Johnson Joins HFB to Launch marketblackbook.com

July 9, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 2007 Tracy Johnson has joined Home Furnishings Business as director of the magazine’s new online shopping platform, marketblackbook.com.

Prior to joining Home Furnishings Business, Johnson was a marketing consultant for the International Home Furnishings Center, the largest showroom building in High Point. She will receive her MBA from Wake Forest University in August.

Johnson reports to Amy Kyle, publisher of Home Furnishings Business.

“Tracy’s intelligence, humor and workaholic tendencies make her an excellent fit with the HFB team,” Kyle said. “As a person, she totally fits our brand. Look forward to getting to know her, if you don’t already.”

Johnson said she is looking forward to developing marketblackbook.com in direct response to buyers’ needs.

“I’m honored to be part of an innovative, forward thinking group of professionals,” Johnson said. “The spirit of HFB is very contagious and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Marketblackbook.com will allow retailers and designers to search for product and partners from their desktops. The platform, scheduled to go live for buyers later this summer, will allow them to search for product and partners by business model, product category, style, price point and market.

Retailers can go online today to preregister for the Web site, and be automatically entered in a contest to win free limousine service at an upcoming market of the winner’s choice. Manufacturers and marketers of product will be able to begin uploading product photography, product information and company information later this month.

“We’re excited to launch marketblackbook.com,” Kyle said. “It dovetails beautifully with our mission of providing relevant content that matters to our readers. We live in a ridiculously fragmented industry, and trying to make it a bit more manageable is smart business.”

For more information about marketblackbook.com, e-mail Johnson at tjohnson@napco.com, or call her at 336.906.8925.