For Dallas-based Jacksons Home & Garden, it’s all about the patio furniture.
And tabletop. And grills and fireplaces. And pottery and fountains. And indoor and outdoor plants and accents, and even Domiziani, a line of tabletops that it imports from Italy and distributes across the United States.
“We are a curious anomaly in the casual furniture industry, in that we house (such) a variety of departments,” says Norman Wollach, home department manager and buyer.
Founder Bob Jackson
That variety came about from the leadership of founder Bob Jackson, who started the store in 1983 and still maintains an active role today. In the beginning, the store mostly sold pottery. Over the years, Jacksons has added new departments and product lines, and these days, the store has 39,000 square feet on 2 and a half acres.
Wollach says that merchandising, product assortment and lead times will all be critical for business success this year.
“Thankfully, lead times from our suppliers have moderated substantially, which will help enormously with replenishment and special orders,” he says. “Last year was a great year for us and I expect sales and traffic to mirror last year, even though we’re in an election year. We’ve been judicious in our buys just in case the economy does slow.”
Judicious — and creative at the same time.
“I’m excited about our offerings this year,” says Wollach. “We’ve been more creative in our product selection and we’re expanding several core lines. We have wholeheartedly embraced the creativity of our supplier partners.
Wollach says that, like others, Jacksons’ biggest challenge it has faced recently was access to and timely receipt of merchandise, especially in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
“Obviously, the supply chain disruptions were extremely challenging and frustrating for us and our customers, who were enormously supportive and understanding,” he says. “In retrospect, based on our own analyses and what we learned in conversation with customers, we handled what was an unprecedented situation extremely well.”
What matters is what’s new.
“We’ve made multiple merchandising changes this year and have diversified several key product lines and categories,” says Wollach. “We don’t like predictability, so we strive to freshen, reimagine and remerchandise our showroom frequently. We have also made a number of changes to our advertising and promotion strategies.”
Wollach says that the store relies on a combination of omnichannel marketing, custom orders and product assortment. To choose product, Jacksons bases its decisions on quality, product availability, comfort, warranty support and value.
“We will not carry a manufacturer that isn’t as committed to servicing our customers as we are,” he says
Along those lines, the lines that Jacksons carries have strict minimum advertised price and digital marketing policies, which helps the retailer compete with online retailers.
“Our suppliers share our commitment to maintaining the integrity of their brand,” says Wollach.
To set it apart from its competition, Jacksons is relentless on customer service.
“We will — and do — go above and beyond for our customers,” says Wollach. “An example is that we had a supplier in Florida that let us down badly on a ship date. We flew one of our drivers to South Florida, where he picked up a rented truck. He drove to the factory, picked up the entire order and drove it back to Dallas, where we had a delivery crew on standby to make the delivery to our customer who lives five and a half hours away from Dallas. We will do whatever is in our power to avoid disappointing our customers.”
Wollach says he doesn’t believe the increase in full-line retailers has affected his business.
“We welcome competition,” he says. “It keeps us grounded and on our toes. At the same time, I don’t concern myself too much with what other companies are doing. We have a strategy that we are executing that has, thus far at least, been very successful, thankfully.”
Any advice for struggling casual retailers?
“Know your demographic, do your research and merchandise accordingly,” Wollach says.
