Rotman’s Attic Clearance & Outlet – Worcester, MA
At 160,000 square feet, Rotman’s has enjoyed being the largest furniture showroom in New England. With a strong sales staff and highly effective advertising in place, Rotman’sexcelled at moving new and special order merchandise. So well, in fact, that their clearance area, labeled “The Attic”, had accumulated decade’s worth of off-season, returned, cancelled, scratch & dent, and discontinued merchandise and was severely overstocked. In order to prepare for the next season’s shipment of goods to arrive, Rotman’s knew they must do something drastic to make room in the Attic. They contacted PMP Sales to assist them with their annual clearance event.
Results: After placing eight seasoned sellers into the Attic and launching a hard-hitting advertising campaign for their annual clearance event, Rotman’s successfully sold off most of their obsolete goods. In addition, the sale turned over their entire old stock of mattresses, along with over 40 King adjustable bases. We were able to discuss fresh strategies with Rotman’s Advertising Director, which drove heavy traffic on both the weekends and the otherwise slower days of the week. Rotman’s other departments benefitted from the sale as well, as Rotman’s watched sales increase across the board during the event. Despite challenges presented by inclement weather, the sale was extended an extra week to meet the public’s demand.
Rome Furniture – Gardner, MA
Once a retail giant in what used to be known as the Furniture capital of NE, Rome Furniture began to experience declining sales. As time drew on, stale inventory began to accumulate. By the time Arthur, the president of the company, was ready to retire, Rome Furniture needed professional help resetting the business before handing it over to the new management team. They contacted PMP Sales and our affiliate PFP, and after a few strategic planning sessions outlining the most important goals and objectives, we collectively launched a massive Retirement Sale.
Results: The strategic augmentation of inventory facilitated the successful liquidation of the stale merchandise overwhelming the warehouse. New and different types of advertising were introduced, which attracted a wider variety of consumers. The event was staffed with highly-motivated salespeople, who set a positive example to Rome’s existing staff, demonstrating successful selling techniques and higher closing ratios. The sale ran so smoothly that Arthur was able to leave for vacation and hand over the ropes earlier than anticipated. Rome Furniture held a Grand Re-Opening in 2018.
Engstrom Furniture – LaPorte, IN
The Engstrom family owned several businesses in northern Indiana. In a bold strategic move, the family decided to close the furniture store after 20 successful years. They would sell the 20,000 square foot building for pure profit, and then focus their energy on their other businesses.
Results: The Store Closing Sale began in October and performed so well that we extended it past the agreement date into late December. The sale became so popular that the owner leveraged the attention to advertise the building for sale as well. After 10 weeks, all remaining inventory was completely liquidated, giving the Engstrom family a broom-swept building to place on the market.
Jenner’s Home Furnishings – Ft. Mohave, AZ
After 25 years of running this three-store chain, the family patriarch passed away unexpectedly. Without hesitation, son Trevor stepped up and moved his young family across the state to carry on the legacy. However, after having built his own career in a much different field, Trevor found the furniture business to be more challenging than expected. Not only that, but the stores were located in the middle of the desert, with one strong competitor who had been the company’s antagonist for decades. Determined to succeed, Trevor sought out consultation. The professionals advised that Jenner’s contact PMP Sales to help them liquidate excess inventory and receive hands-on sales training and successful advertising techniques in the process.
Results: Within the span of six weeks, Jenner’s had liquidated their excess inventory and raised a large amount of cash to purchase fresh goods. Their sales numbers doubled, and the newly introduced advertising techniques expanded their market share beyond it’s typical 10-mile radius. When the competitor began circulating copy-cat ads, Jenner’s was finally in a place of power to demand a cease and desist, ending the 25-year bullying streak. Jenner’s sales team gained effective selling tools for ongoing success, and the store profitably restructured itself into a stronger, more durable model equipped to thrive in its own surroundings.
Great Deals on Furniture – Martinez, GA
Being the second generation in a family of experienced furniture retailers, Eddie and Carol Kennedy had done a superb job of branding themselves as loved icons in their community for the past 12 years. Their status, coupled with their skilled advertising program, contributed to their success as the foremost furniture retailer in the area. The business was bringing in a steady average of $30K per week, but the owners knew they could do better. Having heard of PMP Sales through their buying group, Furniture First, Eddie and Carol contacted us for help. After our initial consultation, we discovered that a Remodeling Sale would induce the best response from the community.
Results: The event was received well by the community, and business immediately improved. PMP Sales’ expert formula was producing results. However, Eddie and Carol knew it could be better, and they approached our advertising department with the request to place their images and voices back into the advertising. As soon as we did, things changed dramatically. By combining these well-known community icons with our proven advertising methods, the success of the sale skyrocketed. Weekly sales climbed to $60-$70K per week, and by the end of the event the store was well-funded to begin renovations. They knocked down walls and increased the showroom space. They installed all new flooring and repainted. The offices were upgraded, and store personnel felt just as renewed as their workplace. Eddie has since taken advantage of our complimentary post-consultation services and calls regularly for continued guidance on merchandise and personnel.
Kloss Furniture – O’Fallon, IL
This Furniture First member was about to embark upon a remodeling project to add a Bargain Corner offering lower price points which would attract different customers. After meeting PMP Sales at the annual Symposium, they decided to offset their remodeling costs with a high-impact event run by PMP Sales.
Results: The strategy worked, and Kloss’ market share expanded into the Latino community. Their overall foot traffic increased by 25%, and they were able to sell off a significant amount of old inventory. The new Bargain Corner was successfully created with a built-in customer base for the future. Although we didn’t hit the projected volume for the entire event, the costs of remodeling were considerably offset by the increased business.
