Like many in the home furnishings industry, HiTeak experienced inventory issues in 2021 that led to slower sales year over year from 2020.
However, Frances Atherton, head of business development, says that the company saw 38% growth in sales in 2022, and she’s feeling particularly bullish about 2023.
“The almost 40% increase we saw over 2021 was because 2021 was a very small increase compared with 2020,” she says. “We were catching up, and I think all of that is going to even out right now because we’re in a good stock position for 2023.”
High Point Market has been a successful part of the company’s strategy, as designers, who typically don’t go to the Casual Market, have become a bigger category of buyer.
For the upcoming market, Atherton says the company’s permanent showroom will look fresh, with new banners and marketing materials for buyers.
And over the past few years, the company has had many new changes and additions to its lines.
The new 2023 collections, which will be introduced at the Casual Market in Atlanta this July, have cleaner, more modern lines and are less traditional. The company is also building its catalog of mixed-material products.
“So much of what we introduced in 2021 and 2020 were delayed in production due to factory shut-downs due to Covid that they are still very new to most of our customers,” Atherton says.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the collections the company is introducing this year:
The Cambria Table features a deep overhand tabletop and seats four to six people. The Klint chair offers comfort and style with curved back and raked canted back legs.
The Oslo Stacking Arm Chair has a solid premium teak frame with hand-woven polyester seat and back.
This new all-teak Modurn dining collection has not yet reached the market but will be on display in the company’s temporary space in Atlanta.
The HiTeak Directors chair, featuring a a solid teak frame and dura sling seat and back, is the company’s No. 1 selling item by unit. It’s shown here with the new DelRay square table that measures 39 inches by 29.5 inches.
