pic from official Instagram
SHAH ALAM: Ashley Furniture, one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world, is planning to expand the brand’s presence in Peninsular Malaysia through the opening of another two to three HomeStore outlets by the end of the year.
This will bring the total number of HomeStore outlets to seven from the current four. A new store is set be opened in Melaka in March.
Ashley Furniture operates under a licensing partnership agreement with Fella Design Sdn Bhd in Peninsular Malaysia.
Ashley Furniture’s senior vice-president, Kurt Haines, said the company aims to capitalise on increasing demand from the serviced apartment and condominium segment of the residential property market.
“There is an increase in the number of serviced apartments and this requires more multifunctional products that incorporate space saving designs to be developed,” Haines told StarBiz.
“We are also looking at new types of fabrics along with refreshed designs and colours for furniture to provide more choice for consumers here. This industry is similar to the fashion industry,” he added.
Haines said Ashley Furniture prices its products in the mid-tier range to target the middle and upper-income groups.
Fella Design said Ashley Furniture’s products are differentiated by their American-style sofa designs and “soft comfort” compared to “harder” European designs.
To encourage more people to buy furniture, the company has a trade-in programme.
Fella Design’s group chief executive officer Yu Kong Cing has a target for sales growth of at least 30% year-on-year for the Ashley Furniture brand this year.
“The retail market can be challenging at times with cost of living concerns and we have to innovate through new products and using digital media to adapt to this type of sentiment,” Yu said.
The partnership between Ashley Furniture and Fella Design goes back to 2014. Ashley Furniture hopes to offer consumers more furniture design options with its innovative and creative designs in Malaysia.
Ashley Furniture, the biggest brick-and-mortar furniture retailer in the US, also has 250 outlets worldwide, not including Mexico and the United States.
“We are expecting to grow these to 300 stores globally this year,” Haines said.
Ashley Furniture was founded in 1945 initially as a furniture manufacturer, after which it ventured out into retailing to build up its brand.
In Malaysia, Ashley Furniture’s HomeStores outlets are in Bukit Subang, Shah Alam; Citta Mall, Petaling Jaya; Quill City Mall, Kuala Lumpur, and Evo Mall, Bangi.