Fred’s Beds – Raleigh, NC
The owners of this multi store operation began in the 1980’s selling waterbeds and evolved over the years to be a strong mattress, bedroom and youth retailer in NC. In early 2107, the family came to a mutual decision to shut down the last store. They called PMP Sales to help prepare and execute a profitable exit strategy.
Results: The plan worked beautifully. After a 12-week GOB promotion, the showroom was left with just a few boxes. The PMP personnel blended well with their staff, creating an atmosphere of excitement and teamwork. The family was able to shut the doors with a healthy profit in their pocket and their entire inventory liquidated into cash.
Davis Furniture – Wenatchee, WA
Bumps’ Davis Furniture is a well-known and dearly loved family-owned business in central Washington. After 39 years of serving his community with a well-priced mix of traditional and trendy home furnishings, Roger Bumps felt it was time to turn the reins over to his daughter, Sarah, who he’d trained in the business since she was young. He wanted to give her the best possible start, and he knew that meant liquidating the overstocked and stale inventory so she could have room to expand on her own ideas for the store. We met with Roger and Sarah, and together created a strategy that would accomplish both of their objectives profitably.
Results: The 8-week Retirement Sale shot off with a bang, and maintained momentum throughout. The community was more than happy to support Davis Furniture in their efforts to clear out inventory, and it was a topic of conversation everywhere Sarah went. The sales numbers exceeded the projected volume (over three times normal volume), the GP Margin increased by 3%, and the cost of advertising came in well below what was anticipated. Davis’ employees were exposed to new, more successful strategies for selling. Sarah learned new effective advertising techniques that she will continue to utilize in the future. Nearly all the existing inventory marked for liquidation was sold, and Davis found they had to continuously re-order new merchandise to keep the showroom full during the promotion. Sarah is now equipped with the tools, strategies, and blank slate that every young store owner should have starting out.
Kraai Furniture – Orange City, IA
We met Dan Kraai at the annual symposium held by his buying group, Furniture First. He attended our presentation because a friend of his had just run a sale with us and experienced great success. Dan wanted to test his store’s market to see if he could bring more business in from outside the area where he’s located. Together we put together plans for an 8-week Restructuring Sale and set out to get the results.
Results: Both traffic and volume increased during the promotion. Dan even opened up a clearance center nearby to help handle the influx of customers. Upon hindsight analysis, we found that Kraai’s location is not conducive to attracting business from outside his existing area, although he was able to expand his market share somewhat. Through the promotion, Dan was able to increase awareness of his business, and create hundreds of new loyal customers within his own community. He also adopted new methods of advertising that will help maintain his improved customer base.
Quality Furniture – Two locations in Mesquite and Canton, TX
In-laws Jordan and Stan ran two successful furniture stores which had been in business for the past 40 years. Already sharp in advertising, they needed help with the sales process, and getting rid of a surplus inventory of stale merchandise. An added goal was to acquire more cash customers, as opposed to financing almost every customer purchase. PMP Sales presented a strategy to meet all of their objectives, with a plan to execute these new practices during an 8-Week Restructuring Sale.
Results: The promotion provided an excellent platform to retrain Quality’s sales staff. With the surplus of inventory to sell, the sales people had unlimited practice learning successful closing techniques. By offering incentives for cash payment, Quality increased their cash customer base significantly at one location. By the end of the eight week promotion, Quality had cleared out their unwanted inventory, freeing up space for fresh new merchandise in their warehouse. Their sales people were now educated and equipped to continue selling successfully, and the business operations had become more streamlined and efficient.
Ashley Homestore (Regency Furniture) – Six locations in MD & VA
Every year after Christmas, this top-100 furniture chain runs a $7 Million liquidation sale. This past year Regency chose to partner up with PMP Sales for the event. Several weeks prior to the sale kicking off, key executives from both companies invested time assessing the strengths and areas in need of improvement of the operation as a whole. We then embarked on executing the solutions to our findings during an 8-week promotion.
Results: Not only did the promotion exceed all prior years’ sales by a landslide, the solutions implemented gave strength to previous areas of limitation within the six-store operation. PMP Sales provided six project managers and 40 salespeople with excellent selling skills to model and train the retailer’s existing staff. We introduced our signature “TO System” to streamline the sales process and manage the overflow of customers on a daily basis. We assisted in recruiting valuable personnel for long-term employment. From a merchandise standpoint, we helped them double mattress sales by ensuring every customer was shown the mattress department. We were asked to maintain a 49% GPM, which was exceeded. By the end of the promotion, almost the entire obsolete inventory had been moved from the warehouses onto the floor and turned into cash.
FWDG – Beaufort, SC
After noticing the presence of a new, different kind of service provider emerging on the vendor panel of his buying group Furniture First, owner Larry Mark did a little investigating of his own. He met with the new vendor, PMP Sales, and learned that we could transform his upcoming store renovations into a huge profit opportunity instead of an expense.
Results: The experts at PMP Sales joined minds with Larry and his team to expand the expectations of what the planned renovations would accomplish. We started with the merchandise, bringing in new lines to round out the current selection and price points. We adjusted the back-end operations for increased efficiency, and then standardized and streamlined the selling process in the front to be able to handle the increased business. We introduced new types of advertising which in turn expanded the store’s market share. By the end of the eight-week Remodeling Sale, not only had we met our projected profit and stayed within budget, FWDG had raised more than enough cash to cover their complete renovation.
DiSiena Furniture – Mechanicville, NY
Siblings Sal and Carol owned a pair of furniture stores in the same town. One of the stores was more practically geared toward the family, and the other satisfied those with a taste for interior design. The company’s impeccable reputation attracted customers, as well as sales staff, that were mainly interested in buying and selling only the very latest, newest styles. Although this was an asset for many years, it soon became apparent that any inventory not sold as soon as it arrived would have a hard time selling at all. This led to a buildup of stale floor models and an overstocked, unsellable inventory. DiSiena’s situation deteriorated when the problem began affecting cash flow, and holding back sold orders.
