Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
September 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on September 22, 2010
Stephanie Gorris has joined Glideaway Sleep Products as national director of independent sales and marketing.
Gorris, formerly with Ashley Furniture Homestores of St. Louis and American TV, Furniture and Appliances, will lead a new department within St. Louis-based Glideaway's sales organization to focus on expanding the recruitment, training, and development of its independent sales network in the United States.
"The goal of this position is to grow our team of independent sales representatives," said Glideaway Executive Vice President Sales Ron Fredman. "Stephanie will recruit new reps and offer the support, training and development necessary to make a good living selling our products. Guided by her expertise, this expanded sales network will have the skills needed to reach new clients."
Since joining the company, Gorris has been developing an online training program to provide outside sales reps and retail sales associates the tools necessary to better communicate the benefits of Glideaway's growing product offerings.
"Through Stephanies efforts, Glideaway will be targeting the independent family-owned retail outlets," Fredman said. "Even with the emergence of the larger furniture and bedding chains, we believe mom and pop shops remain a major force in retailing in this country, and have been overlooked for many years by our industry. There is a huge opportunity for Glideaway to service this segment of the business."
Gorris has served on panels of senior management responsible for establishing new marketing strategies, creating sales training tools and development plans, and restructuring operations at the store and distribution level. As a retail store and sales leader, she oversaw the training of entire sales and management teams and helped businesses increase profits and customer satisfaction.
"I believe ongoing training, the communication of challenging achievable goals, and a well defined plan of action are essential to create sales growth," she said. "Sales professionals that are confident in their product knowledge are more likely to sell. When a sales person believes in the product and what the product can do for the customer, there is no end to what he or she can accomplish."
Founded in the 1920s as a furniture retailer in Illinois, Glideaway is a full-service bedding supplier to full-line furniture retailers, specialty sleep shops, and web-based e-tailers. Products include a complete line-up of visco and latex mattresses, adjustable bed bases, bed frames, pillows, mattress protection products, headboards and juvenile beds.
September 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on September 22, 2010
A Las Vegas Business Press report that World Market Center has defaulted on mortgages is old news, WMC CEO Bob Maricich said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The report said World Market Center was in default on loans for buildings A and B, and Maricich said that relates to WMC's efforts to restructure its long-term debt.
"The story started at the end of last year when we said it was inevitable we'd have to alter our underpinning, our debt structure," Maricich said, noting that the only way to renegotiate WMC's loan structure was to "get in front of a special (loan) servicer, which we did at the beginning of the year."
Centerline Capital Group is the special servicer for WMC's loans on buildings A and B.
"In April we had a technical default to get in front of a loan servicer," Maricich said.
Technically, any violation of a loan's provisions--i.e., lease rates other than those specified in the agreement--can result in default.
"We had to modify some leases," Maricich said. "We've helped our tenants in accordance with being a good partner during unprecedented economic conditions."
Negotiations with Centerline continue to restructure the loans.
"Those talks have been ongoing, and they've been productive, with the understanding that we want the best outcome for all stakeholders," Maricich said.
Maricich emphasized that World Market Center is not in foreclosure, and that a forebearance agreement to avoid foreclosure proceedings on lenders' part--originally through August 31--remains in effect.
"It's been renewed twice, and again, because both parties want to work out a favorable solution," he said.
The report included nothing that hadn't been on record for some time, Maricich added: "Here was a report citing information that's been out since April that World Market Center has responded to in the past."
September 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on September 22, 2010
Mattress vendor Classic Brands will open a new showroom in High Point's International Home Furnishings Center for Fall High Point Furniture Market, Oct. 16-21.
The new 2,400-square-foot space, IHFC M408 near the Main Wing elevators, will accommodate the company's growing product lines and multi-brand strategy in a more fluid, open layout presentation.
"We wanted a different layout to showcase our products and tell the story of how each of our diversified brands capitalizes on future growth opportunities within the specialty sleep category," said Mike Zippelli, CEO of Classic Brands, Jessup, Md. "We are excited about our new space in the IHFC which improves our overall showroom flow and our visibility within the building."
