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It's not always the obvious location, location, location

It's not always the obvious location, location, location

It's not always the obvious location, location, location

A great number of businesspeople will suggest that location has a significant impact on the success of an enterprise - pick the wrong place and the company could go bust; pick the right place and it could well thrive.

Of course, each company's 'right place' is relative to its needs - employee skill level, client base and the level of local competition to name but a few of the factors that can influence this all-important variable.

For the majority of firms, this means headquartering in a populated area. More often than not, this is a city or a substantially sized town. Such a place would seemingly be the correct choice for a world renowned, high-end furniture shop that is adored by celebrities all over. Not so.

Dessin Fournir was recently featured in a CNN Money article entitled 'Luxury Manufacturing - in Kansas. Designer Chuck Comeau set up his high-style business in an offbeat location: A Windswept Kansas plain 240 miles away from a major airport'.

The reputed company will no doubt benefit as a result of featuring in such an article and receiving the associated complementary online PR.

Dessin Fournir's clients include Oprah Winfrey and Elton John. Surely a high-fashion furniture maker that sells its products for thousands of dollars would be better located in the heart of one of the country's big cities?

Apparently not. When the company was first formed back in 1993, it based itself in Los Angeles - the home of up-market furniture retail and high-spending celebrities - but things did not go well and the company struggled financially.

Mr Comaeu then made a very brave decision and moved back to his hometown of Plainville in Kansas. There would be no celebs here, just a horizon of prairies and a population of 1,800 from which to find his new workforce.

However, in the 15 years after that fateful move, the company has gone from strength to strength and seen an 11 per cent annual growth rate year-on-year, now turning over an eight-figure revenue.

While it still has outlets and showrooms in 15 cities across the US, two in Canada and one in Russia, Plainville is very much the hub of all the operations.

The key to the success has been the location - but not location one would have expected. In this instance, it was the employees he got as a result of his move.

While there was a smaller talent pool to choose from, those who made the grade were loyal and stayed with the company, often for many years. This allowed for continuity and a solid platform from which to grow.

This consitency is something Mr Comeau quite clearly believes in. He said to the news provider: "In the furniture business it's important to be consistent. In terms of quality, in terms of customer service, it's impossible if you are constantly retraining people."

Owing to where he has set his business up, this is one worry that the great furniture maker does not have preying on his mind.

Much like the prairies that surround his central offices, it appears success will continue to roll on for years to come.

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It's not always the obvious location, location, location

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