Results: Upon PMP Sales’ on-site evaluation, we recognized that all DiSiena needed was some lower price points to help sell the stale inventory. In order to do this profitably, we introduced DiSiena to six new vendors who could not only offer DiSiena styles their customers wanted at a better value than they would expect, but also extended credit terms on the floor models they provided. The strategy was infused into a six-week “Restructuring Sale” that was extended to eight weeks due to the incredible results: DiSiena’s volume increased seven-fold, enabling them to get current with all their vendors, release sold orders, and test the market with new advertising techniques. Their sales staff, who were primarily design-oriented, learned selling strategies to be able to continue moving all, not just select pieces, of DiSiena’s inventory. By the end, DiSiena had sold off the majority of their obsolete inventory. Today, their entire lineup has a longer shelf life and their reputation is stronger than ever.
Connell’s Furniture – Mt. Vernon & Newark, OH
This family business had recently been handed down to the next generation, and already one of the three stores had been forced to close. Despite its grand success in the past, the company was facing credit holds and the threat of another store closing. The first budget cut was advertising, which resulted in less and less traffic in the showrooms. Something had to be done quickly to salvage Connell’s business and reputation.
Results: PMP Sales could see that Connell’s had all the right cards for success, they just needed to get some fresh, new inventory on the floor and start letting their community know about it. We introduced them to new vendors that offered better values, which took Connell’s gross profit margin from the low 40’s to the high 40’s right out of the gate. We saturated the area with hard-hitting advertising, and implemented streamlined selling skills in the showrooms to handle the crowds of customers. Connell’s was stunned with the results. The “Restructuring Sale” produced triple their normal volume within an eight-week period. They were able to deliver their sold orders and keep both stores open.
Aladdin Home Store – Marble Falls, TX
The faces of Tom and Mary Barker had grown into icons in the community over the past few decades as the helpful and friendly owners of this full-line furniture store. As time passed, however, traffic slowed down at the well-loved retail site, and Tom took proactive measures by contacting PMP Sales to brainstorm solutions. After our initial analysis, plans were set in motion to run a RESTRUCTURING SALE. We met Tom again at the High Point Market to select new lines that better fit his target market as part of the remerchandising plan. A few weeks later, the store was ready to begin its life-changing transition.
Results: The 10-week promotion was so profitable Tom decided to extend the sale three more weeks. Aladdin’s salespeople were re-trained to produce higher closing ratios, the store’s reputation was revived within a 30-mile radius, and the traffic and volume more than doubled! Tom went on to run a GRAND RE-OPENING SALE to secure his newfound market share, and to showcase the brand new lines and categories they now offer. Today, Aladdin Home Store is stronger than ever, and seeking to join a buying group that will further enhance its success.
Lincoln Mattress & Furniture – Lincoln, NE
With humble beginnings as a bedding store, Lincoln Mattress & Furniture grew into a full-line furniture dealer for the greater Lincoln area by maintaining a great reputation for quality products and service. With their 40th anniversary approaching, owners Patti & Jerry contacted PMP Sales to help capitalize on the event. During our initial visit, we learned that the business’ biggest competitor was a big-box store 30 miles northeast which drew traffic right out of Lincoln’s backyard. We also learned that even though Lincoln had made the transition to a full-line furniture store 12 years earlier, the surrounding community still considered them a mattress store. We immediately compiled a strategy to rectify both of these issues, and embarked upon a 40TH ANNIVERSARY RESTRUCTURING SALE.
Results: In the span of eight weeks, Lincoln Mattress & Furniture experienced a very successful sales event that generated positive lift for years to come including increased revenue (2 ½ times their normal volume), increased store traffic (268 of which were first-time customers), and a greater market share. The promotion spread awareness in the community about the home furnishing categories Lincoln carries, and the store took back their share of the market that used to travel 30 miles to their competitor. Patti and Jerry learned how to allocate their advertising budget more efficiently to maximize every dollar spent, and their sales staff learned successful selling strategies that increase closing ratio. Lincoln was left in a strong position to grow even more over the next 40 years.
Carolina Furniture – Three locations in the Buffalo, NY area
After many years of serving the Buffalo area, Carolina Furniture received word that the shopping center in which one of their three stores was located was scheduled for demolition by year’s end. In addition to its main inventory, the store housed a large amount of excess inventory, including an entire lower level he dubbed the “Bargain Basement.” Being a savvy business man, partner Dale Bielicki knew he could capitalize on this opportunity if he planned it right. Not wanting to affect Carolina Furniture’s hard-earned reputation with a wrong move, he called PMP Sales for a free consultation. Together we created a customized promotion strategy to turn the cards he was dealt into a winning hand.
Results: The promotion was well-received by the community. Carolina’s volume more than doubled, and continued to build as the weeks flew by. Toward the end of the nine-week strategy, Dale recognized there was still plenty of steam left and decided to extend the promotion another five weeks. By this time, there were nothing but odds and ends left of his excess inventory. Dale thanked his community for the hugely successful sale by offering these leftovers in a 5-Day Free Furniture Event from his Bargain Basement. The sale attracted attention from miles around, boosting Carolina’s popularity and profit. PMP Sales introduced several new methods of advertising that produced instant results, and assisted Dale in the hiring and training of new, more professional salespeople at his other locations who would be able to handle the new level of volume Carolina Furniture will have going forward. The reputation of Carolina Furniture was not only kept intact, but strengthened through this historic event.
