Modern Design Company Launches New Retail Approach
SAN FRANCISCO, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Design Within Reach
(Nasdaq: DWRI) announces that it will open two retail locations dedicated
to its Tools for Living category of products in September, 2008. New York
City's SoHo neighborhood and Santa Monica, California, have been chosen as
the first sites for the company's new approach to retail sales. In a
departure from Design Within Reach's existing 69 Studios -- showrooms
featuring furniture that is ordered for delivery at a later time -- the two
DWR: Tools for Living stores will be cash and carry.
Ray Brunner, CEO of Design Within Reach, states, "DWR stands for Design
Within Reach, not just furniture within reach. Tools for Living extends the
ready availability of design to items associated with everyday use. In many
ways it can be simply described as a modern general store. When DWR opened
its doors in 1999, it shortened the time from order to delivery of modern
furniture from several months to less than ten days. Similarly, Tools for
Living stores will enable design to be put into the hands of our customers
on the day of purchase."
In the fall of 2007, Design Within Reach introduced Tools for Living as
a category that encompassed everyday items from cookware to desk sets to
portable dog bowls. The items offered are unique in how they solve a
problem or make something more comfortable or easier to use. Their smart
design elevates them from clever objects to functional tools. The new
concept was an immediate success within the existing DWR channels, but it
became evident that a store format that included salable inventory would
fulfill consumers' desires to have merchandise in hand upon purchase.
In New York City, the DWR: Tools for Living store will be located at
142 Wooster Street, in a 3,500 square foot space that was the former site
of DWR's first SoHo Studio. In Santa Monica, the Tools for Living store
will be given a dedicated space within the existing Design Within Reach
Studio at 332 Santa Monica Boulevard. While the two DWR: Tools for Living
stores will offer a different retail experience from the existing Design
Within Reach Studios, customers will be able to order the full selection of
DWR products wherever they shop. All Design Within Reach items will be
available to order at DWR: Tools for Living stores, Tools for Living items
will be orderable from DWR Studios and both product lines will be available
online or via phone.
About Design Within Reach, Inc. (NASDAQ: DWRI)
Design Within Reach, Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in San
Francisco, California, is the source for fully licensed classics, offering
the best in modern design. The company markets and sells its products to
both residential and contract customers through http://www.dwr.com, its San
Francisco-based phone sales team at 800.944.2233 and over 68 retail Studios
in the United States and Canada.
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