Floor clocks march to own drummer

Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, November 1, 2004

HIGH POINT — Furniture trends come and go, but floor clocks keep on ticking.

Case goods and upholstery adapt to fashion changes in silhouettes, finishes and detailing, but clocks continue to sell outside of those seasonal fluxes. Traditional grandfather clocks continue to be the best sellers, even 18th-century designs, which case goods companies have declared a dead look. James Stewart, owner of James Stewart & Sons Longcase Clocks, said he remembers seeing contemporary models 30 years ago, but “you never see them in the auction room.” Floor clocks even buck the trend on sourcing. Almost all occasional goods are imported now — mostly from Southeast Asia — but this niche continues to be dominated by North American manufacturers like Howard Miller, Ridgeway Clocks and Sligh in the United States and Hentschel and Bulova in Canada. Even the imported lines aren’t typically from Asia, such as James Stewart & Sons of Ireland and K. Mozer of England. While much of the case goods buzz this year has been on antidumping duties, clock makers say their goods are difficult to import because of the intricacies of the mechanisms and the problems that can arise in shipping.
At one time, the simple answer was that China couldn’t make furniture of such a high quality as that demanded by clock lovers. But even high-end case goods companies are sourcing from China now.
However, a clock is a more delicately assembled piece than a dining table.
 
Rather than importing the whole piece, North American companies are sourcing components such as hand-carved rosettes, finials and column caps. Import options
On the other hand, clock makers aren’t foolish enough to think sourcing won’t play a bigger part in the future. The labor is too inexpensive in Asia for those countries not to find a cost-effective way of getting merchandise to the United States. One young company trying this approach is Briton Furniture Collections, which imports a few million dollars in clocks and curios a year. About four years old, Briton and its Carolina Clocks & Curios division began shipping goods just as the economy was taking a downturn. “It’s extremely difficult to grow the line in this economic environment,” said Jim Gregory, Briton executive vice president, adding that he’s pleased to say that “we’re running about 10% ahead of where we were last year at this time.” Gregory added that even though the company’s production is in China, the facilities have faced rising costs for raw materials just like domestic companies, because of China’s increased production of case goods and occasional furniture. Imports have deflated furniture prices, which has pros and cons for retailers. Consumers can buy entire bedroom suites for what just the bed would have cost 15 years ago, said Paul Hoffman, Ridgeway’s general manager. While that’s great for the consumer, the retailer has to sell more goods to make back the lost profits from lower prices. An heirloom mentality Clocks can garner a higher price because they are heirloom pieces that are handed down. Almost everyone who buys a Howard Miller clock registers the piece so that they can receive their free engraved plate, said Bob LeHocky, vice president of sales and marketing. “Nobody buys a grandfather clock to check the time,” said Hoffman. Because of that, the quality has to be exceptional, he said, especially since the fine details are at eye level and not down low like a cocktail table. One of the challenges for clock producers is getting the point across to retailers that they can make more money per square foot with clocks than their store average, Hoffman said. Clocks take up a small footprint, only two or three square feet, he said. Working with one retailer, Ridgeway showed that selling one clock a year would generate as much revenue as 18.5 turns at the store average per square foot. One of the biggest myths about clocks is that they are seasonal, said Hoffman. There are about 500 specialty clock stores that promote floor clocks year-round, he said, and their sales aren’t very seasonal at all. Clocks sell a little better in the fall than summer, but so do all furniture categories, he added. Clock shops and jewelry stores have been the main focus (and two-thirds of sales) for Bulova since it bought Heirloom Clock two years ago. However, strong showings in High Point and San Francisco have convinced the company to increase its furniture store presence. The company plans to return to those markets in the first half of 2005 and is considering the Las Vegas market in July. Bulova has been growing sales in the East and West and is hiring reps to push sales in the Midwest and South, said Tom Albin, vice president and general manager of the clock division. Clocks can make furniture stores a destination for consumers, said Hoffman. Ridgeway’s research showed that of those people interested in buying a grandfather clock, half of them didn’t know that they could get the product from a furniture store, he said. About half of those surveyed said they would be willing to drive one to two hours to find a clock gallery. “That knocked us over,” said Hoffman. “Do you think any other furniture category could get that reaction?”