Bennington Furniture – Bennington, VT
The original founding store of Bennington’s family chain of retail outlets had been handed down to the next generation and was in need of a facelift. Owner Michael Fiacco had recently built an addition, doubling the size of the iconic retail store. After renovating the facade, he decided he would seize the opportunity to test the market with this updated look and expanded selection (which included the area’s largest mattress gallery), with a Grand Re-Opening Sale. Michael runs successful sales events regularly, but enlisted PMP Sales this time because he wanted more than just a successful event, he wanted his personnel to be strong and motivated as they embarked upon this new phase in Bennington’s history.
Results: Despite the fact that June and July have always been notoriously slow months for this retailer, Bennington Furniture experienced this June as the biggest month in the history of the store due to combining efforts with PMP Sales. Michael’s new mattress gallery proved to be a giant success as an unstoppable flow of bedding was sold at amazing margins. Most of our events are planned to last eight to twelve weeks, but this one proved that short-term promotions can be just as effective and profitable.
Sahlaney’s Furniture – Houtzdale, PA
Sahlaney’s was a well-known high-end furniture dealer in western Pennsylvania for many years, whose clientele radiated over 100 miles out. Having been a family-owned business, it came as a devastating blow when the patriarch suddenly fell ill. The children did all they could to keep the business running, but with careers and families of their own, they were forced to face the monumental decision of closing the family business for good. They turned to PMP Sales, as our reputation had preceded us for being personally involved and committed to each retailer’s unique situation. Their goal was simple: to have the contents liquidated so they could sell the building as quickly as possible.
Results: PMP Sales was given complete control over the promotion. After completing our in-depth analysis of the store’s history and operations, we developed a strategy that included augmenting the inventory they had left, a comprehensive Advertising Campaign that would pull in their prime target market, and a staff qualified to run the business as if it were their own. Sahlaney’s promotion generated profits beyond the family’s expectations, generating one year’s worth of business within the first three weeks alone. PMP Sales turned this family’s sudden liabilities into the huge asset of a completely empty building ready to put on the market.
Garden City Furniture – Garden City Beach, SC
In the coastal town of Garden City Beach, this furniture retailer had a strong grasp on the operations and merchandising for their business, and had recently begun major renovations to the showroom. The store was almost halfway done remodeling when they heard from other members in their buying group how a Powerful Promotion with PMP Sales massively increases cash flow, so they gave us a call.
Results: The owner’s expectations were exceeded when PMP Sales began implementing success strategies for Garden City Furniture. What was supposed to be a simple cash-raising sale turned out to be a milestone event for the business. Not only did the promotion raise more than enough cash to fund the remainder of the remodeling project, PMP Sales helped Garden City and it’s staff realize their true potential in the areas of sales volume, profit margin, and closing ratio. The advertising strategies used during the promotion put Garden City Furniture on the map, drawing crowds from areas that had never even heard of the store before. From working with PMP Sales’ professional team, Garden City Furniture learned what changes they must make in order to become stronger and maintain their position as a leader in their community.
Wendell’s Furniture – Plattsburgh, NY
Even though this independent retailer was a high-volume store, the expensive rent and restrictive rules of being located within a mall became more than they were worth for the owner. He had two other locations in a neighboring state where he lived, and he was tired of the arduous ferry trip back and forth. He decided to let his lease run out, and hire a promotion company to run a STORE CLOSING sale. PMP Sales created and proposed a customized and profitable exit-strategy, and although this retailer had a prior relationship with another promotion company, he chose to partner with PMP Sales for the event after hearing success stories from other retailers.
Results: With the end of the lease fast approaching, we did not have the advantage of running a full-length promotion (8-12 weeks). Nevertheless, over the course of only six weeks, Wendell’s generated more than half their annual volume. After witnessing the profit potential of his mall store, Wendell decided to renew his lease for half the space, and received an incredible lease rate from the mall. Now that he has learned and implemented the new advertising tactics suggested by PMP Sales, and his sales staff has learned how to handle increased business, the store is thriving. Wendell is considering partnering again with PMP Sales to run events at his other locations.
Hookers Furniture – Barre, VT
The semi-retired owner of this store spent a large part of the year out of state, leaving the responsibilities of the day-to-day operations to his son. However, his son had dreams of pursuing other opportunities, and so the decision was made to put the building up for sale. When an interested buyer came along to purchase the building, it was time for Hookers Furniture to close down after 58 years in business. The owner wanted to close the store profitably, so he partnered with PMP Sales. He chose to go with a STORE CLOSING theme rather than GOING OUT OF BUSINESS to protect the reputation of his sleep store under the same name.
Results: Hookers produced almost a year’s worth of business during their three-month promotion – the first week alone generated two months volume. Very little inventory was left at the end of the sale, which they were able to sell after the promotion. PMP Sales Project Manager and Sales Consultants blended well with Hooker’s personnel and were well-liked by the owner. The advertising we produced for the sale was hard-hitting, yet remained true to Hooker’s image and objectives. All in all, the promotion met the owner’s expectations and left him with a hefty profit from his years of furniture retailing.
Knight Furniture – Two locations in TX
Knight Furniture had been in business for 104 years and carried a steadfast reputation as being the foremost home furnishings dealer in the area. Their short-term goals included renovations in both stores, as well as adding more product to their clearance outlet which neighbored the flagship store in Sherman. However, the owner couldn’t justify the added expense this would entail, given the recent decline in the store’s market share. He had witnessed what PMP Sales was able to accomplish for another local store, and decided to partner with us to reach his objectives as well.
Results: During the 8-week Renovation Sale, sales increased by over 50%, and at a margin 10% higher than before. Not only did Knight raise enough cash to knock down walls, make new floor space to move & improve entire departments, update their offices in both stores, and repaint both showrooms, they were also able to purchase several brand new lines of furniture for their new showrooms. This, in turn, provided the clearance outlet with the additional merchandise it needed. By working with PMP Sales’ sales consultants, the staff learned how to bring the excitement back into the buying experience for the consumer. The experience freshened Knight’s image in their community, and bumped them back up to the top of the area’s leading furniture retailers.
