Page 31 - Lighting Magazine January 2020

Emma Lowry
Darrell Gardner
“We see an opportunity where today’s consumer and end-user are searching for curated and merchandised styles and trends across product categories that make their decision-making easier.”
—Dave Pamer, CEO
choices that allow end-users to affordably define their personal style and identity. We recognize that this strategy may not be the right solution for ev- ery showroom, but our responsibility is to provide solutions that can generate incremental revenue streams.”
ELK Group business partners Mark Fludgate and Bradford Smith are focusing on organic growth, leveraging the platforms they’ve acquired, adding leadership and consolidating the company’s dis- tribution footprint into its new one-million-sq.-ft. facility in Northeast Georgia.
Pamer hints at significant changes going forward. “You will notice an important change in ELK when Dallas Market arrives; you probably won’t recognize us! Traditionally, customers look to ELK for specialty items or a uniquely designed product,” he explains. “We don’t want to lose that distinctive niche, yet with our product development capabilities, we know we can also deliver forward-looking style and trend products within limited collections or small families. The intent is to carry a look through various applications without creating a saturated environment.”
There are other changes that will be noticeable by the January markets. The first involves a new
showroom merchandising concept designed to sim- plify customers’ selection process. The second is a lighting showroom product-program strategy that supports and addresses showrooms’ challenges by providing omni-channel logistic services that allow the lighting showrooms to service their customers from either inventory or through drop ship from the company, mitigating margin erosion and helping to manage the risk of new product inventory that does not turn.
Helping to lead the charge is Emma Lowry, who has just been appointed Director/Product Develop- ment, Decorative & Portable Lighting Design. Having previously developed decorative and portable light- ing and furniture for the company’s home furnishing brands ELK Home and Stein World, Lowry will now lead and oversee the comprehensive product direc- tion for all decorative lighting and portable lamps for all distribution channels in ELK Lighting, ELK Home, and Stein World.
On the Accent Furniture and Home Décor side, Darrell Gardner will now be responsible for all of the Stein World and ELK Home design and product development planning and execution, focusing on creating a more unique and exclusive product offer- ing while maintaining ELK’s value.
Fine-Tuning SUCCESS
January 2020 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 27