Potato couches

As LA-Z-BOY enters the Indian market, reclining will never be the same again.

If you want to understand how an informally made request for a special sofa can eventually lead to the creation of a multi-billion dollar company, make sure you hear the tale from Tom Brown, managing director, LA-Z-BOY International.

"Back in 1929," drawls Brown, giving the history of his company a mildly apocryphal twist, "two cousins, Ed Knabusch and Ed Shoemaker, created the first recliner because a friend said he needed a specially designed chair for his bad back. Once that chair was made, the next demand came from a lady acquaintance who thought it should be upholstered. Another friend wanted a rocking chair, another a footrest, and so the product evolved."

Evolved is right. Today LA-Z-BOY has annual sales of $2 billion and a brand awareness of around 98 per cent in the US.

The company's recliners, which were briefly in danger of being categorised "as mama's chairs" (as Brown puts it), got a new lease of life through its association with the TV sitcom Friends. (Remember Joey and Chandler, the glassy-eyed TV-surfing and the countless beer cans?)

The company has manufacturing plants across the world and sells around 16,000 pieces a day across 65 countries. And now it's making its debut in India, through a distribution ar-rangement with Stanley Seatings, a leather seating company.

The LA-Z-BOY recliner is ergonomically designed to support every part of the body; as you recline backwards, the seat rises proportionately, so as to neutralize the stress on your spine.

The back and footrest move independently of each other, which means the chair allows 18 possible angles in which to relax. The MD demonstrates this himself, moving the headrest back until his head are level with his feet.

"This is the perfect position," he says, now reluctant to get back up, "since it takes all the strain off the heart. Medical studies have shown that half an hour in this position rests the body as much as two hours of sleep."

While that may be marketing-speak, it's undeniable that the chairs are very comfortable indeed. While LA-Z-BOY sells a total range of around 60 different recliners worldwide, it is introducing only six of them into the Indian market, at least for starters: the Pinnacle, Grand Canyon, Bennet, Cardinal, Dreamtime and Larson. The price range is between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000, the differentiating factor being size and type of leather used.

For now, the company is holding back some of its more complicated varieties, like the model that comes with a fridge attached (to store all those beer cans!) "" but it is open to introducing them in the near future.

"We might even look at manufacturing specifically for the Indian market at some stage," says Brown, who is bullish about the potential in the Indian market.

"We do cater to trends in individual markets to an extent, and research has already indicated, for instance, that bright colours are in vogue in India."

Incidentally, the company began looking India-wards when they realised that a maximum number of hits on their official website were coming from the subcontinent!

LA-Z-BOY's recliners will be available at Stanley Seating's boutiques in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The company is looking at tying up with around 75 dealers in the first year of its operations in this country.

"Even three or four years ago, most customers didn't know the difference between genuine and fake leather," says Sunil Suresh, founder and CEO, Stanley Seating, which has been in the furniture business for six years.

"But people are much better informed now, and with the high-end furniture market worth between Rs 6,000-10,000 crore, the time is ripe for high-end international brands like LA-Z-BOY to make their presence felt here."

OTHER HIGH-END RECLINERS AVAILABLE AT STANLEY SEATING

The Barcelona chair: this piece is designed in a cantilever form, made of stainless steel and brushed for a matte effect. Rs 25,000-plus.

Nappa leather sofas: made of high-quality leather imported from Austria; up to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Chester-M classic design: these sofas are available in Stanley genuine leather upholstery in different textures and colours. One model, embellished with Swarovski crystals, has a starting price of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The Enzo sofa: this is a sleek, elegant design with curvy cast aluminium legs. Price on request.