Ashley Home Store – Sherman, TX
This franchise had everything going for it except one very important factor: its location. Being a savvy businessman, the owner had run successful furniture retail stores his entire life, and employed several strategies to overcome this glaring challenge for his Ashley Homestore. Although he experienced success, the cost to maintain these strategies came to outweigh the benefits of keeping the store open.
Results: To maximize the profit of the “Store Closing” sale, the owner agreed to PMP Sales’ plan for a two-part promotion that would span 15 weeks. The first phase was “Floor Model Sell-Off” which enabled the store to purge all overstocked and discontinued merchandise, and then allowed them to re-stock the warehouse with new, desirable merchandise for the “Store Closing” phase. The response from the public was incredible. The promotion ran strong through all 15 weeks, leaving the store nearly empty and the owner with a sizeable profit to show for it.
Tip Top Furniture – Freehold, NY
When Ken seized the opportunity to open a brand new La-Z-Boy Gallery in his upstate New York furniture store, the daunting task of clearing a space was suddenly presented. With a fully stocked warehouse, he had to find another way to move the discontinued lines out of his showroom, and fast! The gallery was scheduled to open in six weeks, and though business was good, it wasn’t enough to open the amount of floor space he would need in such a short timeframe. Ken turned to PMP Sales for a solution. Although most of our programs require a few weeks lead time, that was a luxury not afforded in this situation. So PMP Sales assembled a customized strategy for success for Tip Top that could be implemented right away.
Results: In a streak of fast-acting teamwork, the strategy materialized into a 4-week Restructuring Sale with impressive results. Despite the time restrictions coupled with the promotion falling right into the center of vacation season which left the community absent of its full population, Tip Top generated 1.5 times its normal volume. The floor space for the new gallery was successfully cleared, along with most of Tip Top’s older inventory that had been sitting stale for years. In addition, the new advertising techniques introduced to Tip Top through the promotion, namely the Mobile Campaign, left such an impression that Ken plans to incorporate it into his future advertising plans.
Simpson Furniture – Coralville, IA
When Dale opened his second store in Coralville four years ago, his hopes were to create another booming source of revenue like his flagship store 85 miles away. However, during his most recent review with his business consultant, it became apparent that something more must be done in order to turn this second location into a profitable venture. The problem areas were pinpointed as a weak sales staff and ineffective advertising, which resulted in a showroom of stale inventory – only compounding the problem.
Dale reached out to PMP Sales for help. Our panel of experts worked with his consultant and advertising agency to create a customized solution that would revive both his revenue and reputation in Coralville.
Results: The program instituted was an 8-week cash-raising sale, during which PMP Sales personnel came on site to demonstrate and implement new and successful selling strategies to Simpson’s sales staff. PMP Sales’ advertising department worked closely with Simpson’s agency to produce a compelling mix of advertising methods and techniques to drive heavy traffic to the store. The program worked so well, that Dale decided to extend the sale two more weeks. A total of 6 months’ worth of volume was generated in the ten weeks, and at a higher gross profit than before. So much inventory was sold that his floor was opened up to receive newer, fresher merchandise, attracting even more customers and repeat buyers. Simpson’s reputation was transformed in Coralville within a matter of weeks, and they are now equipped to maintain a new volume momentum.
China Towne Furniture & Mattress – Solvay, NY
Jay Yennock, the owner of China Towne Furniture & Mattress in upstate New York, was making plans to renovate his 55,000 square foot showroom after being in business 44 years in the former china dish factory. Although Jay was proficient in running all aspects of the business, he recognized his store would benefit greatly from outside help with this undertaking of conducting a RENOVATION SALE, so he partnered with PMP Sales.
With the sale break just days away, a fire broke out in the warehouse, causing smoke to travel through the showroom! An immediate HALT was placed on the RENOVATION SALE. As Jay worked furiously to have the damage assessed by the insurance company without losing time, PMP Sales’ team was wildly brainstorming Plan B for the promotion.
Plans were made to launch a SMOKE SALE as soon as the store was authorized to open their doors to the public. The new advertisements incorporated the mishap of the cancelled RENOVATION SALE, the special invitation already mailed to preferred customers, and the new unexpected SMOKE SALE discounts, which were even bigger than what the Renovation Discounts would have been!
Results: When China Towne opened their doors on Friday, March 7, people came in droves, waving their letters and emails. The next day set an all-time volume record for China Towne – they had never generated that much revenue in a single day in all their 44 years.
As the advertising campaign began to gain momentum, volume only increased. The second week of the sale beat the first week, marking a NEW all-time record for sales at China Towne.
Jay rose more than enough cash to renovate his showroom, move and add new departments, and change the entrance of the store to a more convenient location in order to serve his community better for years to come.
Freedom Furniture & Electronics – 3 locations in TX & CO
After decades of providing family-friendly home furnishings, electronics, and other home goods, this national chain suddenly encountered an unforeseen circumstance that threatened their capacity to continue business as before. It took much thought and analysis, but in the end, the only solution for Freedom was to go out of business. They decided to partner with PMP Sales so the process would be streamlined and as profitable as possible.
Results: Being a widely-loved store, PMP Sales’ first strategy was to get the word out to Freedom’s loyal customers. Using a combination of direct mail, TV, Radio, and a mobile signage campaign, the news of Freedom’s biggest sale in their history spread like wildfire. With all new ordering at a complete halt, our project managers brainstormed creative options for liquidating the existing inventory in each of Freedom’s categories, sometimes combining different products into package deals to boost perceived value for quick sale. As each store ran out of merchandise to sell, it was shut down and any remnants were shipped to the next store. By the end of the twelfth week, all of Freedom’s stores had liquidated their merchandise into profit.
