Herman Miller opens grand showroom

Monday, 27 August 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Shanuka Tissera

The world-renowned Herman Miller Furniture Company has now come to Sri Lanka and a grand showroom was opened on 23 August in a bid to gain a share of the country’s corporate market.

By the middle of the 20th century, the name Herman Miller had become synonymous with modern furniture. The company produced pieces that would become classics of industrial design. Herman Miller is a recognised innovator in contemporary interior furnishings, solutions for healthcare environments, and related technologies and services.

A publicly-held company headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan with international headquarters in UK, they have manufacturing facilities in the United States, China, Italy, and the United Kingdom and sales offices, dealers, licensees, and customers in over 100 countries.

Vice President – Asia Pacific Jeremy Hocking said: “I am extremely happy with the way things are going. Our company is growing from strength to strength and the location of our first showroom in Sri Lanka is spot on.”

Herman Miller grosses its largest turnover from America and Canada but has strong market representation all over the world. A source shared that company turnover in 2011 was estimated at $ 2.1 billion. The ergonomic chairs in the company portfolio are one of the strongest in the world. Each chair comes with a 12-year warranty and therefore a mark-up on the pricing is understandable.

CEO and Chief Designer – Posh/Eric C. Yim explained the company’s approach to increasing its market share: “We have already established ourselves in a big way around the world, our designs are simple, stylish, affordable and comfortable, it is thanks to our confidence in our products why we issue a 12-year warranty, it is like no other company.”

A specialist for Herman Miller went on to share that within the space of one month, Herman Miller in Sri Lanka has already landed two corporate contracts, with one being HSBC.

The age of comfortable healthy sitting is still not in full motion and Vice President Asia Pacific Jeremy Hocking explained how this will change. The company is now looking to invest in all SAARC countries to ensure that the company’s dominance is maintained.

Pix by Krishan Ranasinghe