For High Point Market, the company has redesigned its Space Age brand with an updated logo, a contemporary, brown and tan color palette and the addition of a 12-inch model, the Venture. In the Dormia Memory Foam and Latex lines, new 12-inch models bridge the gap between the 10-inch and 14-inch pillow tops.
The company also is continuing its Internet Program of pieces ranging from $499 to $1,299, addresses Internet channel conflict by giving brick-and-mortar retailers something different to offer on-line shoppers; and retailers do not have to hold the inventory. The program consists of three visco and three latex mattresses, each with no discernable branding on the ticking or label. They come vacuum packed and rolled in a box, so they can ship directly to consumers.
September 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on September 22, 2010
Piedmont Triad Partnership and International Home Furnishings Center will host a seminar at High Point Furniture Market for promoting the region's competitive advantages in the global marketplace of furnishings.
The seminar, Tuesday, Oct. 19 at noon in the IHFC High Point Room, is part of a comprehensive new furnishings initiative to be unveiled at Market on opening day, Saturday, Oct. 16. PTP is an economic development group representing North Carolinas 12-county Piedmont Triad Region
A panel of experts will provide a guide to the world-class concentration of assets for domestic and international companies seeking to cultivate manufacturing, logistics and distribution, supply chain management, training, creative services and other business resources.
The panelists, hosted by David Powell who started his duties as CEO of the PTP last month, will address the following topics:
* The Wealth of Furnishings Education and Training: Joy Bhadury, Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
* A Global Infrastructure for Logistics and Distribution: C. David Hauser, PTP vice president logistics and distribution.
* A Natural Location for Domestic Distribution Operations: Kevin O'Connor, president and CEO, Samson Marketing
Following the seminar, experts will be available for one-on-one consultations along with representatives of Piedmont Triad-area economic development organizations, the N.C, Department of Commerce, and the N.C. Export Council.
"We have identified this initiative as a top priority to move this region forward as the gateway for all resources related to furnishings," Powell said. "Our world-class concentration of furnishings related assets and resources is in place for companies that want to expand their businesses, whether from a domestic and exporting perspective or from an importing perspective for foreign companies who want to launch U.S. operations. The greater Piedmont Triad Region offers the full package."
According to a 2008 study by High Point University, the Piedmont Triad region boasts nearly 4,000 businesses related to furnishings, employing more than 65,000 people with an annual economic impact on the region of nearly $9 billion. The region is home to companies involved in wood furniture, upholstery, outdoor furniture, accessories, fabrics, floor coverings, wall coverings and a broad range of other related products suitable for residential, contract and hospitality use. Supporting resources include design, technology, warehousing, logistics, education, photography, marketing and other services.
September 20,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in licensing on September 21, 2010
Biltmore Estate's home licensing division has unveiled several new efforts to showcase its licensed products, including furniture and home furnishings.
Those include a new display in Biltmore's Antler Hill Village in Asheville, N.C., a catalog and an e-commerce Web site. Each iniative is designed to make it easier for consumers to learn about and shop for the many different products Biltmore has to offer.
"We are pleased by the continued growth of the Biltmore For Your Home brand and the success we've had working with our partners to produce exceptional products," said Licensing Division Vice President and General Manager Tim Rosebrock. "These new initiatives are a direct result of the growing consumer demand for more ways to learn about and purchase our products."
Visitors to Biltmore can tour the recently opened Antler Hill Village, which includes the Biltmore Legacy exhibition. This showcase offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about the Vanderbilt Family--the founders of Biltmore--and the Biltmore licensing division.
The Biltmore For Your Home portion of the exhibit includes products from many of the division's licensing partners and hosts demonstrations on decorating and hospitality. There are also computer stations on site where visitors can learn about Biltmore products, locate a retailer in their area and sign up to receive Biltmore e-newsletters.
Another new promotional vehicle is the bi-annually published Biltmore Style catalog, which just released its Fall 2010 edition. The catalog features products from Biltmore's partners that combine classic design, distinctive style and craftsmanship to reflect the heritage of Biltmore. An e-catalog version is available.
Consumers also can purchase Biltmore products, including many of those found in the catalog, from the convenience of their own homes by visiting Biltmore''s recently updated e-commerce Web site.