Source Global Launches Creative Sourcing Center In High Point

Furniture World Magazine

New Business Model Connects Producers Worldwide with Product Designers, Manufacturers, Distributors, Interior Designers and Contract Specifiers Source Global, LLC has launched a new creative center for home furnishings products worldwide that will connect the home furnishings supply chain, from creative through distribution year-round. Located in High Point’s historic Market Square, the 12,000-square-foot creative center will open in January 2008. The center will provide focused exhibitions that showcase the factory capabilities of companies from around the world. The modular space of each creative partner will feature two-to-three samples, supported by visual displays and marketing materials, rather than full collections and life-style displays. “Remote producers currently have no exhibition site and no objective meeting forum in the United States dedicated specifically to addressing the introduction process,” says Linda McLean, Source Global founder and chief executive officer. “Domestic manufacturers and distributors currently must travel to foreign trade shows to find producers and when there, face difficult and costly decisions regarding capabilities, product development and reliability. Our goal at Source Global is to change that equation and return the process of discovery to the United States marketplace.” Filling a Void The new business model will serve the needs of producers and distributors developing outsourced manufacturing relationships throughout the supply chain. Conference rooms offer full privacy, videoconference and large-screen audio-visual capabilities. A hospitality area is provided to welcome industry members representing resources, including furniture designers, customs brokers, expeditors and sales facilitators, color specialists, and suppliers of hardware, electrical, veneer and other manufacturing materials. Different From the Rest Unlike the majority of exhibition space at the High Point Market, which is dedicated to selling fully developed product lines to retail stores and the design trade, the Source Global’s creative center will cater specifically to the needs of producers and distributors looking to develop outsourced manufacturing relationships. It will present all categories of home furnishings, including dining room, bedroom, decorative and occasional furniture, accessories, lighting, rugs, and specialty items. “Industry leaders have recognized that the U.S. has become a nation of distributors in the home furnishings industry, yet we have virtually no infrastructure in place to support this new reality,” McLean says. “Our creative center is about to change all that.” Source Global also will offer consultants with marketing, manufacturing and product development experience, who can help drive prospects together and guide producers and agents through the complex distribution paths. Industry Benefits According to McLean, the benefits offered by Source Global are significant to both producers and distribution partners. Producers will now be able to: •Meet distribution partners in the largest marketplace in the world; Be introduced to industry professionals who can help guide their efforts; •Fill their production capacity; and, •Have a place to promote their products year-round. In addition: •Manufacturing distribution partners will meet new production partners and expand their stylistic possibilities; •Interior design professionals will find resources not available in stores, unique pieces and specialty items; •Design showrooms can now offer exclusive items and develop buying groups to serve logistics needs; •Architects and contract specifiers will find unique products, new materials and producers of custom designs; •Retailers will find new private label lines; and, •Sales reps will represent niche lines and invent unique opportunities. “Developing new sourcing relationships through our creative center is a huge opportunity for both producers and distribution partners to regain their uniqueness and get back to creating their own look and style,” McLean says. “Source Global will facilitate a return to the creativity and innovation that have always been fundamental principles of this industry.” Regional Benefits The Source Global model offers far-reaching benefits to the immediate region as well. “I believe that Source Global will help secure the Piedmont’s ownership of ‘industry intelligence’,” she says. For example, some Source Global providers may grow into direct marketers with their own showrooms, employing U.S. managers and staff. Vendors struggling to reach manufacturers will now have a distinct destination to facilitate business relationships. Year-round business will feed other year-round projects and meetings in High Point, the Furniture Capital of the World. “Ultimately, Source Global offers the single most important solution for producers and distributors in the furniture industry today,” McLean says. “As the first and only meeting place of its kind in the furniture industry, we will introduce quality producers from all over the world and provide the premier year-round tool for outsourced manufacturing.” Source Global, LLC is a creative center for home furnishings products worldwide that connects the home furnishings supply chain year-round, from creative through distribution. With leasing currently underway, the Source Global creative center will officially open in January 2008, followed by a grand opening showroom presentation at the April 2008 High Point Market. For a complete presentation and more information, contact Linda McLean, 336.887.8782.