Better Homes collection launches in China
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, 11/24/2008 12:00:00 AM
SHANGHAI, China — Universal Furniture is looking to build on the success of its Better Homes and Gardens line with furniture consumers in China.
Universal launched the line here at the second annual JSWB Shanghai Furniture Sourcing Fair in September.
The launch included a mix of bedroom, dining room, occasional and upholstery pieces already in the U.S. version of the line. BHG was launched in the U.S. market in the spring of 2007 and hit an estimated 300 retail floors that summer.
The products shown at Universal's three-story retail store in Shanghai cover the three style segments already sold in the United States — Cottage View, Classics Today and Modern Outlook.
The line ties in with the Chinese version of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which was launched about two years ago and has about 226,000 subscribers, said Monica Weng, director of BHG's editorial office in Beijing.
In an interview at the JSWB show, she said the line is priced and scaled to fit into smaller homes owned by working class Chinese consumers. Based on the growing popularity of residential furniture, she was optimistic about the brand's potential in the Chinese marketplace.
Mohamad Amini, president of Universal's parent, China-based Lacquer Craft Mfg., said the entire collection that is available in the U.S. also will be available in China.
Amini said it was too early to say many Chinese stores will pick up the line. But like Weng, he believes it will be successful among Chinese consumers, many of whom like brand-name goods.
“It has been a big success in the U.S. and Better Homes and Gardens now has distribution of its publication in China as well,” he said. “This is the brand we are introducing in China and as it is a simple, casual look, it should work well.”
