Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Williams-So-noma — you’d have to have been living under a rock the last five years or so not to know who these companies are. Stores like these have really made an impact in the upscale housewares market, even making housewares a staple in U.S. consumer spending.
According to the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) 2004 State-of-the-Industry Report, U.S. consumer spending on housewares has increased an average of 4.9 percent annually over the past five years. On average, in 2003 U.S. households spent $578 each on housewares (up 8.2 percent from 2002), more than on fruits and vegetables ($563) or dairy products ($335). Can you believe consumers are spending more on housewares than vegetables? Granted it’s only a few dollars more, and the price per item for vegetables is much lower than an average item for the home. But, it’s still something to think about.
The entire housewares market is getting bigger and better and going strong thanks to specialty stores such as the aforementioned. And what do all of them carry successfully? Tabletop. They have the right idea. The IHA report also found that tabletop is the 5th fastest-growing category in housewares, accounting for 8.7 percent of direct-to-retail sales dollars. It lost to a pretty elite list of categories: household electronics; cook and bakeware; kitchen electronics; and space organizers, closets and clothing care.
So what does the tabletop category encompass? Everyone has their own list. Some say it is anything that can go on top of a table — vases, frames, etc. Others say mostly dinnerware (bowls, plates, flatware, cups, platters, pitchers, etc.) You can make your own list, but for this article, we’ll go with the latter.
Tabletop and Garden Centers?
Finally, after years of promoting the idea, consumers are viewing their backyards as an “outdoor room” or “outdoor living space.” And, just like any other room in their house, they are pretty particular about how these rooms are decorated. Think about it: people wouldn’t use their nice china at the kitchen table or on a TV tray; they’d use it in the formal dining room. So in addition to formal dinnerware and an everyday set of dinnerware, consumers are now looking for a fun set of dinnerware to use outdoors, something to reflect the garden theme of their new outdoor room. And, where do these people go when looking for outdoor living products? That’s right, you.
As you well know, over the past 10 years or so garden centers have become more than just a place to buy plants and soil; they’ve become an entertainment store — carrying outdoor furniture, grills, gifts, etc. — tabletop seems like an obvious addition.
As you read in last month’s “Developing Markets,” gourmet food has struck a chord with independent garden centers. And, tabletop is a natural extension of that market. Where you have pasta you have to have a bowl; where you have chicken grilled with gourmet sauce you have to have grilling utensils. It only makes sense to carry these products together and push them as add-ons to the outdoor space you helped create.
Product Choice
If you’ve done any exploration into this category, either for work or home, you will not be surprised to hear that the tabletop market provides a wide variety of choices. According to Gifts and Tablewares magazine, “There’s more product choice than there’s ever been in the history of mankind, and the marketing noise is deafening.”
There are more manufacturers of tabletop out there than I could gather, and so many of these manufacturers make lines that would be perfect for garden centers. Anything with a garden motif or a flower pattern would be an obvious choice, and there is lots of that. But you should also consider anything bright and festive. Heavy stoneware in primary colors is always a great “outside” choice. We’ve also seen several patterns featuring food at recent housewares shows; these would be perfect for people who like to grill.
There are so many options and patterns, we couldn’t possibly cover them in one article, but we did want to give you a starting place with manufacturers. So, here is what I’ve found: Tableware Today magazine recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and shared its 10 favorite lines. Here they are.
- Cherry by Gien
- Colorways by Lindt Stymeist
- Elizabeth Hydrangea by Droll Designs
- Jaguar Jungle by Lynn Chase Designs
- Medusa by Rosenthal
- Pop by Noritake
- Queen Victoria by Herend
- Taylor by MacKenzie-Childs
- Villa Della Luna by Pfaltzgraff
- Vivo by Vietri
Display
Do you have to designate a certain amount of space for your tabletop product? No, it depends on how much you want to invest in the category. If you want to be a destination for tabletop it would definitely be worth considering. But, the great thing about these products is their design; they give the person who designs your display something to work around. Think about the nicest display in the gift or housewares department of your store — was it the pots lined up on the wall? Was it the cabinet filled with picture frames? Most likely it was the display with complementing colors, shapes and sizes.
Tabletop is very versatile when it comes to display and is a great add-on in many departments. For example, in your outdoor furniture department, set each table with all the complementing bells and whistles (bowls, plates, glasses, etc.). Another area where you can display tabletop is in your book or magazine area; a small table with a couple chairs can hold a beautiful tea set or a platter set. Customers love to be relaxed, and a display such as this gives customers that feeling.
Of course, the department that makes the most sense is the gourmet food section or near your café if you have one. Tabletop can work as the base of a sale or as an add-on, and don’t forget about the linens for the tabletop…but that’s in next month’s “Developing Markets.”
Competition
After reading some of the articles for tabletop retailers, it seems they have the same complaint as garden centers: Independent specialty tabletop retailers have been attacked by big box stores offering lower prices or a larger selection. The upside to this problem is that you know how to combat it — by offering high-quality specialty product and great customer service.
Incorporating tabletop into the store may be successful for some, while a mistake for others. Many of the topics mentioned above need to be well thought out before making the big jump. Catherine Evans said in last month’s article on gourmet foods, “who doesn’t love to eat?” I’ll respond by saying, “sure I love to eat, but I need utensils, a plate, a glass…”
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