Bernhardt Furniture Reported 1999 as its Most Successful Year

September 5, 1999

Lenoir, NC (USA) -- After 110 years and four generations, Bernhardt Furniture Company has avoided the "stodgy" label and has, instead, evolved as a fashion-forward visionary. Its debut of 'New Vintages' during this year's spring International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, NC, for example, prompted such retail traffic that Bernhardt reported its most successful market in its long history. Virtually every major U.S. retailer and department store signed on to carry the new introduction.
"When my father (John Bernhardt, son of the founder) launched the Flair upholstery division in 1958 after we had exclusively been a case goods manufacturer for almost 70 years, he was taking a bold step and making his mark," said G. Alex Bernhardt Sr., chairman and chief executive officer. "Flair tapped into an unusual niche, which was upper-end contemporary upholstery covered in $5-a-yard upholstery. Everyone was doing mid-priced traditional upholstery. This was unheard of. But he did it. Our family has never been afraid to take a chance, which is probably why we're still at it today."
Now Bernhardt Sr. is making his mark, along with his son G. Alex Bernhardt Jr., vice president and general manager of the upholstery division, with New Vintages, which is a comprehensive package of casual traditional upholstery. Designed to fit easily into a variety of settings - traditional, transitional, or minimalist contemporary - this new line is the most widely accessible product ever introduced by the company.
"The product can go into so many different settings because of the fabric combinations, the casualness of the textiles, and the value," Bernhardt Jr. explained. "If you've got a big ticket purchase item, you want it to be something fairly timeless. But traditional has always been somewhat formal, staid, and stuffy. With New Vintages, we believe we've found a newer niche for traditional. It's the combination of the frame styling and the pre-washed fabrics that is the main story."
He added, "We've just started shipping New Vintages to stores, but we recently ran an ad in Architectural Digest and orders started coming in right away -- sight unseen."
Through an exclusive agreement with Mastercraft, Bernhardt is offering a selection of washed rayon chenilles that were designed by both the mill and the manufacturer. "These are truly original fabrics," said Bernhardt Jr. "We worked in partnership with Mastercraft and they developed a quick ship program on all New Vintage orders. It's a very simplified program for the consumer."
Simplicity, in fact, is what Bernhardt is striving for in terms of fabric and leather suppliers, according to Bernhardt Sr. "We have been working with more than 100 mills," he said, "but we are currently paring that down significantly. We have decided we want to be more important to a shorter list of mills."
Adds Bernhardt Jr., "Myself, our merchandise manager, and our fabric coordinator -- we select fabrics by committee. We don't want to look like everyone else, so about 70 percent of our fabric offerings are exclusives. That's why we're partnering with just a few mills. Exclusive looks make all the difference in the world. Often it's the fabric that sells the piece. Without the mills, we're nothing."
Partnership agreements like the one the company worked out with Mastercraft is what Bernhardt is after. "We call it strategic vendor partnership," he says. "In its simplest form it means taking good care of each other. Mastercraft is a major mill for us and we're interested in entertaining more of those types of relationships."
Bernhardt Sr. added that although the residential side of his company's upholstery business partners primarily with domestic mills, the contract division (headed by his wife Anne) buys from a number of international mills. "The strength of our residential line is in the $7 to $15-a-yard fabrics, but we have covered some of our upholstery with $30-a-yard fabrics. Textured woven products, like chenilles, are really driving our business right now. We're doing some in velvets and very little in cotton prints."
Export markets for Bernhardt include Canada, the Middle East, England, and some business in South America. Sales exceed $200 million annually, and Bernhardt manufactures its lines with 2,000 employees in 10 production plants.
Bernhardt Sr. attributes his company's success to the contributions of his family members. "Each generation has made certain that integrity, family values, high quality, and fair play remain intact. However, every generation has realized they have to keep up with the times. It's an interesting juxtaposition. We have an old fashioned company with a fresh and fast-paced management style."
Bernhardt Jr. pointed out that he made certain to pursue other avenues of interest before joining the family business. For a few years he was in commercial real estate and then he obtained his Master's degree in Business. "It was after I got my Master's that I decided I had something to contribute to the business. Before that, I didn't want to work in the business just because my name is Bernhardt."
Bernhardt Jr., who has been overseeing the upholstery division for two years now, said that every family members starts out on the factory floor and works their way up through the ranks. "It's the only way to truly learn about furniture. You can't just sit in an office and expect to make important decisions if you don't know every aspect of the business."
"It was never a shoo-in that I would get a good position here," he said. "The bottom line is this: Everyone is staring at you. They are thinking you got your job because of who you are. But our business is so old and a lot of our family members are out there wanting to work. We never would have gotten this far if each person did not have to prove himself or herself before securing a position. I think we actually have to work harder and continually prove ourselves more than non-family members do." F&FI


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