FurnitureFan.com and Best Brands Plus Enter into Online Alliance

Furniture World Magazine

In an effort to further serve its customers, Best Brands Plus, the member-owned organization of furniture, appliance and electronic retailers and FurnitureFan, Inc., the web's time-saving directory that drives shoppers from their desktops to local, announced a first-of-its-kind online alliance. FurnitureFan will initially provide 12 strategically located Best Brands Plus stores with a web presence designed to drive new business leads. Via its premier online catalog directory, FurnitureFan.com provides web visitors with easy visual access to store inventory, general information and driving directions, among other features. Best Brands Plus entered into the alliance because unlike its online predecessors, FurnitureFan is not about selling product. Mitchell Russo, CEO of FurnitureFan, explains, "Consumers prefer to 'test-drive' furniture prior to purchase and that is clearly not possible over the Internet. FurnitureFan.com lets users review furniture online and then directs visitors to nearby stores where they can 'try-and-buy' that item." Taking the best elements of an online service ... lightening fast search engines and easy access to large volumes of information ... FurnitureFan.com streamlines the furniture buying process for today's time-strapped shopper by working with, not competing against, traditional neighborhood stores. Busy consumers narrow their furniture search with the fun, easy-to-use online tool and then visit selected stores to make their actual purchases. Russo continues, "By first using FurnitureFan and then visiting a neighborhood store for actual purchase, we combine the perfect blend of Internet use with real-time new business lead generation." The 12 participating Best Brands Plus stores (located in Arkansas (2), Florida (2), Illinois (1), Kentucky (1), Louisiana (1), Missouri (1), Tennessee (2), Texas (1) and Vermont (1)) will participate as full members of the online service for a one year period. With an eye to tracking leads and providing user feedback, Best Brands and FurnitureFan will then tailor the program to serve all member stores. Jerry Honea, merchandise manager, Best Brands Plus, notes, "We believe the 'clicks & bricks' strategy is an ideal tool for driving foot traffic through the door of our more than 1300 member storefronts. By selecting a nationwide cross-section, we can use their personal experience to customize the FurnitureFan model to meet all our member's unique needs. We anticipate full store involvement within the year." Best Brands Plus storefronts offer consumers access to leading brand names in electronics, appliances and furniture at affordable prices to fill every room in the home. All Best Brands Plus stores are locally owned and operated and provide the personal touch and service consumers expect. Not unlike FurnitureFan, they recognize the importance of personal service. About Best Brands Plus, Inc. Best Brands Plus, a national buying group specializing in the home furnishings industry offers a diverse, comprehensive inventory of business and supplier programs to over 550 member stores with over 1300 storefronts in the U.S. Best Brands Plus is the largest furniture-buying group in the South and is rapidly expanding its subscriber presence east of the Mississippi River. Best Brands Plus is headquartered at 7511 Capital Drive, Germantown, TN 38138. Phone: (901) 753-8243; Fax (901) 755-3076; Web: www.bestbrandsplus.com. Email: jerryh@bestbrandsplus.com. About FurnitureFan, Inc. FurnitureFan, Inc., a web-based marketing services company for the furniture industry, specializes in the development of furniture-related integrated marketing programs targeted to today's busy consumer. FurnitureFan.com, the company's web property, is the country's largest online directory of furniture stores with over 1,500 active stores currently hosted. FurnitureFan is headquartered at 142 North Road, Sudbury, MA 01776. Phone: (978) 371-2590; Fax: (978) 371-2533; Web: www.furniturefan.com. E-mail: info@furniturefan.com.