In an 'Era of Choice,' Century Offers Something For Everyone
March 27, 2001
U.S. Company Does Its Homework On the Road in Order to Offer Fabrics With Worldwide Allure
Hickory, North Carolina (USA) – The creative team at Century Furniture is not satisfied with obtaining only a narrow perspective on design and fabric before launching new collections each season. The team, led by creative director Michael Delgaudio, literally travels the globe before securing the dozens of silhouettes and more than 1,000 fabrics that will be presented each season.
"Because our line is so vast," said Delgaudio, "there is a team of us that attends the New York and Showtime markets, and travels to Australia, Paris, London and the Heimtextil show for ideas."
Indeed, Century's wide spectrum of upholstery offerings includes everything from starting price points on sofas to $4,995 and above. "We pride ourselves on trying to do something for everyone," he added. "It's the personality of the consumer that's important. That's who we have to target. Today is the era of choice."
And because about 6 percent of Century's consumer base is international, there is a diverse marketplace that must be catered to. Besides just relying on apparel fashion and fabric markets to determine trends and direction, Delgaudio travels worldwide and presents seminars in retail stores so that he can actually talk to consumers and determine their wants and needs.
This past fall season, for example, the Century team concluded that consumers generally are interested in designs that are fluid, and they want fabrics to convey a sculptural look as well. Therefore, ultra-soft and textural chenilles, Egyptian velvets, boucles, and prints as accents, were chosen as the dominant fabrics. And, because the team determined that consumers everywhere want interesting combinations of color, the fall color story included hues such as cypress and vermouth with punctuations of amethyst and pistachio.
Consumers help the Century design team determine a color and design story, and from there the process of sifting through thousands of fabrics begins. "We look at a number of mills both domestically and internationally," said Delgaudio. "We have to look at everything and we're open to everything, including the small mills. And we are often in development with a mill on a specific color and construction package."
Leather is also important. "It's a huge growing part of our business," said Bruce Schronce, merchandise manager for Century Leather. In 1999, for example, Century's leather business grew to 34 percent. Schronce explained that 17 years ago, of all the upholstery sold in the United States, 3 percent was leather. Last year, leather upholstery sales doubled, and in the first eight weeks of this year, it doubled compared to the first eight weeks last year. Schronce said that leather suppliers are offering better goods, and dealers are better educating consumers about leather, and the value is there. "We can offer, at the high end, a sofa in leather for as much as a sofa in fabric would cost. And, leather will last five times longer."
Century buys from about 15 different suppliers in Italy, France, Belgium, South America, Australia, and the U.S. "We are able to offer about 230 SKUs of leather in six different grades," added Schronce. "We expect leather to just continue to be a success for Century." And because Century's upholstery lineup is so expansive, the price range for fabrics that the design team will select is varied as well. "We will consider adding anything from $3.95 a yard to $80 a yard," said Delgaudio. "We might look for a less expensive ground cloth to be paired with an expensive pillow fabric, or vice versa. What we always strive for is offering many different options."
And options are good, especially considering that the international marketplace is so diverse. According to Alan VanNoppen, director of international sales, Century is very strong in 35 different countries, including those in the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, and in the Caribbean. "We have found that consumers in the Pacific Rim and in the Middle East want traditional styles and high sheen, low-distress fabrics, but in the Caribbean they want more relaxed styles and fabrics. So we need to offer many different options."
VanNoppen pointed out that Century is also working to tout its varied line to dealers in areas such as South America, Mexico, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
He said the Century brand name is well known internationally in the trade community, and it is beginning to become better known with consumers. VanNoppen explained that international retailers are doing more to promote the Century brand and Century, as well, is spending more on advertising in consumer decorating publications.
"We benefit from the fact that we are American-made," said VanNoppen, "because the international markets seem to view American-made furniture like the Americans view German-made cars. But we also seem to be one of the American companies that international consumers really identify with because they like our plush tailoring and extensive selection."
Century is hoping to appeal more to the German and U.K. markets – where there are strict flammability standards – with fabrics that take the extensive treatments better. "We're working closely with mills to develop better treated fabrics that don't compromise the compliability or flexibility of the fabric," said VanNoppen. "Most British and German upholstery is stiff and tight because of the tailoring and the fabric treatment. But we've found that they have a huge appetite for plushness and softness, where the fabric and construction is concerned. So we're working on offering them the comfort levels they seek while at the same time complying with the codes."
A Closer Look Harley Ferguson Shuford, Sr., founded Century Furniture in 1947 with the opening of an upholstery factory in Hickory, North Carolina. A year later he opened a small case goods plant nearby. The first furniture made there was an 18th Century-style mahogany dining room suite.
Today, Century Furniture is one of the largest privately owned manufacturers of upper-end residential furniture with a broad product line of high-quality traditional, transitional and contemporary wood and upholstered furniture for the bedroom, dining room, living room.
Century currently has an extensive case goods facility, three upholstery factories, and a chair facility. Century's 1,200 associates today operate in more than one million square feet of high-tech manufacturing space.
Century maintains a 60,000 square foot showroom encompassing the entire fifth floor of the Market Square Building in High Point, North Carolina, where its full line of furniture is shown during the semi-annual International Home Furnishings Market, held in April and October.
