Franklin, Lam Lee Relocating And Expanding At the IHFC
Franklin, Lam Lee Relocating And Expanding At the IHFC
With their relocations and showroom updates within the IHFC, Frankin Corporation and Lam Lee sense that the end of the downturn is near, and they want to be positioned to make the most of it.
“We have moved across the hall from the space we have been for about twenty years,” said Hassell Franklin, CEO of Franklin Corporation, “but we have doubled our space.”
Franklin called the showroom expansion, on the Seventh Floor of Wrenn Wing, W748, one component of an overall strategy to position for further growth. Additionally, the company has made major capital investment in manufacturing and in elevating product quality and reducing costs. Franklin emphasized that his company has fared okay during the economic downturn because, “we are sticking to our niche, and doing the things we do better.” With the showroom expansion, Franklin can now display their complete line, which includes recliners, motion, medical and medical assist, and their new line of stationary seating.
For Lam Lee, renowned Chinese designer of furniture, accessories, lighting, textiles and gifts, the move to new space, on the Fourth Floor of the IHFC’s Design Center, D410, is calculated to better show the company’s line. “It’s a brand new showroom we are building from the ground up,” said John Reinhardt, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Merchandising. “It will allow us to display our products as they should be.”
The company is transitioning from a primarily traditional line to one that is softer transitional and contemporary. “It’s where the market is going and where Lam Lee is going,” Reinhardt noted. “It will also allow us to show off what we do better than any other company in the industry which is our finishing, our metallics and hand finishing.”
Reinhardt said the market is still tough, but Lam Lee has made the commitment and the investment to position the company well when the economy does turn. “We have made the investment here and in our factory,” he explained, “because when the economy does get back on its feet, we want to already be in full running mode.”
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