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Changes to the floor plan of the IHFC building, shown here, will more coherently group categories in neighborhoods on certain floors.
Accents and accessories will expand and solidify their market presence here in High Point with a reconfiguration of floors and relocation of certain vendors within the IHFC building, International Market Centers announced yesterday morning.
The fifth floor of the building, which currently houses primarily furniture companies, will transition to accessories, a category that “brings so much energy to the marketplace,” said IMC Chief Revenue Officer Scott Eckman. Approximately 20 brands will relocate in a move to create “strong, cohesive product neighborhoods,” Eckman said. Within two years, 75% of the companies situated on floor 5 will be different from those exhibiting there today, he added.
Among the committed accessories companies is Zuo, which is currently located on the fifth floor and was planning to relocate but renewed its lease when it heard of IMC’s plans, Eckman said. Other companies moving to the floor include Rizzy Home, LR Home, Palmetto Living, GTR Leather, Akara and SAMS. Two more companies will be announced shortly, according to IMC, which owns the building and considers it “the crown jewel of the home furnishings industry.”
Some of the companies currently on five that will move to the seventh floor are BDI, Amisco, Casabianca Home, Aeon and Trica.
High Point Market, which is managed by IMC as well as the High Point Market Authority, continuously reshapes itself. Source say a handful of furniture companies currently housed at IHFC are reportedly planning to build or move to other buildings on the campus. When asked at a press conference about how it hopes to retain companies at IHFC, Dorothy Belshaw, IMC’s chief marketing officer, said the vast majority of market buyers visit IHFC, which draws considerable traffic and presents cross marketing opportunities and a greater chance of product discovery.
IMC also heralded the expansion of the fixed wire lighting business here in High Point, which now houses 17 major companies and 170 lighting vendors overall, it said. The expansion of the lighting business, which will be supported with educational programs and events, is in direct response to the stated needs of interior designers, many of whom shop this market looking for lighting resources, said Belshaw.
IMC also said it has plans to make necessary improvements to the exterior of the building and refresh the inside with new paint, lighting and carpeting within the next year or two.
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