The company also operates to-the-trade showrooms in Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Houston, Texas; New York City; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C. and Laguna Niguel.
Hickory, North Carolina (USA) – The creative team at Century Furniture is not satisfied with obtaining only a narrow perspective on design and fabric before launching new collections each season. The team, led by creative director Michael Delgaudio, literally travels the globe before securing the dozens of silhouettes and more than 1,000 fabrics that will be presented each season.
"Because our line is so vast," said Delgaudio, "there is a team of us that attends the New York and Showtime markets, and travels to Australia, Paris, London and the Heimtextil show for ideas."
Indeed, Century's wide spectrum of upholstery offerings includes everything from starting price points on sofas to $4,995 and above. "We pride ourselves on trying to do something for everyone," he added. "It's the personality of the consumer that's important. That's who we have to target. Today is the era of choice."
And because about 6 percent of Century's consumer base is international, there is a diverse marketplace that must be catered to. Besides just relying on apparel fashion and fabric markets to determine trends and direction, Delgaudio travels worldwide and presents seminars in retail stores so that he can actually talk to consumers and determine their wants and needs.
This past fall season, for example, the Century team concluded that consumers generally are interested in designs that are fluid, and they want fabrics to convey a sculptural look as well. Therefore, ultra-soft and textural chenilles, Egyptian velvets, boucles, and prints as accents, were chosen as the dominant fabrics. And, because the team determined that consumers everywhere want interesting combinations of color, the fall color story included hues such as cypress and vermouth with punctuations of amethyst and pistachio.
Consumers help the Century design team determine a color and design story, and from there the process of sifting through thousands of fabrics begins. "We look at a number of mills both domestically and internationally," said Delgaudio. "We have to look at everything and we're open to everything, including the small mills. And we are often in development with a mill on a specific color and construction package."
Leather is also important. "It's a huge growing part of our business," said Bruce Schronce, merchandise manager for Century Leather. In 1999, for example, Century's leather business grew to 34 percent. Schronce explained that 17 years ago, of all the upholstery sold in the United States, 3 percent was leather. Last year, leather upholstery sales doubled, and in the first eight weeks of this year, it doubled compared to the first eight weeks last year. Schronce said that leather suppliers are offering better goods, and dealers are better educating consumers about leather, and the value is there. "We can offer, at the high end, a sofa in leather for as much as a sofa in fabric would cost. And, leather will last five times longer."
Century buys from about 15 different suppliers in Italy, France, Belgium, South America, Australia, and the U.S. "We are able to offer about 230 SKUs of leather in six different grades," added Schronce. "We expect leather to just continue to be a success for Century." And because Century's upholstery lineup is so expansive, the price range for fabrics that the design team will select is varied as well. "We will consider adding anything from $3.95 a yard to $80 a yard," said Delgaudio. "We might look for a less expensive ground cloth to be paired with an expensive pillow fabric, or vice versa. What we always strive for is offering many different options."
And options are good, especially considering that the international marketplace is so diverse. According to Alan VanNoppen, director of international sales, Century is very strong in 35 different countries, including those in the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, and in the Caribbean. "We have found that consumers in the Pacific Rim and in the Middle East want traditional styles and high sheen, low-distress fabrics, but in the Caribbean they want more relaxed styles and fabrics. So we need to offer many different options."
VanNoppen pointed out that Century is also working to tout its varied line to dealers in areas such as South America, Mexico, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
He said the Century brand name is well known internationally in the trade community, and it is beginning to become better known with consumers. VanNoppen explained that international retailers are doing more to promote the Century brand and Century, as well, is spending more on advertising in consumer decorating publications.
"We benefit from the fact that we are American-made," said VanNoppen, "because the international markets seem to view American-made furniture like the Americans view German-made cars. But we also seem to be one of the American companies that international consumers really identify with because they like our plush tailoring and extensive selection."
Century is hoping to appeal more to the German and U.K. markets – where there are strict flammability standards – with fabrics that take the extensive treatments better. "We're working closely with mills to develop better treated fabrics that don't compromise the compliability or flexibility of the fabric," said VanNoppen. "Most British and German upholstery is stiff and tight because of the tailoring and the fabric treatment. But we've found that they have a huge appetite for plushness and softness, where the fabric and construction is concerned. So we're working on offering them the comfort levels they seek while at the same time complying with the codes."
A Closer Look Harley Ferguson Shuford, Sr., founded Century Furniture in 1947 with the opening of an upholstery factory in Hickory, North Carolina. A year later he opened a small case goods plant nearby. The first furniture made there was an 18th Century-style mahogany dining room suite.
Today, Century Furniture is one of the largest privately owned manufacturers of upper-end residential furniture with a broad product line of high-quality traditional, transitional and contemporary wood and upholstered furniture for the bedroom, dining room, living room.
Century currently has an extensive case goods facility, three upholstery factories, and a chair facility. Century's 1,200 associates today operate in more than one million square feet of high-tech manufacturing space.
Century maintains a 60,000 square foot showroom encompassing the entire fifth floor of the Market Square Building in High Point, North Carolina, where its full line of furniture is shown during the semi-annual International Home Furnishings Market, held in April and October.
The company also operates to-the-trade showrooms in Chicago, Illinois; Dallas and Houston, Texas; New York City; San Francisco, California; Washington, D.C. and Laguna Niguel.