Fulton Furniture – New York, NY
Jeff, the owner of 4 stores in the boroughs of NYC found out that the landlord for one of his locations had sold the building in January 2014 and needed to vacate in 60 days. So Jeff contacted PMP Sales to conduct a Store Moving sale as he was planning to find another location in Queens after this sale was completed.
Results: PMP Sales only had about six weeks to empty a four-level store but succeeded by introducing Fulton to new advertising techniques, staffing the store with a manager and people who fit the demographics of his location. We began the sale in mid-January and had to vacate the building no later Feb 28-not much time but we worked the sale hard and over those six weeks we more than doubled Fulton’s present business and left the store with very little inventory to move around to his remaining three stores. Today, Fulton has incorporated many of the techniques they learned during our sale at their other 3 locations.
Family Home Furnishings – Roseburg, OR
After having purchased the business five years prior, the owner of Family Home Furnishings was ready to step it up a notch and make his store more prominent in the community. He hired a promotion company that told him what he wanted to hear, but could not follow through on their promises. Not disheartened, the owner did some research and asked trusted colleagues for a referral. Over and over, PMP Sales kept coming up as the right solution for his situation.
Results: PMP Sales helped Family Home reach their objective of liquidating their current inventory, assisted with connecting with new vendors who provided the type of merchandise best suited for that market with which to restock, and taught the sales team effective selling techniques for future success. During this process, Family Home’s sales numbers doubled, giving the owner the leverage he needed for his new direction.
Dream House Furniture – Queensbury, NY
When PMP Sales heard about Dream House’s plans to retire, we contacted the owner to offer our assistance. Then we found out that the owner of Bennington Furniture was looking to expand into the Queensbury market and had already made plans to take over Dream House.
The conditions were perfect: Dream House wanted to sell their inventory and retire, Bennington wanted an empty building to move into, and PMP Sales had the resources and know-how to make it all happen.
Dream House simply wanted to get paid for their inventory and was not interested in getting involved with the promotion. Even so, it was critical to keep the Dream House name because the community was familiar with it. PMP Sales drew up a strategy that would meet everyone’s objectives and produce satisfying profit all three ways. After careful analysis, we labeled the acquisition a Retirement/Moving Sale and presented it that way to the public.
Results: The first weekend produced three months’ worth of Dream House’s normal volume, and by the end, the total volume had exceeded the owners’ expectations. Traffic during the promotion was more than the store has ever pulled in on their own, and both store owners’ had their goals met: Dream House was paid for their entire inventory, and as a matter of fact, more than 98% of it was liquidated into cash at a 48% margin. Michael was able to get rid of all his obsolete inventory taking up valuable space in his Bennington warehouse (which increased his cash flow as well), he was able to test the market for what types of advertising are most effective before moving in, plus he had an empty building to open the newest Bennington Furniture location in his now Six-Store Chain.
In essence, the promotion paid for itself, everyone made a profit, and we only used the merchandise that was on the floor and in Bennington’s warehouse.
Priba Furniture – Greensboro, NC
Priba Furniture had thrived for many years using a business model popular in the southeast, which meant that most of their revenue came from out-of-state special orders over the telephone. But when sales began to fade, Priba realized their back-up plan of having a brick and mortar showroom was useless if the local community didn’t know them. As they witnessed numerous other retailers that had been very strong working on the same business model go out of business, Priba was certain it was time for a change and decided to develop their local market. However, they soon realized their attempts weren’t succeeding, and that’s when they called in the professionals. PMP Sales outlined a strategy that would rebrand Priba in their own community, and set them up for decades more of successful retailing.
Results: Priba generated ten months’ worth of business during the 10-week promotion, while improving their margins by 20%. They sold over $600,000 of their existing excess inventory, and kept the advertising budget under 6%. PMP Sales introduced Priba to new vendors that broadened their target market.
Overall, Priba was successful in transforming themselves into a much better business model than before, and they are now well-known in their community as the place to go for quality home furnishings. Priba is the perfect example of a high-end retailer who was facing new challenges, and utilized PMP Sales’ services to not just survive, but learned to thrive!
Mills & Thomas Furniture – Swansboro, NC
Although owner Pete Timmins had always run his business successfully, the long hours and hard work weren’t bringing in the cash they used to. He had a plan for the future of his business, but he needed to be in a stronger financial position before he could move forward with it. Pete decided to partner with PMP Sales to run a 3-phase event, lasting 20 weeks, to accomplish his goals.
Results: The sales volume more than doubled during the first 12 weeks, giving Pete the financial leverage he needed to execute the plans he had for his building. The entire promotion increased cash flow, allowing Mills & Thomas to purchase new lines that produced higher margins. The sales manager and team placed by PMP Sales blended well with the existing staff, and Pete’s workload lessened so he was able to spend more time with his family. Upon completion, the promotion had left Pete in a strong financial position, free to pursue his future business plans.
Brody’s Furniture – Vineland, NJ
After 110 years serving the Delaware Valley area by providing top quality, high end home furnishings to thousands of customers, the fourth generation owner of Brody’s Furniture in Vineland, NJ decided to shut their doors forever and retire. Faltering business conditions along with a family tragedy made for this tough decision, but – by partnering with PMP Sales, they were provided with the necessary direction to successfully accomplish the monumental job of closing their business by running a GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE.
Results: Because of PMP Sales’ attentive guidance, proper merchandise augmentation, and advertising strategies, Brody’s stock (including high end items they had owned for years) was completely liquidated. Financially, Brody’s obtained their goal of producing a year’s worth of business in three months, and closed their doors with a healthy profit in their pocket. The building was sold shortly thereafter.
