Store Openings —— Muji, Natuzzi Italia, I.O. Metro and more

Muji opening Santa Monica location

Japanese lifestyle brand Muji is opening its second Los Angeles area store this month, located at 2936 Main St. in Santa Monica. The store was originally slated to open June 20, but will now hold its grand opening June 28.

Muji’s products are “rooted in a simple aesthetic and streamlined through a careful elimination of gratuitous elements,” according to a press release. The 6,300-sq.-ft. store carries a wide variety of products including furniture, home accessories, storage, tableware, kitchenware, apparel, stationery, skincare, bags and suitcases.

“Muji sees Santa Monica as a place that has many sides — nature, city, refinement, culture – and sees the people there as having a lifestyle rich with experience,” said AsakoShimazaki, president of Muji USA. “This is the kind of place where Muji has the most to offer.”

Muji Santa Monica will be the ninth Muji store in the U.S., with five in the New York City area and four in California.

Natuzzi Italia opens Madison Avenue store

Natuzzi Italia opened its second New York location in May at 105 Madison Ave. Pasquale Natuzzi, founder, chairman and CEO of Natuzzi Group, was on hand to celebrate the opening of the 5,000-sq.-ft. store, which caters to both the architecture and design communities and luxury retail consumers.

In addition to Natuzzi’s furniture offerings, the store features a special meeting room where designers can bring their clients that includes a new 3D virtual space planning program and on-site finish and fabric samples.

The new store in New York joins Natuzzi Italia’s flagship locations in Milan, Paris, Madrid, Sydney, Shanghai, Seoul, Dubai and 290 global store locations.

Natuzzi Italia opened the store during NYCxDesign, which the furniture company participated in for the first time this year.

According to a press release, Natuzzi Italia is undergoing a “metamorphosis” involving the development of a full range of furnishings including storage, tables, lighting, area rugs, accessories, bedroom furniture and linens, in addition to the brand’s signature leather furniture.

I.O. Metro launches e-commerce site

Home furnishings retailer I.O. Metro launched a new e-commerce website June 1 at iometro.com.

Magento, the e-commerce platform owned by eBay, powers the new website. Many new and improved features make the website more customer-friendly, including details on origin, special materials, more detailed dimensions and specifications, availability, and more.

Photos are easier to view, and the company has begun the process of providing more photos and product video for customers to view.

In addition, many products include a “Designer Review,” in which an I.O. Metro designer evaluates the item. Each store also has its own page for such features as designer bios and examples of design work.

I.O. Metro is also using the website to test the popularity of some items before incorporating them into store floor sets.

Headquartered in Lowell, Ark., I.O. Metro operates 17 locations in eight states across the South and Midwest.

 

Source: Home Accents today