Huge Display Area For Furniture

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32213, 4 February 1970, Page 12

Huge Display Area For Furniture

The addition of 20,000 sq. ft of floor space makes Butterfields* furniture display area one of the largest in Christchurch.

Since opening its retail branch in Christchurch 14 years ago, the firm has made steady progress. It has branched out into a wide range of goods, although furniture is still the main specialty. Throughout this period, Butterfields have continued their famous policy of friendly service with an aim to please every customer. Recognising the need to keep pace and be ahead of demands, the firm has adopted a progressive policy of expansion. For over 100 years Butterfields has been in the furniture manufacturing business. With its headquarters in Dunedin, growth in retailing resulted in thriving stores in Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin and Invercargill, where a new two-storey building was opened. The Christchurch store was opened in 1956 when the firm took over the L. G. Amos Emporium. From modest beginnings with a staff of around half a dozen, the branch has grown into a major department store with 35 employees. In 1965, part of Strange and Company’s building was purchased, and after a fire next door in the building of Nat. Woods and Company, the site of this , was purchased. This fire is commonly'

referred to as the blaze of Arthur Ellis and Company, which occupied the ground floor. A new, two-storeyed building has been erected on the site, and this has been integrated with the store to provide the additional space needed for Butterfields’ expansion. The large-scale extension to the store will enable the wide range of furniture to be displayed to the best possible advantage. A new lounge or bedroom suite, viewed in a spacious setting with modern carpet and drapes, gives prospective purchasers an authentic impression of how it will look in their own home. Customers will be able to compare and evaluate, as there are over 100 lounge suites on display, as well as ■ a wide range of furniture Including bedroom and dining suites, cocktail and china cabinets, occasional tables, ; modular wall furniture and unit furniture. The opening of the new showroom, witii its effective lighting and contemporary Interior, has brought expansion and space for i development of other departments in the shop. All this will make shopping i so much more satisfying in a store which prides itself on ■its friendly service.