Bringing home theater to 'the masses'

High Point— Home theater seating has been a winner for most motion furniture producers in recent years as consumers have transformed the traditional family room into a media room.

But with media rooms typically costing $20,000 to $50,000 or more, there are a relatively small number of

That's why many producers are now aggressively courting those who simply want comfortable seating for family and friends to watch movies and sporting events, or play video games.

Call it home theater for the masses.

"The home theater concept was originally embraced at the high end, as affluent consumers installed elegant, high-tech viewing rooms," said Rob Yanok, director of merchandising at Berkline. "But with the growing popularity of plasma screens, LCD and flat-panel TVs, home movie and DVD viewing has been moving into the living room."

'Phenomenal growth'

And with prices falling rapidly on all types of flat-screen televisions, Yanok and other executives believe demand for more affordable entertainment furniture has nowhere to go but up.

"Our growth with this product has been phenomenal," said Sam Contreras, merchandise manager at Coaster. "I don't see it slowing down anytime soon."

Driving the growth at Berkline, Coaster and a number of other motion producers is home theater seating that carries a retail price tag of less than $2,000 for a typical three-seat unit.

Such seating doesn't have a top-of-the-line leather cover, power-reclining mechanisms or other amenities found on high-end seating, which typically retails for at least $1,000 per seat. However, producers say those bells and whistles aren't essential for most movie-watchers.

"We wanted to come up with a home theater product that the average Joe could afford," said Brian Lange, president of Best Home Furnishings.

And what Best introduced at January's Las Vegas market was a three-seat home theater unit that retails for $999 with a faux suede cover.

Lange said the item appeared to resonate with dealers — not only for its price point, but because it ships as a single SKU by removing the seat backs.

"It was very well received. I think we'll do well with it," he said of the new product.

Contreras said one of Coaster's most popular home theater pieces is a three-seat configuration that retails for $1,199 in a leather/vinyl cover.

At Klaussner, one of the best sellers is a modular seating system that typically retails for $1,599 in fabric.

However, because the Klaussner product is modular and each seat is priced individually, it can be configured to retail for as low as $1,299, said Jay Foscue, vice president of merchandising.

"People seem to like the flexibility that our modular units provide," Foscue said. "They have been very successful in furniture stores."

Sectional success

Modular seating also has been a hit at Berkline — to the point where the company has developed what it calls a new category of furniture that combines the best elements of sectional design and home theater seating.

Dubbed the Home Entertainment collection, the first three items were a hit when they were unveiled last October in High Point, and more new products are planned for the April market.

"We've added cupholders, consoles and wedges that let consumers design a big room around a big TV," said Bruce Sinning, vice president of merchandising.

Since most of this furniture winds up in the living room, Sinning said fabric covers are the most popular, and said there is an even greater demand for fabrics such as microdeniers that deliver a fashionable look and are easy to keep clean.

"We're also seeing more two-tone combinations as customers are mixing velvet and suede, vinyl and velvet and other creative parings," Sinning said.

Gentry Long, vice president of merchandising for motion furniture at Lane, agreed, noting there is increasing demand for the more casual looks available with fabric covers.

"I definitely think there is room for growth here," Long said. "A lot of motion furniture pieces could be home theater, too."

Lane's biggest home theater hit of late is a chair targeted to video game enthusiasts. Introduced last October, the chair retails for $499 to $599 with a two-tone polyurethane cover.

"This is aimed at the younger consumer who isn't looking for home theater, per se, but has a nice video game system," said Long.

For the consumer who is looking for home theater — a complete home theater system, minus the electronics — he may turn to APA Marketing, an importer whose lineup includes Encore home entertainment furniture.

At the recent Las Vegas market, APA unveiled a home theater package that included three reclining seats, an entertainment cabinet that can accommodate a 73-inch television, two wall panels for better sound, and two wall sconces that can hide speakers.

And perhaps best of all, said President Al Schwerin, is that the whole package retails for about $6,000 — roughly what a consumer would pay for a large flat-screen TV.

"Dealers were jumping all over this," Schwerin said of the reaction the product received in Las Vegas. "This is an opportunity for furniture stores to get a piece of that home theater business that has been going to electronics stores."