
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 14, 1994                   TAG: 9405160134
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BASSETT TAKING WARES ON-LINE

Bassett Furniture Industries said Friday that by August it will be showing some of its products in the Electronic Showroom of CompuServe Information Services. That means computer shoppers can see photographs of the Bassett company's furniture and obtain information about finishes, dimensions, fabrics and prices.

They also can get from the computer service the name of a retail store that carries Bassett furniture and send E-mail to Bassett employees to order a product catalog.

Furniture cannot be purchased through CompuServe, said Johne Albanese, director of advertising and marketing communications for the company, which has headquarters in Henry County.

"We don't have any interest in an on-line store [that sells products]," Albanese said. He said on-line sales wouldn't be feasible anyway because there is no system for delivering furniture sold by computer.

But, he said, the CompuServe contract is a "significant step toward our goal to utilize the very latest technologies to bring the Bassett name to as many consumers as we can."

"This is not an alternative form of distribution for Bassett products, but rather an alternative form of distribution for the Bassett brand name," Albanese said.

He called the electronic showroom just one step beyond magazine advertising inserts that are common among manufacturers, along with 800 phone numbers, to promote their products. He said the cost to be part of CompuServe also is comparable to magazine advertising costs.

by CNB