The Futon Rise

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henryblack
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Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:37 am
antibot: No, of course not.

The Futon Rise

Post by henryblack » Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:39 am

The new futon-style bedding collection from The Fashion Bed Group (FBG) has an innovative wood frame support. The brand’s premier collection had futons based on metal frames. This new wood framed style comes in four models that can retail from $249 up to $429, including the mattress and frame. These frames are built from pine, oak, and cherry wood. Dan Greer VP-Sales from FBG said recently that although an effort is being made and futon’s popularity is rising, the most known furniture stores still haven’t embraced it. Read more reviews here: 6 best futon mattress reviews

During the ‘make love not war’ years, futons were very popular among hippies, and a long-haired Dan Greer was studying in college to the tunes of the Beatles. Things are different now: futons have a different status and Greer’s hair a new length.

Greer, the vice president of FBG sales in Chicago laughs when he thinks about it. He still listens to the same music, but his hair is shorter. Except that now he’s working for one of the biggest producers of metal beds in the country.

Gone are the days where futons were seen as items of the counterculture. Nowadays, futons are more popular than ever as a mainstream product.

This month the company’s efforts go towards their new futon collection, with the help of Greer. The first place to test the idea is sleep stores that already started trying to develop this sector.

FBG got many requests from dealers to produce a new collection of futons for their stores. These dealers are experts in day beds and double solutions, so they know all it takes to have quality sleep. Greer says, since FBG is a division of the company Leggett & Platt, they have all the resources available, a base for distribution, and in Chicago, a huge warehouse filled with products ready to sell.

As Joe Geiger, President of FBG, explains, the futon adventure is exciting because it brings some variety to the company. Geiger was, in times, president of the company Dresher, that merged with FBG in the year of 1992. In 1994, Geiger took control of FBG after the leadership of John Elting. Elting left the company in order to create his own furniture business.

As Geiger continues to explain, the company has a constant thirst for more products that can be sold to the same customer. Even though benches and nightstands are good, futons can bring amazing potential to the business.

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With the new wood-based futon collection, the company expresses its inspiration and drive from their best-selling beds. There are four names for the new futons: Surrey, Monticello, Jamestown, and Shiloh. Their price range will vary from $249 up to $429, and also includes a mattress.

By Greer’s words, wood was a very natural step for the brand. Their gateway to the futon market was metal, but most of the futons sold have wood structures. They knew the company had to follow the trend, but only with a different furniture-style.

FGB imports a lot of material but also has wonderful connections to the local wood producers. These ties are possible because of the mother company, Leggett & Platt, since these producers belong to their divisions.

The company took the decision of going completely local without outside resourcing for this specific line. All the products will be produced in Leggett & Platt factories, which brings benefits like pricing, quality, and delivery control.

There is no feedback on the metal line yet, the products were shipped at the beginning of March and should start to sell in the next weeks. But there were some trends to spot on what retailers are actually buying. See more feedback of futon mattress here: 6 best futon mattress reviews 2019

For the metal collection, black is still the favorite, but the sales for their weathered putty also went very well. It’s the second favorite color after white, and pebble green is soon to be released to take the fourth place.

To Greer, this collection of wood-based futons will be a perfect mirror of the business. Oak, pine, and cherry are wise bets: Pine is one of the most promotional woods, but cherry is long-lasting. So, this year, the company makes an effort to perfect mahogany and cherry finishes for their furniture.

Even though FBG is visionary about making futons a high-quality piece of furniture, we can’t state the same for retailers that are slowly picking up on the trend.

Not all retailers though. Stores specialized in mattresses already cherish the futon.

Greer explains that for these stores it’s easier to understand the concept of progressive sales. They have dedicated, trained staff to help customers find their perfect solution. These salespeople are also experts in upgrading sales, so these kinds of stores are always trying to discover the next big hit in order to attract customers and publicity.

The difference will be set by mass merchants: they are the ones always looking for the lowest prices possible. A customer that is looking for high-end furniture will most likely visit a specialty store or legit furniture stores, to find the best styles and quality.
Last edited by henryblack on Wed Apr 03, 2019 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

John Matthews
Posts: 513
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:18 pm

Re: Plot by hand on scatter plot

Post by John Matthews » Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:49 am

Add a ChartMouseListener to your ChartPanel and examine the ChartEntity associated with the ChartMouseEvent.

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