News
March 24, 2021Old Brick Furniture + Mattress Co. Expanding
With its recent merge with Bennington Furniture, formerly headquartered in Bennington, VT, The Old Brick Furniture and Mattress Co. will be opening its eighth retail showroom location and a central distribution center to support its new and long-term strategic growth plans. In September of 2020, Michael Fiacco, President and Owner of Bennington Furniture purchased The Old Brick and rebranded its five retail locations to be Old Brick locations. Since the rebranding, the stores have been remerchandised.
A new 70,000 sqft warehouse located in Clifton Park, NY will service all three states within the Old Brick footprint; upstate New York, Vermont and western Massachusetts. In speaking of the new warehouse, Fiacco says “The space will allow for greater levels of centralized inventory which in turn will allow Old Brick to offer more rapid delivery to all three states.” The new facility will have a larger customer service and repair department to better serve customers. “We believe that speed to the consumer is as important as it has ever been” Fiacco said. The facility will also include a rooftop solar array bringing the company total to six arrays totaling 3,000 solar panels. Together, the arrays will produce 1.15 megawatts of solar power. The facility is due to open in summer 2021.
In addition to warehousing growth, Old Brick will open its eighth retail location; the fourth in the New York Capital Region. The space on Clifton Country Road in Clifton Park, NY, a former Toys ‘R Us location, is 46,000 sqft and located less than five miles from the new centralized warehouse. The showroom footprint is similar to that of the Albany, NY location. This will be the first ground-up showroom with both the Old Brick and former Bennington Furniture teams working as one. “Saratoga County is one of the fastest growing counties in New York and the market is great for the value proposition and interior design services that Old Brick offers” Fiacco said. The showroom will leverage technology and place focus on in-store atmosphere. The showroom is due to open fall 2021.
The Old Brick plans to also grow its distribution, merchandising and sales teams. “As we continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure, we will also invest in human capital that will afford us continued growth” Fiacco says. With regards to digital growth, Old Brick will expand a newly formed Digital Experience Team responsible for e-commerce sales, social and digital marketing, reputation management and digital communications. The team is set to launch a new e-commerce website in April 2021. Fiacco remarked “We recognize the changing times we are in and how we must evolve with them. However, with that growth we cannot forget the immeasurable value in remaining authentic. We are hyper-focused on nurturing the authenticity of the brand as we invest in and grow operational, digital and human capital.”
