Pier one gift registry

FORT WORTH -- Gift registries aren't just for brides-to-be anymore. Increased interest in special event gift-giving has prompted specialty retailer Pier 1 Imports to expand its national bridal registry to suit any occasion.

"Most of our registries are for weddings, but we are definitely seeing an increase in special occasion registries," said Joy Rich, a Pier 1 spokeswoman. "Customers today are registering for items such as home accessories, candles, wall art and furniture, in addition to more traditional items such as dinnerware, stemware and table linens."

Rich said the renamed registry program offers participants the full range of Pier 1's merchandise to select from. The program, nearly four years old, contributes just under 2% of the chain's sales.

Pier 1 also has made it easier for both registrants and gift givers to participate, allowing on-line real-time checks to find out which gifts have been purchased in a registry. The chain is still working toward on-line gift registry ordering and selection. In the mean time, a customer setting up a registry comes into one of the chain's 800 stores and uses a handheld scanner to select items of interest.

And those gift registry items aren't limited to traditional registry fare of formal dinnerware, linens and place settings. Today's registrants are looking for updated home accents, Rich said.

"Our specialty is really more casual entertaining and products that really help make your house a home," she said.

Pier 1's emphasis on its gift registry program is the latest move by the retailer to regain its niche as a value-oriented seller of home decor and unique imported gifts. Earlier this year, the chain reduced prices in several merchandise categories, acknowledging its prices had become too high for its core shopper. A new advertising campaign was also launched with the theme "So Many Reasons to Love Pier 1."

Despite its renewed focus on its target shopper, the company is still very interested in upscale home furnishings retailing. This summer, cfo Stephen Mangum said the chain was actively pursuing an upscale home furnishings retailer acquisition or perhaps would launch its own internally generated format.

With stores in 48 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Japan, Pier 1 generates $1.4 billion in annual sales.