Cresent opens warehouse in China, targets West Coast

At The Market— Case goods manufacturer and importer Cresent Fine Furniture has opened a warehouse in China to expand service to its dealers.

The 10,000-square-foot warehouse, near a Cresent source factory in the Dongguan area of southern China, can hold 20 to 30 containers. It can be

The facility enables the company to offer mixed containers, with a variety of products, direct from Asia at about a 15% cost savings compared with product shipped from its Gallatin, Tenn., warehouse.

Cresent now sends less-than-truckload shipments from Gallatin, which stocks about 95% of the company's line of bedroom, dining room, occasional, home entertainment and home office furniture.

But Tomkins said West Coast dealers in particular have been reluctant to order goods out of the Gallatin facility.

With the China warehouse, he said, "We are giving retailers a choice and letting them pick the best flow strategy for them. This opens us up to dealers on the West Coast who have not taken advantage of our product offerings because of our geography."

Customers that order from the Tennessee warehouse may continue to do so. The China facility will merely offer those same customers container-direct service.

In-stock goods will arrive at West Coast retailers between 14 and 18 days from the time they leave the port in Asia, the company said. They would arrive at Southeastern dealers in about 26 days and at Northeastern dealers in 30 to 32 days.

Cresent is showing here at Mandalay Bay, space 66458.