Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2015 52 Mike Allen Furniture Trends E. Michael Allen, BrandSource VP of home furnishings, has been with the organization for 15 years and overseen the growth of the category to one of the largest in the country. 3-DAY MATTRESS GALLERY MAKEOVER How one appliance, TV, and bedding manufacturer reinvented his store over the course of one weekend C ities change, trends come and go, and the way people shop is constantly evolving. As a retailer, it's important to stay astride the times by being nimble in your business model so you don't get left in the dust. Greenville TV & Appliance in North Carolina has been in business some 64 years and is now into its third generation of family ownership. Yet, it manages to stay up to date by continuing to adapt its store to what works. It has undergone several renovations over the years, including expanding and remodeling its current store, as well as mixing up the product offering to carry more of what consumers want. The current iteration of Greenville TV & Appliance came about via a challenge BrandSource threw at owner Malcolm Williams and his son Davis, plus a ready and willing construction crew. The company wanted to devote less space to TVs, with their dwindling margins, while giving more space to bedding and refreshing the store to have a more open floor plan. BrandSource was eager to help Williams accomplish these goals, but with one condition: This mattress gallery makeover had to be accomplished in three days. "Before, when you walked into the store, the first thing you saw were two big walls of TVs on each side," says Williams. "We have been in the bedding business for 15 years now, but the mattresses have always been relegated to the far corner of the store. When customers came in, they didn't see that we sold beds. We wanted to change that." The first step on the road to de-emphasizing TV sales and putting increased focus on bedding was to knock the two looming walls of TVs out and reduce the amount of TV sku's available by a third. The team moved what TVs were left to one wall elsewhere on the showroom floor. Davis directed the construction team, created new flooring where the bedding would go in a prominent position at the very front of the store. BrandSource assisted with finishing touches like POP displays, as well as providing input on the overall layout. Miraculously, this massive transformation was accomplished over the course of one weekend. "I came in Monday morning, and we had a new store," says Williams. "Now, when customers come in, they can see not just the bedding but everything in the store better thanks to the airy, open layout. People walk in the door and say 'I didn't know you sold mattresses.' " Williams hopes to increase mattress sales by three times this year with help from BrandSource and weekly sales training from Greenville TV & Appliance's exclusive bedding provider, Serta. But that's just part of the picture. Phase two and three of this remodel project will see Greenville TV & Appliance offering amplified service and custom kitchens, respectively. "We are able to be more competitive pricewise thanks to BrandSource. This is important considering the amount of mattress stores that are popping up all over the country, not to mention in our town," says Williams. "We're also attracting new customers, while selling mattress to our existing customer base." With a new look and a new focus, Williams and his family at Greenville TV & Appliance can sleep like babies knowing they are both relevant and profitable. To see the time-lapse video of this Mattress Gallery Makeover, visit www.youtube.com /watch?v = JAEBOvg_5SY. Also visit Greenville TV & Appliance's website, www.greenvilletvandappliance.com. RO

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