ICFA Inks Strategic Alliance with Nationwide Marketing Group

HIGH POINT – The International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) has entered into a strategic alliance with Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) in a move intended to provide an extensive program of significant new benefits for ICFA’s retail members.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based NMG has a 45-year history of partnering its 3,500-plus members operating more than 11,000 stores and some $15 billion in combined sales with leading appliance, furniture and electronics branded products. Among the services available to ICFA retail members in good standing are group buying initiatives, corporate training opportunities, high-impact advertising and promotions, and innovative financing programs.

“The two groups share the common bond of helping members prosper in the fast-growing category of outdoor living,” said John Laing, Director of Business Development at NMG. “The relationship was a natural,” he continued, pointing to NMG’s aggregate buying power and world-class marketing assets along with ICFA’s unique relationship with its manufacturer, retailer, sales representative, designer and industry supplier constituents as a conduit for growth and profitability for all participants.

Doug Sanicola, president of Outdoor Elegance in La Verne, Calif., and the first retail chairman of ICFA, noted that building retailer member benefits has been a high priority for the Association in recent years. “We have worked diligently to find the best benefits for ICFA retailers, and we think that we have an ideal partner in NMG,” he stated. “Now, retailer membership in ICFA not only supports the organization and our industry, but also provides access to money-saving programs for improved profitability in their business operations. There’s no reason for any casual furniture retailer not to be an ICFA member.”

“In recent years, we’ve recognized the great opportunity that the outdoor living category offers our members,” said Bill Bazemore, Senior Vice President of Furniture at NMG. “The category’s adjacency to our core indoor products, coupled with the consumer trend of entertaining outdoors, makes it a perfect fit. We look forward to a long-term relationship with ICFA as we grow to serve all of our members.”