Lastick Furniture – Pottstown, PA
Jerry Lastick grew up in the business of furniture retailing, and after 40 years of operating his own furniture and floor coverings store in Pottstown, PA, he was ready for a lifestyle change. Lastick Furniture, like most retailers across the country, had been experiencing a steady decline of traffic and volume during the recession. It seemed Jerry’s desire to retire was unattainable, until he met with PMP Sales. Together, Jerry and PMP developed a strategy to breathe new life into Lastick Furniture and hand the reins over to his sister, Marsha.
Results: Lastick Furniture was introduced to brand new advertising techniques, which generated traffic beyond Jerry’s expectations, and will continue to keep traffic strong and steady. We implemented successful selling techniques with their current sales staff and recruited additional experienced and professional sale people, and brought in new lines of furniture at a better value to increase Lastick’s profit margin. We reset the showroom display, and set up a bedding department. Lastick was able to create new revenue by opening an outlet store with lower-end goods at massive discounts. Throughout the process, we analyzed Lastick’s budget and found ways to cut their overhead expenses.
Grindstaff’s Interiors – Forest City, NC
Grindstaff’s was a healthy retailer who received most of their business online and but was severely over-stocked with obsolete merchandise. Their internet revenue waxed and waned, and they continually struggled with foot traffic in their store, leaving them with occasional and unpredictable dry spells of volume. They decided to partner with PMP Sales to completely restructure, renovate, and remerchandise their store.
Results: Grindstaff’s strengthened their community presence, and multiplied foot traffic by 600% during the promotion. They also were able to the market with new lines of merchandise to determine which ones they would introduce after the Restructuring Sale. PMP Sales surpassed our own volume projection by 10% and our guaranteed profit margin by 20%. Grindstaff’s learned advertising techniques that they will continue to practice in order to maintain strong traffic for years to come, as well as broadened their target market by introducing and devoting ¼ of their showroom to a brand new division that caters to the younger, less affluent population that are moving to the area.
Downing’s Furniture – Sparta, NJ
Nearly four decades ago, Jim Downing was peeling potatoes onto a newspaper when he glanced down to see a real estate ad for a barn and house in Sparta, NJ. He purchased the property and turned it into a furniture store, which became well known and loved for its quality products and customer service. This past year, Jim found that he was tired of working the long hours, and the economy was making it more difficult to turn a profit. He met with PMP Sales, and together we developed an exit strategy that allowed Jim to close his business profitably and reputably, and go on to pursue other interests.
Results: PMP Sales’ professional salespeople and on-site manager brought knowledge and taught selling skills to Downing’s existing staff, which resulted in higher closing rates during the promotion. PMP Sales provided guidance and assisted with purchasing the right selection of merchandise for the promotion, which resulted in the liquidation of Downing’s entire stock, including the dead inventory. Downing’s was able to pay off its vendors and Jim walked away with a profit – all together, his partnership with PMP Sales had produced more than twice his average volume!
Taylor’s Furniture – Calais, ME
In the furthest northeast corner of the country, there was a 60 year-old furniture store that knew its time had passed. The patriarch of the family had passed away, leaving the business to his son and daughter-law. The son was a successful optometrist, so the duty of the store fell on the daughter-in-law. For three years, the couple pushed aside their dreams of traveling in order to carry on the traditions and responsibilities of running the family business. Finally, they decided to let go and made the decision to close the store. They met with PMP Sales, and together we came up with an exit strategy that would leave her father’s store’s legacy intact and provide them with profit to pursue other opportunities.
Results: Taylor’s sale generated two months’ worth of volume in the first five days, and they sold off their entire existing inventory during the sale that enabled them to walk away with a profit to invest in future opportunities.
House of Norway – Fairfield, NJ
House of Norway had once been a popular six-store chain on the east coast, providing upscale Scandinavian home furnishings to their loyal consumers. When the recession hit, they were forced to consolidate, closing every location except for one. They were facing problems like: their main vendors overseas were going bankrupt, their time was consumed with forging new vendor relationships, their salespeople were discouraged and unmotivated, and their advertising had hit a dead-end. Business was dropping by the month. House of Norway partnered with PMP Sales to run a “Restructuring Sale” in February of 2011.
Results: The sales volume during the promotion exceeded the projected volume. As a matter of fact, House of Norway generated THREE MONTHS’ worth of business in the FIRST FIVE DAYS of their promotion! They developed strong relationships with key vendors introduced to them by PMP Sales, and they expanded their merchandise selection and broadened their price points, which in turn increased their market share. House of Norway’s sales team was retrained to use successful selling techniques, and they recruited additional talented sales people. They learned effective advertising tactics and were introduced to new media that kept showroom traffic strong. Their customer list was increased by 30,000 over the course of the promotion, and they are now pursuing future partnership opportunities to attain their dream of operating multiple locations.
Ambiente Furniture – Raleigh, North Carolina
This contemporary store located in a very affluent area of North Carolina has been in business for 20+ years and the owner decided it was time to retire and pass the day to day operations onto one of his managers. PMP Sales was asked to run a high impact sale with the theme being a “Retirement Sale” over an 11 week period.
Results: The big news was PMP Sales was able to triple his existing business for 11 weeks straight while increasing his profit margins too! At the same time, we introduced them to new products in order to rebrand their image & taught them new advertising techniques to continue to drawer new customers going forward under their new management team.
Indoor Furniture – Columbia, MD
Battling the reputation that consumers thought their store only sold Scandinavian type furniture, and very expensive at that, the owner knew it was time for a change. The owner also had relationships with other stores that used PMP for sales and decided she too should partner with PMP Sales to run a 60 day RESTRUCTURING SALE. Management was very concerned about mixing our sales staff with their people but this turned out to be a plus.
