Flexsteel’s newest brand, Charisma, promises budget-friendly options for upholstery.
DUBUQUE, Iowa — Flexsteel Inds. is launching a new furniture brand with popular price point stationary upholstered furniture at High Point Market. The company created Charisma in response to inflationary pressures on consumers, the need for lower price points in its lineup and due to demographic shifts, according to Flexsteel.
The Charisma brand is designed to serve customers seeking good quality, large-scale, stylish furniture at an affordable price. Charisma features sofas from $999 to $1,199 at retail and sectionals from $2,499 to $2,999 at retail. These products are slated for production out of the company’s Juarez, Mexico, facility with a four-week production lead time starting in late October.
The company did a soft launch at the summer Las Vegas Market and the Premarket at High Point, where retailers previewed the line and booked orders for October and November delivery.
“We have been pleased with the early adoption by established Flexsteel retailers and non-Flexsteel retailers who see the value of the new brand, some of them have ordered sight unseen due to the trust in the company and the timely price value,” said David Crimmins, vice president, sales.
Charisma features a larger scale, a low frame that sits close to the floor, deeper seat option and seat and back cushions that are reversible. The four stationary upholstery groups are offered as sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman and sectional. Charisma features four arm styles that cover modern, traditional and transitional. Each item comes in a curated assortment of two on-trend body fabrics with pre-selected accent pillows for quick shipping.
“This consumer is time-strapped and is looking for a great value. We have worked to streamline the process by having our merchandising team put together great fabric marriages on super comfortable designed furniture that helps you fill up a new space,” said Tim Newlin, vice president of product management.
The Charisma product line offers flexible branding for retailers that prefer a private label or white label opportunity. In addition, because Charisma products don’t include the Flexsteel brand blue steel springs, the company can offer the flexibility for retailers and buying groups to develop a house brand for this product.
Charisma offers a range of training programs, selling tools and in-store support, such as wayfinders, tear sheets and seatback signs to assist retailers in guiding customers through the buying process. As part of the digital strategy, the brand assets will be able to show consumers powerful imagery, content and product reviews to assist them in making informed buying decisions and understanding the products’ unique value compared to the competition.
In addition to product support during the sale, the company responds to customer interactions after the sale, ensuring that the products meet or exceed customer expectations. There is also a Charisma portal developed for retailers to manage the brand.
The company set up new manufacturing lines within their long-time North American factory, allowing retailers to buy full truckloads, mix with the company’s popular South Haven collection or share truckloads. This ship direct-to-retailer model saves time and reduces the cost of delivery. Additionally, this model ensures hitting target price points and delivers in a four-to-six-week lead time depending on the delivery area.
Flexsteel now goes to market with three distinct brands across product categories, price points, and distribution channels, including Flexsteel, Homestyles and Charisma.
The company’s Homestyles brand is a supplier to the e-commerce channel and retail channels nationwide with a “brick and click” program. The brand offers value, quality, speed of delivery via small parcel and e-commerce front-end and digital back-end capabilities.
The new Charisma collection will be displayed in Flexsteel’s showroom at High Point in the International Home Furnishings Center, space C-558.
