Hooker Furnishings has rebranded its Sam Moore custom upholstery line to HF Custom, a move the company said represents its broad product mix and manufacturing capabilities.
The company also has named Craig Young, president of Hooker Furnishings’ Bradington-Young leather upholstery division, to the additional role of president of HF Custom.
The company said that Sam Moore will remain a business unit of Martinsville, Virginia-based Hooker Furnishings and that its 330,000-square-foot plant in Bedford, Virginia, will continue to build product for the HF Custom brand, including chairs, sofas, sectionals, recliners and a mix of other accent upholstery available in more than 650 fabrics and 20 multistep finishes. The plant also will continue to build product for the company’s H Contract division.
“As the Sam Moore business continues to evolve, our new HF Custom brand helps to change the narrative with our customers on the front end of the sales process,” said Anne Smith, chief administrative officer and president of domestic upholstery for Hooker Furnishings. “This rebranding will help eliminate some of the stereotypes in the industry that have ‘pigeon-holed’ the Sam Moore brand as simply a chair resource.”
“The move also allows us to leverage the already strong consumer brand recognition of Hooker Furnishings,” she added. “A genuine consumer-facing brand, ranked among the top furniture brands searched online through leading search engines, this new lifestyle-focused branding approach that ties into the Hooker Furnishings moniker will help us elevate the perceived value of this extensive and premier product line.”
She added that the change will not impact the company’s current processes. Instead, she noted, it positions the company for growth as a consumer-centric brand name that aims to reach more consumers and “more accurately reflect the wide range of products that we offer.”
The rebranding will make its debut at the upcoming High Point Market April 22-26, where the company is showing in a newly redesigned showroom at Showplace.
“The timing for this initiative couldn’t be better,” Smith said. “In preparation for the move to our new showroom at Showplace in High Point, this effort allows us to present our brand to thousands of new buyers who may be viewing our line for the first time, as well as create a new canvas for us to share the updated look and feel of the line to our existing customers.”
New division head Craig Young is the son of Charles S. Young Jr. who acquired a shuttered textile plant in 1978 that ultimately became the production facilities for Bradington-Young. Craig Young has been with the company for more than 30 years, serving as president since 2016.
The company said that in his expanded role, he continues to report to Smith and will work closely with the HF Custom team to identify additional growth opportunities and “provide leadership as the brand continues to expand into a full-line custom upholstery resource.”
“I am thrilled to join the already-strong leadership team at HF Custom,” Young said. “With a fresh new brand, a new showroom and exciting new products and programs on the horizon, we are fueled for growth. While chairs will always be part of our DNA in Bedford, I am looking forward to the industry viewing this iconic company through a different lens, one that has a far broader reach than ever before.”
