Marketing and Product Development, had a goal of coming home from Decosit with a more focused point of view regarding the upholstery market.
Carole's slow and studied approach to the upholstery marketplace, it has been pulling in contract orders at a fast and furious pace: Reportedly, contract sales have exceeded fifty percent of the company's orders in the past year and a half. Geiger attributes the success to Carole's unique fabrics and custom work as well as to its cultivation of important relationships overseas.
"For the past 18 months, the contract market has experienced significant growth." Geiger said. "We have also developed a pretty good network of loyal and proven sources in Europe and Asia and they provide us with exclusive fabrics."
Accessories also account for an increasing market share. Whereas Carole Fabrics used to provide primarily draperies and bed coverings, demand has widened to include coverings for casements, cornices and headboards, as well as custom pillows, roller shades and tabletop accessories.
Although Carole was acquired by Hunter Douglas, a privately held window covering company, in 1990, Geiger said the companies have retained their independence, with Carole Fabrics continuing to sell soft products.
At first, European sources supplied all of Carole Fabric's imported fabrics, including die-discharge prints and Italian and French sheers. But in 1994, the company ventured further into international sourcing in order to introduce unique decorative fabrics to the American market. "We have cultivated a number of valuable relationships with sources that have allowed us to bring very unique and decorative products – products not sampled from 19 different places – into the U.S. market," said Geiger.
Since 1994, the percentage of imported fabric has grown from 20 to 35 percent of its sales, and the company continues to add new fabric resources from overseas suppliers. Lately, said Geiger, Asian sources have been providing great product at rational prices and because the sheers business continues to be very robust, Carole has added Swiss and Scandinavian sources to the French and Italian.
Along with its off-shore sourcing, Carole Fabrics offers its customers, who are primarily decorators and designers, two options. "Dealers can order decorative fabrics by the yard or piece, or they can order finished custom products," said Geiger. Custom-finished products are fabricated in Augusta, Ga. – in a 140,000 square foot custom workroom, the largest in the country – and are then dropshipped to the distributor. Geiger developed and patented this system as Total Concept Sales, and it has opened a niche in custom work for Carole Fabrics. Today, with 21 showrooms across North America, he can say with certainty the concept worked.
"With the customer base becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding, what we bring to the marketplace is timely," said Geiger who joined the company in 1972 and became President in 1983. "We have differentiated ourselves by our willingness to deliver finished products to our customers. The only thing the seller needs to provide is advertising and sales, leaving the coordination of labor and all the cut, sew and processing work to us."
This concept means Carole Fabrics has to carry both a huge inventory of fabrics and a large workforce. Currently the company carries an inventory of 4,000 skus and a workforce of 650-700 people, mostly in custom. But these save enormous amounts of overhead for its customers and gives them the ability to fill smaller custom orders with better quality product. Total Concept Sales is part of the value-added Carole brings to the marketplace, said Geiger.
The company also hopes to become a player in the upholstery sector, although according to Geiger, entry to that sector has been slow due to the long-term planning it requires. His team, which consists of Ron Cupp, Vice President of Merchandising, Jerry Van Horn, Executive Vice President, and Cheryl Hyde, Marketing and Product Development, had a goal of coming home from Decosit with a more focused point of view regarding the upholstery market.
Carole's slow and studied approach to the upholstery marketplace, it has been pulling in contract orders at a fast and furious pace: Reportedly, contract sales have exceeded fifty percent of the company's orders in the past year and a half. Geiger attributes the success to Carole's unique fabrics and custom work as well as to its cultivation of important relationships overseas.
"For the past 18 months, the contract market has experienced significant growth." Geiger said. "We have also developed a pretty good network of loyal and proven sources in Europe and Asia and they provide us with exclusive fabrics."
Accessories also account for an increasing market share. Whereas Carole Fabrics used to provide primarily draperies and bed coverings, demand has widened to include coverings for casements, cornices and headboards, as well as custom pillows, roller shades and tabletop accessories.
Although Carole was acquired by Hunter Douglas, a privately held window covering company, in 1990, Geiger said the companies have retained their independence, with Carole Fabrics continuing to sell soft products.