Hurtado Introduces 4 New Colections, 2 New Programs At High Point Show

Furniture World Magazine

"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." This observation by Andy Warhol, the revolutionary artist who created "pop culture" icons in the 60's and 70's, best captures the spirit of Hurtado Furniture and the launch of EVOLUTION by Hurtado. At the October 2004 International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C., Hurtado will introduce four new collections, two new retail programs, and a new merchandising galleria as part of EVOLUTION, an overarching strategy that calls for a focused commitment to the tastes and needs of the next generation of consumers for Hurtado as well as retail partners in the fine furniture industry. Earlier this year, Hurtado management toured the United States talking with customers and spending days on the sales floors at key accounts noting the questions and market realities that arise during the furniture selling process. They found that key among the needs is affordable, fine quality furniture that is tailored to meet the lifestyle needs and tastes of the Generation X and Generation Y consumer. The Consumer Evolution: To develop its new "evolutionary" approach, Hurtado executives matched the unmet needs of the newest furniture consumer, the Gen X & Gen Y consumer (adults 18-39), with  trends among that population that show the greatest promise for the fine furniture industry, including a return to the "family first" attitudes and values of their grandparents. These statistics show: -22 percent of adults 18-39 with annual incomes above $75,000 plan to buy or build a new home -32 percent of Gen Yers intend to buy furniture for either a bedroom or living room in the next year -The number of women between 25 and 34 doubled in the last four years -8 percent of Gen X women are in some way responsible for home improvement decisions Trends also show these consumers will expect and demand products that will allow them to customize their surroundings to suit their own tastes. As author B. Joseph Pine reports in his book, Mass Customization, "They're (Gen X & Gen Y) used to getting their own way...mass customization will be as prevalent in the 21st century as mass production was in the 20th."   Four New Collections To meet the trends and the needs of the Gen X & Y furniture buyers, and to round out its portfolio of product lines, Hurtado will introduce four new sophisticated, casual contemporary collections in October. Manufactured in Spain to Hurtado's same high standards in quality and design, the collections share a few things in common. The collections are affordable, interactive and adaptable. Each collection is designed for customization, offering unlimited opportunity for accessorizing and self-expression to meet the need of any home or personal style. The new EVOLUTION collections are: Akua - offers all the beauty and sophistication of Hurtado hardwoods with complete interactive, interchangeable flexibility Taydo - combines hard ash with woven bamboo and glass accents for a contemporary, more relaxed look that embraces change and invites a reflection on nature Ghala - offers the most sophisticated styling in tones of matching mahogany for a look that is elegantly chic, sleek and provocative Enia - a contemporary collection of walnut and cherry that offers sophisticated , simple, innovative and interactive appeal Two New Retail Programs and a New Merchandising Gallery: Hurtado is also launching two new programs - Quick Ship and One Price -  designed to eliminate challenges in the retail selling process that often lead to missed opportunities and loss of furniture sales.  Quick Ship is a four-week expedited shipment program that reduces sales lost to long manufacturing lead and delivery times by offering faster delivery on Hurtado's most popular traditional and EVOLUTION sellers.  To eliminate confusion and mistakes at retail due to complicated finishing charges, Hurtado created One Price, a customer-friendly pricing program that offers the same price on all Hurtado finishes. Also to be introduced this market will be the Hurtado EVOLUTION merchandising galleria. The company has created a 1,000 square foot gallery to demonstrate how retailers can showcase the new lines in their stores. Visitors to the new Hurtado merchandising galleria will be provided information, including complete checklists, "do-it-yourself" instruction sheets and estimates of costs for the accessories, paints, rugs and materials needed to create similar retail displays. One Strong Commitment to Retail Partnership: Since establishing its showroom in 2000, Hurtado has immersed itself in learning a lot about American tastes and what is needed to serve their lifestyles. Going forward, the company plans to develop new opportunities and enhance customer satisfaction by improving performance across the supply chain, including taking steps to ensure faster delivery, simpler ordering and better merchandising and support for its products.     "In this way, we do what we do best - design and quality - and share in creating a selling environment that delivers more turns, more volume and improved consumer loyalty," said Ana Hurtado, vice president of Hurtado USA. "Between our new collections, our new sales programs and our merchandising galleria, EVOLUTION will help our retail partners address the needs of the next consumer and make a greater return on each dollar invested and on every square foot of floor space." About Hurtado: Founded in 1940, in Valencia, Spain, Hurtado is a recognized international leader in fine furniture manufacturing.  Accredited with an ISO 9000 certification, Hurtado furniture is crafted from the highest-quality hardwoods and the finest veneers in the world, and is sold in more than 50 countries around the globe.