Public debut for furniture lines

Press, 14 September 1988, Page 23

Public debut for furniture lines

J. Ballantyne and Co., Ltd, are currently providing the venue for the public debut of a variety of high quality furnishings. The continuous displays have been arranged to coincide with the furniture and furnishings Trade Show now in progress in Christchurch. The furniture displays are an important element in the displays running this week at Ballantynes, which also focus on fashion and food. "We are running quite a number of topical demonstrations this week,” said Mr Richard Mac Queen, merchandise controller for J. Ballantyne and Co., Ltd. “There are fashion parades in the men’s and women’s fashion areas, instore consultants in cosmetics, fragrance and underfashions, and demonstrations of napkin folding, table settings, floral settings and mohair weaving,” he said.

Staff of Ballantynes have liaised with a number of furniture suppliers to arrange the furniture displays. The criteria applied to selecting the display items have been dictated by two main concerns. Quality is possibly the most consistent component in the selection process. “We have also been influenced by prevailing and emergent fashion trends and how we perceive these,” Mr MacQueen said. J. Ballantyne and Co. cater for the middle to the top end of the consumer market. Their quality merchandise is competitively priced at all times. During the current displays purchasers of furniture will find that they can obtain significant savings on their purchases. Visitors to the store will also be able to sample the new health-conscious menu now offered at Bai-

lantynes Restaurant. Concentrating on a blend of freshness and service the restaurant now features a variety of fish dishes, in-season fruit and vegetables. The range of coffees available has been expanded and now includes liqueur coffee. In the furnishing section Ballantynes can offer clients a complete home interior advice service free of charge. According to Mr MacQueen this service is, “A total concept from the floor up.” The two consultants are Miss Burling and Mrs Hopper. An advantage of using the service according to. Mr Mac Queen is that, “decorators know, what is happening in the wide variety of product now on the market, which can save the customer a lot of legwork.” “It makes the process of decorating a pleasure, rather than a burden.”