RETAIL INSIGHTS: TERRY BROWNING OF LUXE RETAILER SCOTT SHUPTRINE INTERIORS TALKS RUGS
Scott Shuptrine Interiors' Terry Browning, lead buyer, says it's business as usual for the luxury home furnishings division of Art Van Furniture. |
WARREN, Mich. -- With the recent sale of Art Van Furniture to private equity investor Thomas H. Lee, which closed on March 1, the company's upscale Scott Shuptrine Interiors expects it to be "business as usual" -- which for the fast-growing luxury division of Art Van Furniture means focusing on offering customers something new, relevant and exciting.
Part of the merchandising strategy at the designer-focused Midwestern chain includes maximizing area rug sales by getting creative, said Scott Shuptrine's lead buyer Terry Browning, who gave RugNews.com a behind-scenes-look at the high-end brand.
Art Van, which had purchased the Shuptrine franchise in 1987, shuttered it in 2002 to focus on its core business. Eight years later, Scott Shuptrine Interiors relaunched as a store-within-a-store at three Michigan Art Van showrooms. And, in 2013, the high-end furnishings concept opened the doors of a 12,300 square foot stand-alone gallery in Royal Oak.
Scott Shuptrine, which usually shares space with Art Van Furniture stores, gets 12,300 square feet on the main level to display its luxury goods and area rugs. The showroom's curved stairway leads up to an Art Van Furniture store.
Browning's strategy has been to merchandise home furnishings in about 60 trend-focused room vignettes throughout the stores ranging in style from contemporary and eclectic to traditional and transitional. The product offering is carefully curated, and hand-knotted area rugs -- which represent a growth area for the division -- are used in the displays featuring home furnishings vendors such Bernhardt Interiors, Elite Leather, Drexel Heritage, Huntington House, Theodore Alexander, Curate, Massoud, Natuzzi Italia and more.
A dramatic display at the entrance to Scott Shuptrine's in Schaumberg, Illinois, calls attention to the retailer's emphasis on rugs with Nourison's limited edition Phoenix rug on the wall and Prismatic rug (PRS04) on the floor.
How many stores have you opened since 2010, and where are they located?
TB: Scott's reopened with three stores in 2010, and we currently have eight galleries in Art Van stores and one free standing store in Grosse Pointe. We are also located in two Art Van Furniture franchise stores.
What changed in 2010 to prompt Art Van to relaunch the brand?
TB: Two reasons: due to the Great Recession there was a void in the marketplace, and the community kept asking Mr. Van Elslander [Art Van's founder] to bring back Scotts.
Who do you consider your competitors? How do you set your company apart from them?
TB: Our real competitors are any luxury brand or merchandise category. Cars, boats, travel etc. are all competing for the attention of the consumer.
We try to always keep our stores filled with merchandise that excites the customer -- things that they just have to own.
Scott Shuptrine wants to keep shoppers excited, and the new Joanna Gaines Magnolia Home by Loloi collection (above and below) does just that.
Who are Scott Shuptrine's customers?
TB: Our customer is someone looking for a higher level of quality and style, as well as a store and designers that "get" them. Understanding how they live and use their home, as well as understanding their desire for a home that reflects their unique personality.
What are the biggest challenges in the home furnishings sector in general? What about the future?
TB:The biggest challenge is to be relevant and exciting to the consumer. A retailer cannot afford to be seen as just an ordinary furniture store just like every other. You have to create an in-store environment that is exciting and fresh -- a store that reflects the shelter magazines they read and TV shows they watch.
How do you set yourself apart from not only the national retailers but also the online segment?
TB: It's all about the customer experience. Due to the internet, consumers can buy anywhere. At Scott's we pride ourselves on extraordinary design services.
Terry Browning, lead buyer for Scott Shuptrine Interiors, keeps the merchandise fresh, offering unexpected combinations. Shown, one of the retailer's most popular contemporary rugs by Surya.
Where is your store's growth coming from, in terms of product category? What are your strongest categories?
TB: Our strongest categories are upholstery, accent occasional and accessories which, for us includes rugs.
How do rugs fit into your merchandise strategy and why?
TB: Rugs are integral part of any design business or project. When Scott's re-opened, every room setting included a rug. That strategy has not changed. We have rugs in price points that reflect the pricing levels of the setting and its use. We have always stressed "One of a Kind" rugs as a method of separating ourselves from others.
In the last few years, there has been a huge growth in textural solids and more contemporary styles. These include updating the colors of traditional designs in new contemporary colors that reflect the trends in home furnishings today. Rugs have always been an art form, but that is expanding in exciting new ways.
To give area rugs more play in Scott Shuptrine galleries, Terry Browning gives them an art-like treatment by hanging them on the wall. Shown, a one-of-a-kiind Nourison rug in the retailer's Schaumberg, Illinois, gallery, which opened in December 2016.
Do you plan on making any changes to your product lineup in 2017?
TB: We are always looking for new and exciting styles, colors and textures to entice the customer. In today's marketplace, one must not become predictable.
What rug makers does Scott Shuptrine work with?
TB: Scott Shuptrine takes a very curated approach to the floor. Currently we work with Loloi, Momeni, and Nourison for our in-store displays, but many more vendors are available to Scott's interior designers for their projects.
Momeni's display at Scott Shuptrine Interiors, includes its popular Mesa 4 wool flatweave (pictured below), which is one of Shuptrine's top sellers.
What does Scott Shuptrine look for in the rug vendors it carries?
TB: Quality hand-knotted rugs in traditional (historical) designs and transitional and contemporary styles, and colors and textures that can work in the various lifestyles and designs of our customers and designers.
What advice do you have for rug manufacturers wanting to sell to furniture stores?
TB: Offer a wide range of textures and colors, durable fibers and color palettes that reflect the current colors shown in the home furnishings market.
Scott Shuptrine buyer Terry Browning always looks for new and exciting styles, colors and textures to entice the customer who wants exclusivity, as illustrated by this one of a kind Momeni rug.
Scott Shuptrine Interiors merchandises its hand-picked rug assortment in room vignettes throughout the store to call attention to its complete assortment of all sizes, styles, shapes and weaves. It is now hanging rugs on the wall to give the category even more play.