Universal Furniture Expands Special Order Upholstery Program for Retailers Amid Successful Year

Furniture World News Desk on 10/14/2023

After a successful year of furniture sales, marketing programs and collection extensions, Universal Furniture is expanding its year-old UChoose special order upholstery program with contemporary styles, named Modern UChoose. The program will offer two seat depth options as well.

The Modern UChoose program is proudly rooted in North Carolina, bench made within Universal Furniture's manufacturing facility in Conover, where more than 70 percent of upholstery frames are constructed in-house as well.

"Our people and their dedication have helped fuel our achievements in 2023, particularly the remarkable 35 percent surge in custom upholstery orders," said Sean O’Connor, president of Universal Furniture. “We are also pleased to announce a significant reduction in lead times for special order upholstery, of six to eight weeks."

Universal introduced Modern UChoose during premarket with positive reactions from its customer base. The program will expand to include several more modern shapes, including five new arms that range from track arms to a reverse Greek key. The program will also be offered in multiple lengths, and two seat depths of 42 inches and a luxe depth of 46 inches. All designs are offered in over 450 fabrics and 50 leathers.

2023 in Review

As 2023 comes to a close, the company will be shipping out its highly anticipated Weekender and Coalesce collections from the spring market and ensuring that the warehouse is well-stocked. O'Connor notes that product cycles have returned to a more predictable pattern.

All Universal furniture collections are bolstered by the company’s extensive marketing presence that has continued to drive sales throughout the year. Universal.com website traffic has increased 10 percent in 2023 thanks to digital and traditional advertising, and concentrated marketing efforts during national sale periods.

“We have leveraged our partners including Coastal Living and Meredith Dotdash as well as Miranda Kerr and her social platform of more than 25 million followers as part of a consistent content strategy to support engagement on Universalfurniture.com,” said Neil MacKenzie,  senior vice president marketing at Universal. “We also continue to see growth from dealers who leverage our B2B storefront where they can place orders, check availability and add team members to support engagement with the end user.”

Universal Furniture’s Modern UChoose program can be explored during Fall Market at its showroom located at 101 S. Hamilton.

About Universal
 Retailers and interior designers around the world trust Universal Furniture’s award-winning, smart and stylish designs to create modern, well-appointed living spaces for the whole home. The company’s casegood, upholstery, accent and outdoor designs are developed under the brand names Universal Furniture, Miranda Kerr Home and Coastal Living.

Universal Furniture, founded in 1968 and based in High Point, N.C., is the recipient of 13 Pinnacle awards for design excellence from the International Society of Furniture Designers. It is a brand of Samson Holdings, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated furniture manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.universalfurniture.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @UniversalFurn.