Meridian leans into modern styling, supply chain strength to grow retail momentum

HIGH POINT — Suppliers operating in the middle of the price spectrum at the soon-to-conclude fall market faced a shared set of hurdles to overcome. Whatever their design language or manufacturing model, their products had to offer retailers solutions to overcome a persistently soft consumer environment.

Full-line supplier Meridian Furniture, which celebrated its 20th anniversary at this market, took an approach that encompassed both product design and the supply chain that delivers to customers.

Vice President of Sales Mitch Hodges told Furniture Today dealers saw real value in the company’s offering in each of these areas.

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“Our month-to-month momentum has been consistent. Of course, you have your little summer lull, but for the most part, we’ve been very consistent,” Hodges said. “The reps are doing a phenomenal job. The appointments have been packed, and the showroom has just been so well received by the buyers at this market.”

A renewed design approach

For Meridian, broadening its retail audience has meant expanding the range of interiors its products can serve. Hodges described a deliberate effort over the past two years to move beyond the company’s association with glam styling.

“For many years, I felt like Meridian was just so pigeonholed with the glam look that you didn’t cater to a broad demographic,” he said. “But with this (product push) going more towards a modern look, it’s given us just a different customer that’s come in, and they’ve liked it.”

The product on the showroom floor illustrated the balance Meridian is pursuing: distinctive enough to give retailers something fresh, but adaptable enough to work across different homes and regions.

“Is this modern? Yes. But guess what? This fits in a cabin in Colorado just as good as it fits somewhere in San Diego,” Hodges said. “While I do consider our approach modern, I also consider it a little transitional in that it can reach both customers.”

Returning buyers, he added, have noticed the shift, telling him the showroom looks like a different company. “That’s what we’ve worked so hard for, for the past 24 months, is to get that feeling and that vibe.”

New case goods tailored to retail

In case goods, the company’s design evolution builds on an established strength in upholstered beds while giving dealers additional reasons to shop the line.

“Of course, with us, our upholstered beds are our No. 1 category, so that’s always going to be a home run,” Hodges said. “We came out with two this Market.”

The company also built on strength in occasional to introduce new dining options at this Market, with the Puglia marble top occasional table getting a dining update that Hodges said was well-received.

“The dining that we’re sitting in now in this dining has been among my talked-about at this particular market. … This has been a home run because this chair is just different, and the table with the sculpted base is just little more unique.”

Other changes addressed how consumers use furniture. Meridian added cable management to sideboards, allowing retailers to present the pieces for entertainment use as well as dining storage.

“Their old buffets and sideboards never had cable management in the back, so it was never really able to be utilized as an entertainment piece,” Hodges said. “My biggest callout for my new sideboards and things like that is we’re taking them to where it’s dual purpose with the entertainment aspect.”

Bar stools and counter stools offered another opening, with Hodges reporting strong interest from major retailers seeking to fill assortment gaps.

“That’s been my biggest home run this market,” he said. “It’s been a void that a lot of the big-box retailers are seeing.”

The company’s success at Market was not only limited to case goods, Hodges pointed out. “I saw love on the accessory side, but also saw love on the case goods side. So that is very refreshing for us. It’s not one side.”

Supply chain stability

Supporting those product opportunities is an inventory model that allows retailers to offer choices without stocking every variation themselves. Hodges said Meridian ships in-stock orders the next business day from its New Jersey inventory.

“So it feels like custom, but there’s no lead times or MOQs because we stock it in Jersey, it’s already done, and we ship it out to you,” he said of the stool assortment.

For dealers, that availability changes both what they need to display and how much backup inventory they need to carry.

“You don’t have to floor every single color because you can sell out of our warehouse, and we’re going to ship next business day,” Hodges said.

The arrangement gives retailers access to Meridian’s assortment while reducing the amount of merchandise they need to bring into their own buildings. “Essentially, they’re using our warehouse as their storage, because we do ship so quickly.”