Gallery Program From Zocalo® Is Off To Strong Start

Furniture World Magazine

Furniture manufacturer Zocalo® announced the completion of its first three Zocalo Living™ In-Store Gallery installations. Retail partners for the new program include Rubin’s in Madison, Wis., Ironhorse in Benicia, Calif., and Valencia Interiors in San Francisco, Calif. Ironhorse, whose gallery was completed in January 2006, has about 2,000 sq. ft. dedicated to four Zocalo collections. Since the installation, their sales are up and their orders with Zocalo have more than doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same time last year. Based on first quarter sales, the retailer is set to do $450 per square foot annually with the new gallery. “We’re doing great with the program,” said Eric Warren, Manager at Ironhorse. “It’s doing a lot better than the section that was there before. We’re turning more merchandise because we’re showing the entire collection. We’ve seen big improvements in Sterling Park® and Milano™. It’s doing great.” The Zocalo Living program is flexible to allow a variety of merchandise to be shown together in a cohesive group. Floor plans and set-up are personally done by Gallery Program Manager Robert Maurer and Visual Merchandiser Nicolas Gutierrez. Each store is offered hardwood flooring, wall options, and coordinated lighting and accessories at cost through vendor partners. Additional benefits include pricing rebates, priority shipping, store design assistance and free marketing materials. For Rubin’s in Madison, Wis., the Zocalo Living program “helped focus our offerings in an organized setting, which helps the consumer and helps us,” said Store Manager Sean Sennott. It also offered “a logical arena to introduce the Metropolitan Leather™ Collection. It was a way to bring in another leather vendor in a coordinated group.” In addition to the current three galleries, Zocalo has more installs scheduled for a minimum of nine locations by the end of the year. While there are many interested retailers (several are already lining up for installations in 2007) Gallery Manager Robert Maurer has opted to limit the amount of set-ups this year in order to individually track the success of each gallery and ensure each install is optimal. “Our customers have been great and it’s important to find what works best for each unique store so we can fit the program to their needs and maximize sales at each location,” said Maurer. “We want to do our best to support these customers and properly promote the Zocalo Living program. Individual attention is important and that takes time.” Zocalo has created a mock gallery installation with several popular collections, lighting and accessories in their showroom on the third floor of the Hamilton Square Building in High Point. ABOUT ZOCALO Zocalo® was founded in San Francisco over ten years ago by Jeremy Sommer. The company is known for its commitment to offering remarkable furniture that is fashionable yet approachable, and well crafted yet affordable. Zocalo’s unique collections offer something for everyone, from the sleek, modern look of the Echo Collection to the ultra chic Metropolitan Leather™ Collection. Zocalo continues to ensure that behind every collection there is unsurpassed style and value.