By KIMBERLY RODGERS
Morsø is an industry leader in developing eco-friendly products that feature sleek, modern designs.
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| Craig Shankster, president
Morsø USA
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Many traditional wood-burning stoves, known for their woefully inefficient combustion and high smoke emissions, are becoming relics of the past. Newer versions, however, are causing consumers to sit up and take notice.
One company that has pioneered the development of more efficient, cleaner wood-burning stoves is Morsø (Nykøbing Mors, Denmark), which produces a full line of advanced, high-efficiency, low-emissions wood-burning stoves in beautiful contemporary designs that meet the strictest global environmental standards.
Craig Shankster, president of Morsø US LLC, says, “Our company strategy and ethos have been to design the most environmentally friendly and efficient products that we can.” In recognition of its commitment to developing clean technologies, Morsø, in 2007, was awarded the prestigious Nordic Swan Eco-Label, which acknowledges European companies that manufacture environmentally safe products.
The U.S. Market
Morsø, which began manufacturing cast-iron stoves over 150 years ago, originally started doing business in the United States in 1975, but closed operations in the mid-1980s to retool its designs to meet ever-stricter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Morsø continued to operate in European markets and reentered the United States in 2000 through a sole distributor. In 2007, the company opened a U.S subsidiary office in Portland, Tenn., near Nashville. All Morsø products are EPA certified and are made from 98-percent high-quality recycled cast iron.
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Morsø’s 6100 series is popular with customers who want modern, clean-burning stoves. |
“Our company strategy, as we move forward, is that any new product we launch in any market in the world also has to comply with EPA standards,” Shankster says. “The American market is such an important part of our strategy that we want to include it in every single part of our business.”
The market for a wood-burning product in the United States is vast, Shankster says. Morsø’s number-one market is the Northeast, constituting roughly 42 percent of its business. The West Coast (from San Francisco to Seattle) and the Rocky Mountain region come in second and third. “The emerging markets now, for us, are Wisconsin and Minnesota,” Shankster says.
Along with the ambience and cozy mood that they create, wood-burning stoves are favored for their ability to increase fuel efficiency, improve ventilation and lower fuel costs. Shankster says that as home energy costs continue to rise, many people will be grateful for the lower cost of wood fuel.
Often, wood-burning stoves are used as a zone-heating source in a particular room of a home, as well as in smaller vacation homes. “Our philosophy isn’t necessarily to replace your heating with a wood stove, but to supplement your existing heat source,” Shankster says.
While the company does have stoves that will heat an entire house, most are designed to heat an area of 800 to 1,400 square feet. “We aim to provide the wood stove as a secondary source or back-up to an existing system,” he adds.
Innovative Designs
The typical Morsø consumer in the United States is 35 to 50 years old, lives in a rural area and is remodeling a home. “We’re finding that even if they live in a traditional-style home, our customers are remodeling their interiors in a modern style,” Shankster says. Morsø stoves feature clean lines and elegantly curved doors that fit this profile well.
“We’re also finding that younger generations are attracted to a wood-burning product, but they don’t necessarily want the same stove that mom and dad had,” he says. As a result, Morsø designs stoves to look clean, modern and artful. At the same time, however, the company wants to appeal to older consumers through its array of upscale designs. “We’re a 154-year-old company because we have kept ahead of the trends,” Shankster adds.
Shankster says that the main trend in the wood-burning–stove industry will be for manufacturers to produce even more environmentally conscious products. In terms of styling, he says that Morsø plans to continue its appeal to modern tastes by offering functional, straightforward designs.
“Style comes first, to the consumer, and the heating capability comes second,” Shankster says. All of Morsø’s cast-iron stoves are built without catalysts or thermostats, and they have few moving parts (which would ultimately need servicing). Shankster adds that the company does not use colors that might be left behind as trends change.
Morsø stoves feature plain, rounded castings and glass door panels with no distracting bars, for unobstructed views. Concealed hinges and shadow molding on the top and side plates also contribute to a seamless appearance. Many models are available in pedestal, hearth-standing and wall-mounted models, with a choice of either radiant or convection heating.
Retail Relationships
“We see our products, styling and company ethics as being able to grow the business of the independent retailer,” Shankster says. Morsø’s European-inspired products are a fresh change from the majority of colonial-style stoves currently seen in the industry.
“We believe Morsø opens up a whole new customer base from the traditional wood-stove manufacturer. We’re not looking to replace what the retailer is doing, but add to it,” Shankster says, adding that Morsø customers are buying a lifestyle, not just a stove. “In their homes, they are going to have rooms with plain walls, lots of glass and natural light,” Shankster says.
He advises retailers to offer what the customer is looking for by displaying Morsø stoves in an area of the showroom featuring contemporary styling. Shankster, who has been with Morsø for nine years, established the company’s subsidiary in the United Kingdom. “The U.K. and U.S. hearth retail cultures are very similar,” Shankster says.
He comments that many U.S. retailers falsely believe that contemporary-style wood stoves will not be popular here. “Overnight, the United Kingdom went from colonial stoves to almost 40 percent modern styling, and I believe the same thing will happen in America.” Shankster points to the movement toward modern styles in other areas of home design, including furniture and specific rooms, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Shankster believes that in order to expand their businesses, dealers should proactively develop relationships with architects and interior designers. “Architects are certainly going to be a key element in the development of our business in the United States because they are always looking for something different,” Shankster says. “This industry is not all about log cabins.”
PHPR May/June 2008
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