Washington’s largest independent furniture retailer is getting a multimillion-dollar face-lift.
Marlo Furniture unveiled a new showroom and a new image last week to coincide with the company’s 50th anniversary.
The redesign, unveiled at the store’s flagship Alexandria location, includes the addition of upscale furniture designers and a showroom that allows customers to shop by style rather than category.
The redesign is part of the company’s strategy to keep up with changing customer expectations and expand its customer base, said Neal Glickfield, president of Marlo Furniture.
“It’s more about lifestyle and less about the product,” he said.
The new concept splits the showroom into eight mini-showrooms, each with its own look.
For example, customers can shop for modern, traditional or designer furniture.
Marlo is spending $2.5 million to overhaul each of its four locations. The Forestville location opened with the new design last year and the Rockville and Laurel locations are undergoing renovations for a 2007 opening. The company will also open new stores in Chantilly and Bowie next year.
The timing of the new image will be lucrative for Marlo, said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, a Washington-based trade group.
“Consumers have proven over the last few years that they’re willing to spend on furniture,” said Davis. “People have learned that they don’t need to have the same dining room table for the rest of their lives.”
The proliferation of home decorating shows and a strong housing market over the last five years boosted furniture sales in the U.S., Davis said. Furniture sales increased by nearly 60 percent between 1995 and 2005 with sales last year alone of $59 billion.
With addition of upscale designers and a layout that is more in line with today’s big-name furniture retailers, Marlo will also increase its customer base, said Glickfield.
The store traditionally targeted middle-income women ages 25 to 54 — the same demographic that typically watches home decorating shows. He expects more customers with higher incomes will venture into Marlo, something he’s already seen in the Forestville location. It’s those shoppers that will be the key to increased revenues, Davis said.
“High-end shoppers tend to buy more furniture and they are willing to spend more money,” she said. “Why would a storelike [Marlo] want to go upscale? Consumers have proven furniture is an area where they are willing to invest.”
