LAS VEGAS - Rug galleries in Macy's Southwest region have been treated to new visual concepts inspired by the trend to suspended displays first seen in vendors' rug showrooms. The Fine Rug Gallery at Macy's is operated by the Kenneth Mink organization under a license agreement. The galleries revamped to date are in South Coast Plaza, Mission Viejo, Palm Desert and Westside Pavilion in California, and the Macy's Las Vegas Home Store in Nevada.
 

Led by Mink's southwest regional rug executives Derek Lopez and Jerrod Fraley, the rug team developed several designs which suspend rugs from the ceilings, creating dramatic visual impact in Macy's rug departments. One of the original new concepts called the "rounder" allows rugs to be suspended in a rounded style which is engineered to rotate on a 360-degree axis.

According to Jerrod Fraley, Group Regional Operations for Mink's southwest and south central regions, Mink executives first noticed suspended displays cropping up in vendor showrooms at Las Vegas market.

"Last January at market with Dave [David Mink Jr., CEO] and Richard {Richard Kennedy, senior vice president of sales], we noticed suspension was new but not retail-safe - it's a wonder they didn't kill anyone," he laughs. Fraley, who is heavily involved in visual merchandising, was challenged to come up with systems to display suspended rugs in ways that were innovative and would help consumers, but that would at the same time consider safety.

Fraley says Mink is fortunate in being able to tap into the visual display resources of Macys. For the rounder, for example, they were able to adapt a three foot clothing rack so that it would hold the rugs safely.  "It took many trips to Home Depot to find the right screws to make it safe, but we can now hang about 800 to 900 pounds off of my suspensions," he explains, noting that the rounder is dropped from the ceiling in a three foot suspension.

Since the rounders were installed first at the Macy's Las Vegas Home Store a week before Las Vegas Market opened earlier this month, Mink's executives invited a few vendors to come in and give their opinions. Asked by RugNews.com what he thought of the new rounders, Oriental Weavers' Brett Finkelstein said, "It's a great merchandising idea and a unique way to get someone's attention. I was in the Las Vegas store doing research before market, and even though it was early - 9:45 or 10 a.m. - I saw four customers go straight to the displays and spin them. It was pretty cool seeing them turning the rounders to view the rugs at a 360 degree angle," he explained.

"I've never seen anything like it before. This would be a great up north where a lot of my customers have repeat clients. By changing the rounder, it makes the repeat consumer think they are looking at something different, something new," Finkelstein said.

Ron Giampiccolo, Nourison's Vice President, E-Commerce/National Accounts, said he too saw the new rounders for the first time at Macy's Las Vegas Home Store during market. "This was the first time I have seen this type of display. I thought it was a fresh new take on giving what is normally a two dimensional product a third dimension. The displays were dramatic and impossible to miss. The ability to have the fixture spin 360° enables it to show multiple rugs, making it functional also. I think it's a great look, effective without blocking any access to the racks," he said.

Giampiccolo added, "The southwest and northwest regions have some of the largest rug galleries, so these displays will not overwhelm the space. In fact, it will give them a fine balance to offset the standard arm rack and floor pile presentations that currently dominate the space in all rug departments. I have not seen any other [remodeled] galleries in the region, but I know the South Coast Plaza layout very well, and I'm sure that it looks spot-on there too."

Fraley said the goal was to install suspended displays in the regions "A" stores (those with expanded home furnishings offerings and large rug galleries.  "Suspension is the hottest thing in visual today, and you could say we're now the retail version of Cirque du Soleil."