Grand Re-Opening Of Roberds Norcross Showroom Features Georgia's Largest Home Theater Display

Furniture World Magazine

A Grand Re-Opening of the Roberds store in Norcross was held on Sunday, October 17, 1999 from 7:00 - 9:00. The event was free and open to the the remodeled Norcross showroom as well as Roberds' new emphasis on Home Theater Solutions. Those attending experienced the incredible sights and sounds of Roberds' new 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art collection of Home Theater equipment- the largest Home Theater display ever assembled in the state of Georgia and one of the largest in the country. This display featured numerous high-definition, digital televisions and all other cutting-edge electronic products which make up a Home Theater system. "Home Theater is the essence of an exciting audio-visual home experience," said Mel Baskin, CEO of Roberds. "Through our new department, Home Theater Solutions® Roberds™, we are offering the industry's largest assortment of packaged., name-brand Home Theater systems that will enable our customers to enjoy the innovative changes occurring today in entertainment technology." The Home Theater display featured at the Norcross Grand Re-Opening is a prototype which will be replicated at other Roberds locations. Living room furniture placed within the display allows customers to experience the systems as they would in their own homes. " The future is here today, in the form- of DVDs (Digital Video Discs) and HDTV (High Definition Television)," said Baskin. "It's no longer a question of 'when' or even 'if digital TV will arrive. Digital TV is already being broadcast in Atlanta and will be broadcast by all stations in the U.S. within the next few years. We're going to make sure our customers understand these new technologies, and provide them with a wide range of digital TV choices." Roberds will also provide its customers with the convenience of being able to buy all the components of a Home Theater system from under one roof instead of having to visit several different types of retailers. Representatives from a variety of top manufacturers of Home Theater components and systems, such as Philips, Mitsubishi, Sony, Toshiba, and RCA, attended the Norcross Grand Re-Opening event. They were available to answer questions about the latest equipment and technologies. "This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn first-hand from the experts about the new technologies and what effect they will have on our future," said Baskin. Numerous door prizes were given away during the event, including: Toshiba Progressive-Scan DVD Player (the first of its kind shipped in Georgia) A 64-inch Philips HDTV (valued at $10,000) A 50-inch Toshiba HDTV Two Sony DirecTV Satellite Systems A 32-inch Sony Wega Flat Screen TV A Bose Digital Home Theater System Luxury Box Tickets to Events at Philips Arena Tickets to Atlanta Thrashers NHL Game Tickets to Atlanta Hawks NBA Game Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Roberds is one of the nation's leading retailers of home furnishings. Offering a diverse selection of name-brand furniture, bedding, appliances, and electronics, Roberds is dedicated to providing high quality merchandise at competitive prices. Roberds has stores located throughout Ohio, Georgia, and Florida. COMPANY HISTORY: Roberds is a specialty retailer that was founded in 1971 by Kenneth W. Fletcher and Donald C. Wright. The business began in the Dayton, Ohio suburb of West Carrollton, Ohio, with a single store selling furniture, bedding, major appliances, and electronics products. It was immediately successful and profitable, and in 1974 relocated to a larger 20,000 square foot store in West Carrollton. In 1978, the Company embarked on its first major expansion when the West Carrollton store relocated to an even larger 60,000 square foot facility. The same year, the Company entered the Atlanta, Georgia market with its first store, and opened a store in Piqua, Ohio. Roberds then entered an era of controlled, but almost continuous, expansion. From 1978 through 1992, the Company grew from 3 to 15 stores in the greater Dayton, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia areas. In 1985, it entered the Tampa, Florida market, and added stores there as well. In 1993, the Company made a public offering of 2.7 million common shares. Following the offering, the Company embarked on a rapid expansion program. From 1993 through 1996, the store count increased from 15 to 25, and revenue grew by more than 50 percent, from $217 million to $342 million. The Company devoted a large amount of time and attention to the* July 1996 opening of The Roberds Grand, a 250,000 square footstore in Cincinnati, Ohio; one of the largest home furnishing stores in North America. In 1997, Roberds closed its Decatur, Georgia location, bringing the total number of stores to its current status: 24. The same year, the Company's flagship store in West Carrollton, Ohio was renovated and expanded from 80,000 to 140,000 square feet. Roberds expects to resume expansion in the year 2000 and will continue its aggressive strategy to capitalize on the surge in consumer demand for home theater and related digital products.