National Hardwood Magazine - September 2019

AHEC REPORT AHEC’S RED

AHEC REPORT AHEC’S RED OAK PROMOTION TAKES ROOT IN NEW PRODUCT LINES, PROJECTS In 2019 one of the American Hardwood Export Council’s goals has been to extensively promote American Red Oak in regions outside of China - where 82 percent of all Red Oak exports ended up in 2018. Major inroads have been made as a result of this continued promotion and we have seen a 39 percent growth in Red Oak exports by volume to Europe, who traditionally has largely ignored the species. Two of our most recent successes have been the new Dovetail furniture range offered by John Lewis and our Red Oak Legacy project. Top UK high street retailer, John Lewis, plans to launch a new furniture range called Dovetail in August, their first ever in American Red Oak. The new pieces will complement their existing ranges of White Oak furniture that already account for over 60 percent of sales both in store and online. AHEC has been working with the design team at John Lewis over the past three years through a series of workshops and meetings to help them demonstrate the sustainability of the American Hardwood products they sell and to assist them in identifying new species options. This led to a cooperation with Marque Furniture, the UK workshop that develops designs and prototypes not just for John Lewis but also for other leading retail brands. “When it comes to buying wooden furniture, consumers in the UK are very particular about which timber they want to live with in their homes,” says David Barrett, head of furniture design for John Lewis and Partners. “This means we are always on the hunt for different or interesting timber species to include in our furniture range. Red Oak is a great new addition to American White Oak, which has probably been the most widely used timber of the past 10 years. It’s a beautiful and sustainable member of the American Oak family and we are sure it will delight our customers.” The new Dovetail range is being made in Turkey and AHEC visited the factory in June to see the Red Oak in production. This company also produces White Oak furniture for John Lewis and other European brands, and they told us they are now working on additional designs from Marque Furniture in Red Oak and Cherry. They are also expanding their sales in Europe and are currently in discussion with a leading Danish furniture brand. They are pleased how the Red Oak has performed and although it is still in the early days, they believe it will play an important role in their future production. AHEC’s Legacy project incorporates American Red Oak into the cultural framework of the UK by partnering innovative designers and cultural icons to create something they will treasure for generations. In two very intense weeks in June, 10 extraordinary commissions, all in American Red Oak, were realized Please turn to page 73 BY MICHAEL SNOW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL, STERLING, VA 703-435-2900 WWW.AHEC.ORG 16 SEPTEMBER 2019 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

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