January, 2021 | Issue No. 11
NEWSLETTER
HAPPY NEW YEAR By Brad Cates, CEO As we head into 2021, we are doing business in new ways, from weekly live calls with our overseas product development team that allow us to view products in near life-size via the enormous, newly installed screen in my office, to participating in the monthly First Tuesday events at the High Point Market. We continue to be in heavy product development and to dramatically increase our ordering so that we can have the right product ready when you need it. And we are working with an individual I consider to be one of the best case goods designers in the business. So, whether you shop us in person inside our High Point showroom on a First Tuesday, a Designer Wednesday, by appointment, or via our revamped catalog or website, we are poised to wow, backed up by an enviable stock position. While we are moving faster than ever before, we encourage you to move just as quickly in the coming weeks and months. Though we have kept the containers flowing, we all know inventory will be the name of the game this year. Know that our warehouse team is shipping goods at a breakneck pace, but orders are coming in just as fast. The motto for ’21? He (or she) who hesitates will be lost!
NEW YEAR | NEW TRENDS Industry Trends- An inside look at the furniture industry Design Trends- 4 trends to try this year Lifestyle Trends- The home office
INDUSTRY TRENDS | 2021 Industry Outlook with Susan Jones | Publisher As an industry, “we learned a lot last year,” says Susan Jones, publisher of Furniture, Lighting & Décor Magazine. “We thought business had the potential to falter with store closures, stay at home orders, and more. However, with everyone staying home, consumers instead realized the sofa needed a refresh or they needed to add a home office for work. Business picked back up quickly and once restrictions were loosened, retail began to improve and design businesses, which never seemed to lose ground, continued to thrive.” As consumers turned their collective attention to a focus on their dwellings, outdoor, home office and comfort have become prevailing trends. “The industry saw such an uptick that the issues became more about supply to meet demand, a situation that we hadn’t seen in a long time,” she continues. “With supply chain and manufacturing disruptions due to coronavirus, home furnishings companies had to put an emphasis on warehousing and American made goods, which, in some cases, still couldn’t be turned around quickly enough to meet demand. For imports, increasing prices as container costs have doubled and even tripled, have also created logistical challenges. However, that hasn’t stopped the consumer from buying new for their homes, or the home furnishings industry from delivering.”
HIGH POINT MARKET CHANGES 2021 DATES How does all of this impact Sarreid? It is no secret that the unprecedented changes we made here in the past year has made us faster to market than at any time in our 54-year history. That said, our industry is facing a number of global issues ahead that will keep all of us on our toes. Susan’s comments regarding imports point to another issue on the horizon: We can expect to battle dynamic, uncontrollable inflationary factors in the coming months, if not all of 2021. This is not unique to the home furnishings business.
Banquette U211, Double Pedestal Dining Table U198
Everything that American consumers touch will be impacted, and they will feel it in their pocketbooks. Here at Sarreid, we are already paying steep premiums on containers and for some time now have been absorbing the impact on our margins for those that already have orders in-house. We are running our business as lean as humanly possible, but be aware that at some point, the price increases will have to be passed along on new orders. Luckily, Sarreid is financially secure enough to hunker down and weather the storm, and also, to be in a position to aggressively seek out domestic production opportunities across all categories to further secure our supply chain. We’re also paying attention to what she says regarding American made goods. Most of our upholstered product currently comes in from Asia, and as we work to further establish Sarreid as a whole-home collection, we know we will need more and more original designs to continue to separate us from the me-too companies. It’s a safe bet that producing sofas domestically will be a major change for us in 2021. In fact, we already have designs on the boards for new upholstered products and we will keep you posted here about new developments. We are also exploring a number of new categories that we are not already in, arenas where we believe Sarreid can stand out with the kind of quality, construction, and finishing techniques that already set us apart in the marketplace.
Ziegfeld Armchair #407859
Captains Chair #U226
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DESIGN TRENDS | 2021
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Unexpected Texture
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Lola Sideboard #53406-3
Maybe we all just need a hug, but we will be feeling all the feels in the wealth of textural materials that touch our lives this year.
Traditional Redux
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Global Inspiration
A yearning for tried-and-true classic designs is certainly understandable given the tumultuous year that we have just experienced, but key now are tasteful updates that make everything feel fresh and new.
Miss travel? Don’t we all. Expect more armchair travelers to seek out the exotic, the tribal and the bohemian as escape from the everyday, and we are banging the drum (see below!).
4 Large Markey Commode #53195
Persian Sideboard #30520
Faux Bamboo Metal Coffee Table #52851
Natural World
We have all had more time to watch the news, making us acutely aware of the planet’s peril. Materials (real and faux) will no doubt get even more interesting as we incorporate more sustainable designs into our surrounds.
Tambour Drum Table #53198
TRENDS TO TRY IN 2021 Did you hear the collective sigh of relief when the ball dropped this New Year’s? We are thrilled to have 2020 in the rearview mirror, and now we are feeling a quickening sense of excitement about the year to come. As is typical with the start of any new decade (that is not a typo…we officially begin one this year, since there was no year zero when the calendar count started 2000 years ago), trend forecasters are in their element, issuing report after report about what our near future holds. From the High Point Market Style Spotters to our fav shelter publications, our nightstands are overflowing with good reads. Around here there have been quite a few atta-girls (and boys!) issued to our design and product development teams. As evidenced by the smattering of trend-right products shown here to illustrate the predictions, they have got a real knack for reading the tea leaves! While we could go on for days (365 to be exact), here are the big four trends we think are important to keep top of mind when making buying decisions this year.
PANTONE Color(s) of the Year A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.
23.. 2.
LIFESTYLE TRENDS | 2021
Open Desk w/ Shelves 52874, Andrew Jackson Chair 30613
WORK IT Skirted Armchair 30689
Blue Dress Secretary 40264 Andrew Jackson Chair, 53125
Sawhorse Desk 53083
Working in our Comfort Zones Literally!
With almost half of the U.S. population now working from home, the home office category is exploding. Chalk it up to all the Zoom meetings and colleagues and clients being able (often for the first time) to get a good look at our personal workspaces, or the fact that trying to type at the kitchen counter or on the dining room table spells real trouble from an ergonomic standpoint, consumers are on the hunt for furnishings that work it. Great design is key to satisfying their diverse needs, as is available inventory. (Just ask anyone who needed to purchase a desk or a comfortable chair in the past year). The good news is that we have got you covered, with smart silhouettes that get the job done whether you are furnishing a dedicated home office space or need to carve out a quiet corner. New goods with ample style and plenty of storage capabilities are arriving daily, so we suggest that the best career move now is to get to work and place your orders!
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