Results: To quote the owner, “Indoor Furniture would not be here today if it were not for PMP Sales.” Because of PMP Sales training and merchandise consultation, Indoor now has a greater market share than ever. Her volume doubled during the 60 days and she also held a very healthy margin as well. She felt that PMP Sales’ personal commitment was a key to her success and felt that all of us were truly professional at all times. Today, Indoor is thriving in her marketplace.
Silvert’s Furniture – Freehold, New Jersey
After 81 years in business, Silvert’s Furniture decided it was time to shut down their store which was known as a mid-to-better-end furniture store carrying name brand vendors and being loyal to each one. We began the event with a “Retirement Sale” and converted it to a “Store Closing” sale. While the primary driver behind the store closing in November 2010 has been the ailing economy, the owner decided to close voluntarily for strategic purposes, not financial hardship. The goal was to close the 40,000 square foot as a result of an opportunity to lease his building, which he owns.
Results: The store closing sale began in August and ended in early November liquidating all remaining inventory over a 12 week period. The owner then leased out and transformed his furniture store to be better suited for another retail model outside of the home furnishings industry.
Sherwood Studios – Detroit, Michigan
Sherwood Studios and its staff of designers had served the community for over 40 years by catering to stars, professional sports athletes and the affluent customers in the area. Besides the need to raise cash as do most retailers, the owner also had an excessive amount of older inventory (between 2-5 years old). However, this entire inventory was in pristine condition. It was a matter of figuring out the proper way to market and ultimately sell it off and change his model from a high end, designer type of showroom to a 4 day a week operation offering high end manufacturers closeouts during shorter retail hours. Some of the lines they carried were: Gamma, Excelsior, Ekornes, American Leather, Century, Bernhardt, Elite, Hickory White and many others. A pricing structure was suggested and put into effect for their Restructuring Sale.
Results: The result was the majority of these goods were sold, allowing the owner to make money and make room for new inventory at lower price points. Additionally, we had ongoing discussions with regard to opening the store on a 4-5 day basis and after much analysis the decision was made to go forward with this new business model. This helped to lower the cost of doing business while allowing customers to shop on other days by appointment only.
We also assisted them with the closing of their warehouse and hired an outside delivery service which cut down on an enormous amount of overhead. Staff was reduced down to 4 full time employees. Overall sales projections were hit while maintaining a strong gross profit and agreed upon advertising budget was inline.
Stone House Furniture – Doylestown, PA
After 38 years in business running an upscale furniture store out of a converted 200-year-old farmhouse, this mother and daughter team could not handle the financial stress of disappointing sales over the last several years. They hired PMP Sales to assist them in liquidating their entire inventory of high end lines out of their 7000 sq. ft. store. Some of the lines carried were: Vanguard, Leathercraft, Sherrill, MacKenzie-Dow and Hekman.
Results: The liquidation sale ran for 12 weeks and even though sales at their store never exceeded $500,000 over the last few years, with the assistance of PMP Sales, we tripled their annual business while leaving them with no leftover inventory.
Einstein Moomjy – Paramus, NJ
This retail legend, who had been in the carpet & furniture business for over 60 years, watched helplessly as their sales steadily declined and they slowly lost touch with their customer base. When the owner heard her own doctor make a joke that “even he couldn’t afford to buy at that store”, it was a wakeup call to hire PMP Sales and restructure their business.
Results: Sales tripled for Einstein Moomjy during their two-month “Corporate Restructuring Furniture Liquidation” event. Einstein sold off over $600,000 of very old merchandise, and was introduced to various new lines of goods at very strong margins. They also learned new ways to promote and advertise. They completely overhauled their selling system which resulted in a much higher closing ratio than before.
Squan Furniture – Ocean Twp, Eatontown and Lakewood, NJ
In 2006, this owner was deciding between going out of business or to consolidate and downsize his operation in order to survive. After meeting with PMP Sales, he saw we truly cared about the owner and the staff at Squan. PMP Sales made suggestions with a plan of action to save the operations. In the summer of 2007, Squan ran a sale with PMP Sales to close 1 store and a year later, ran a sale out of their warehouse, which had never been used for retail.
Results: Squan was able to liquidate their entire inventory from the Eatontown showroom and trim excess inventory from his warehouse. A year later, PMP Sales was hired to run a sale out of his warehouse for the first time ever. By using several media outlets, including our highly efficient mobile program, we were able to attract consumers from miles away to a warehouse outlet center that never existed before that resulted in almost $500,000 over a 3-month period.
Value City/Ashley Home Stores – Seven stores throughout NJ
In New Jersey, Value City Furniture is regarded as the single largest independently owned furniture chain. They also own 4 Ashley stores, and over the years, they had difficulty in selling off their obsolete inventory during their own warehouse sales. Value City needed to liquidate, but did not want the public to hear their name during the sale. PMP Sales was hired to find a location where we could advertise under our name (N.F.L.-National Furniture Liquidators) and sell off their entire old inventory.
Results: We rented a vacant 60,000 sq ft Huffman Koos building in central NJ at very low rent. $1.2 million of obsolete inventory was sold over a three-month period.
Lexington Furniture – Two locations near Boston, MA
Lexington Furniture was a prolific retailer in the New England area, selling the finest and latest trends in furniture to its clients for half a century. The young owners made the conscious decision to close the stores in favor of pursuing other business opportunities. They partnered with PMP Sales, and together we planned and executed a viable exit strategy.
Results: The Going Out Of Business event double’s Lexington’s regular volume for the entire length of the 12-week promotion. Lexington was able to liquidate their entire inventory at high margins, and the owners were able to walk away with a sizeable profit to be used in future business investments.