Recliners: One of the Top Spots for Super Bowl Viewing, Says Survey

Furniture World Magazine

More than a third of Super Bowl viewers (37%) say a recliner is one of their favorite spots to watch the big game. That's one of the reasons Lane Home Furnishings is launching its first ever National Reclining Month in January with sales and promotions available on all Lane recliners and motion furniture. As part of its National Reclining Month celebrations, Lane commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults to discover how Americans like to relax. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive(R), found that nearly three fourths of U.S. adults (73%) agree that they are relaxed as soon as they slip into a recliner. "January brings to mind two things - post-holiday downtime and football playoffs," said Gentry Long, Vice President of Upholstery Merchandising, Lane Home Furnishings. "And, as the survey shows, recliners are a Super Bowl must- have for a significant number of adults and the ultimate tool for relaxation for about two thirds of adults. That's why Lane decided to kick off our first ever National Reclining Month in January with sales and promotions being offered on all Lane recliners and motion furniture." Other top findings include: -- Season for Relaxing: The hustle and bustle of the holidays can be a stressful time with finding gifts, organizing travel and cooking huge meals. In fact, about half of U.S. adults (51%) said they most need to relax during (33%) or just after (27%) the holiday season. -- Recline and Relax: After the holiday stress, what better way to relax than by lounging in a cozy recliner? Nearly three fourths of U.S. adults (73%) agreed that they are relaxed as soon as they slip into a recliner and more than one third (36%) said sitting back in a recliner is one of their favorite ways to relax in their home. In fact, more than two in five adults (43%) said that a recliner or other comfortable chair was essential in helping them relax - more so than comfort food (21%), silence (35%) or even privacy (39%). -- Super Bowl Viewing: Super Bowl party throwers need to be wary this January as the comfort of a recliner beats a friend's house and a bar as a favorite place to watch the Super Bowl, with more than a third (37%) of Super Bowl viewers picking it as one of their favorite spots to watch the big game. -- Reclining in Popularity: People are more likely to own recliners than love seats, china cabinets or sofa beds. In fact, men in the 55+ age group are more likely to own a recliner (80%) than a coffee table (75%). Interestingly, students are more likely to own a recliner (33%) than a futon (18%) - the once-essential student accessory is losing ground as the recliner takes over as a student furniture favorite. -- Comfort is King: The majority of recliner owners (59%) bought a recliner simply because it's comfortable. It's so comfortable that more than half of recliner owners often watch TV / movies (88%), read (55%) or fall asleep (54%) in their recliner. A full 12% of recliner owners say they often knit, sew or do needlepoint in their recliner, which may rebuff the stereotype that recliners are just for men. Furthering the point, men and women are equally likely to own a recliner (55% women, 59% men). -- Bring On the Style: Additionally more than half (58%) of adults said they wish recliners were more stylish. Fortunately, Lane has introduced a new line of recliners, the MyAbode collection, which is aimed at a more contemporary consumer. The MyAbode collection offers smaller, more compact recliners in an array of stylish fabrics and colorful leathers. MyAbode recliners are included in the National Reclining Month sales and promotions. Lane's National Reclining Month starts December 26th, 2006 and ends January 29th, 2007. Promotions include bonus gifts including a 1 GB MP3 Player, Digital DVD Player and Home Theater Surround Sound System and Audiovox 2-Way Radios with the purchase of Lane Furniture. All recliners and reclining furniture will also be on sale with great savings on original retail prices. Log on to www.lanefurniture.com for more information on National Reclining Month sales and promotions. About The Survey: The National Reclining Month survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Lane Home Furnishings between December 1 and December 5, 2006 among 3,150 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. With a pure probability sample of 3,150 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. The sampling error for the sub-samples of those who watch the Super Bowl (n = 2,116) and those who own a recliner (n = 1,790) is higher and may vary. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated. About Lane Home Furnishings: Lane Home Furnishings is the largest manufacturer of motion furniture and the second largest manufacturer of recliners in the world. To learn more, visit www.lanefurniture.com. Lane is a subsidiary of Furniture Brands International (NYSE:FBN) , based in St. Louis. Furniture Brands International is the nation's leading residential furniture manufacturer. Additional information can be found at www.furniturebrands.com. About Harris Interactive: Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/PR.