At its Lincoln Park showroom, La-Z-Boy is using the Recliner Runway to tell the story of its signature product. Photo courtesy of La-Z-Boy.
MONROE, Mich. — While furniture sometimes takes its design cues from the world of fashion, the retail experience between the two categories can often be markedly different.
In fashion and apparel retail, trends change quicker, so it’s important for officials in that world to pivot regularly to stay ahead. That mindset is something Rebecca Reeder, president of retail for La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, has brought to her role.
Reeder joined the Monroe, Mich.-based maker and Top 100 retailer of furniture 20 months ago after spending most of her career in the world of fashion and apparel. The skills she developed in that retail segment have served her well as she made the move to lead the 360-store Furniture Galleries network, she told Furniture Today.
“In fashion, you have to stay connected with the customer. Fashion has an element of trend that is volatile, and it clips at a fast pace. You have to stay on top of what the consumer wants today and wants tomorrow,” Reeder said. “Having the experience of staying connected closely with consumers, you develop an expertise at solving problems for consumers. I brought that element of connection with the consumer to La-Z-Boy.”
In her first year with the company, Reeder said she immersed herself in all things La-Z-Boy to get a feel for the culture, talent and retail experience while strengthening the retail team through internal promotions and strategic outside hires. This past year has been all about reimagining the retail experience at La-Z-Boy to craft a selling model that engages the customer in a different way and deals with their pain points effectively.
“It’s been important in every company I worked in to build a culture that builds results and thinks about what’s next,” Reeder said. “We’re taking the values of curiosity — which is already at La-Z-Boy — and creativity, and we’re infusing them in a new way and putting in strategies that will solve our future problems.”
One example of the new way of thinking about retail is La-Z-Boy’s new store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. It’s designed around experiences and is uniquely local.
“The retail experience is different than all our other Furniture Galleries. We made our position in the community important,” Reeder said. “When you go in the location, you feel Chicago. You experience memorabilia, statements about Chicago, images of Chicago.
“We merchandised our assortment and curated it to lifestyle concepts that would resonate with consumers who would shop that location.”
Some of the key features include specialized vignette areas (Gamer, La-Z-Girl, etc.), brand swag and the La-Z-Dog wall of fame inspired by the founders’ dog, Toodles.
One standout is the Recliner Runway. Reeder said it’s part of a reimagining of the way La-Z-Boy tells the story of its signature product.
“That’s been the heart of our business since we started 100 years ago. Our Recliner Runway at Lincoln Park navigates our assortment and gives personality to each of our recliners and informs our consumer as to why that product and style is special,” she said. “We give details about product, a QR code, and we’re leveraging technology; digital screens and iPads to empower our consumer to build their perfect recliner.
“It’s great for customers and associates to engage in a different way of designing a chair.”
From there, Reeder said sales associates are empowered to continue with engagement and tackle other consumer issues.
“It’s incredibly different because our customers have different problems than somebody walking in for a pair of jeans,” Reeder said, referencing her previous experiences. “Let’s solve the first problem and then tackle a bigger one. If you’re coming for a recliner, where’s it going in the home? What’s going on in that room? How can we make your room more comfortable for you?”
As La-Z-Boy is approaching its 100th anniversary, Reeder believes the roadmap put forward by its Century Vision initiative and executed by the senior leadership team is poised to take the venerated brand to new heights, and she’s appreciative of the opportunity to help guide it there.
“We have a fabulous, iconic American brand that makes people smile and connotes a lot of memories in the hearts and minds of our customers,” Reeder said. “As I get to know customers every day, it reinforces a great decision I made. The culture is fantastic. The leadership team is state of the art, and our strategy is on point and delivering experiences that are unique in the industry right now.”
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