August 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 26, 2010
Online furniture retailer Inmod made the top 15th percentile in Inc. magazine's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing U.S. private companies.
"The leaders of the companies on this year's Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression," said Inc. President Bob LaPointe. "The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs."
The Inc. 500/5000 list measures the last three years of revenue growth of companies that must be privately held, for profit and independent. Inmod increased revenue by 417 percent from 2006 to 2009.
Inmod was founded in 2003 and has a focus on eco-friendly options, customization programs that include "Design Your Own Pillow" and "Design Your Own Duvet."
August 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on August 26, 2010
A new Web site design with more interactive tools and features will streamline the
High Point Market experience for exhibitors and retailers.
The new Web site gives us a terrific opportunity to improve and enrich the Markets online presence, said Brian Casey, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. The High Point Market is the premier home furnishings market, and it now has a Web site that reflects the Markets position and its goal to provide the best tools and resources for our 85,000 exhibitors and attendees."
The revamped Web site features MyMarket, which allows users to customize their market week experience, find suppliers, presenters and events, as well as save selections for future references in an itinerary. MyMarket is mobile browser compatible and offers the ability to link with colleagues at market events and showrooms.
Other tools and features include: streamlined registration; travel discounts and codes for airlines, hotels and rental cars; an online hotel reservation system; enhanced content sharing; an orientation for first-time market attendees; an exhibitors' list searchable by category, style, price point and location; event listings; an international section to simplify travel and planning from outside the U.S.; and market contact information with links to connect with High Point Market on
Twitter,
Facebook,
LinkedIn and
YouTube.
For exhibitors, there is a marketing center with an overview of High Point Markets communications program, an exhibitor listing tool that keeps contact info up-to-date, an online media center, contacts for leasing information and lead retrieval, and access to valuable resources like the exhibitor marketing kit and a Web ad banner creation tool.
August 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 26, 2010
The International Sleep Products Association has completed its pilot program with Rubber Recovery for options in processing and recycling large volumes of used mattresses.
ISPA partnered with RRI last year to see whether the shredding technology the company uses to recycle used tires and other materials could be used to process used mattresses.
Most mattress recycling today is performed exclusively using manual labor," said Ryan Trainer, ISPA president. "An efficient mechanized approach is needed to process the volumes of used mattresses that large urban areas will generate. RRIs expertise in processing other durable products provided us with an excellent opportunity to test whether the shredding technology they use can efficiently separate the spring steel from other mattress components.
A number of ISPA members contributed resources to help make the testing program a success.
Simmons Bedding Co. and
Park Place Corp. provided hundreds of used mattresses and foundations for use in these tests. Simmons also provided logistical support for staging the delivery of the used units at the shredding plant and simplifying how the products were handled during processing.
Leggett & Platt provided people from its quality assurance and engineering departments to document the tests and several foam manufacturers will analyze whether the mixture of shredded foam, fiber and fabric generated from the shredding operation is suitable for making re-bond foam used for carpet padding. Throughout the process, other mattress manufacturers, recyclers, component suppliers and retailers observed the tests and provided valuable insights into how the RRI process could be adapted to mattress recycling.
The RRI pilot program is an excellent example of how ISPA and our member companies serve the mattress industry, said Don Wright, ISPA chair and chief marketing officer at Wright of Thomasville. Proper disposal of used mattresses has been a pressing industry problem for years and the need for a permanent solution is obvious. ISPA is committed to working with mattress manufacturers, industry suppliers, the retail community, government officials, and recycling centers to develop an economically feasible and sustainable solution to this problem. I look forward to seeing the results of this pilot program, and sincerely appreciate all the support we have received from our members.
Leggett & Platt will draft a report and recommendations on the tests, which ISPA will make available to all members, as well as companies interested in recycling used mattresses.
More information on the ISPAEarth Sustainability Initiative, including its recycling efforts can be found online.
A directory of mattress recycling facilities can be found here.
August 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Markets on August 26, 2010
The International Home Furnishings Center said three vendors have committed to showroom expansions and relocations for the
High Point Market. Red Dog, a bedroom and entertainment supplier, will show in H730, IHFC. "We have experienced the short term success of showing in High Point," said Red Dogs Jeff Winans. "Now we're ready to make a long-term commitment. We knew that the IHFC was the obvious choice."
Contemporary furnishings supplier
Sharelle Furnishings will be in H538, IHFC. The company formerly exhibited at the Atrium. "We felt to get to the next level, we needed to emphasize our High Point Market presence and we had to move the showroom to the IHFC," said Sharelle's Jack Kiesler.
Furniture Traditions, supplier of bench-made oak bedrooms and entertainment consoles, has opted to relocate its showroom from the
Las Vegas Market to High Point. Furniture Traditions' showroom is H1003, IHFC.
August 24,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on August 25, 2010
The MEGA Group, made up of appliance, consumer electronics and furniture retailers serving secondary and tertiary markets, is working to increase TV sales among its members by about 50 percent in the next 12 months.
Other initiatives highlighted at the group's national convention in Louisville, Ky., include increased training on selling and merchandising consumer electronics, more web-based and regional vendor training for specific products, and a push for more aggressive advertising.
Consumer electronics (mainly TVs) currently account for about 10% of the $3 billion that the MEGA Group's 1435 members generate in annual sales out of their 2,500 storefronts. About 150 of the MEGA Group members storefronts carry consumer electronics, but Rick Bellows, the group's president, believes that number can more than double during the next year, given the right merchandising, sales training and advertising.
"CE is where we feel our biggest growth opportunity is," Bellows said. "Once we get it on the floor, once we do the training, they'll realize the type of additional pull it will have."
The biggest growth opportunity for CE sales is through the MEGA Group's furniture dealers, many of who also carry appliances, he said. While Bellows and group members realize TVs no longer generate strong profits, they can drive good customer traffic.
"If you can cross merchandise and bring in as many categories to support your overall offering, than you win," Bellows said. "It's about the demonstration, it's about the experience. You go into the custom showroom of a CE store and theyve got the bed-sofa, theyve got the cocktail table, theyve got the lighting, theyve got the motion furniture in there. Heck, our dealers already have that stuff. We might as well bring CE into the mix."
Many MEGA group dealers have carried CE but had dropped the lines 10 to 15 years ago as the technology and supply chain changed. Many of the members that still carry TVs need help in refreshing and merchandising their lines to meet today's consumer expectations, Bellows said, adding that the group will host more online and regional training, mainly through distributors Almo and DSI, during the next 12 months to bring the retailers up to speed.
"Many of the furniture and appliance dealers will have a small electronics display, but the products are still displayed the way they were 20 years ago, as opposed to the vignettes, setting up the home theaters ¦, Bellows said
Rob Hawkins of Hawkins Home and Lawn in Mountain Grove, Mo., is one dealer who said he's ready to bring back TVs. Hes currently searching for a manufacturer with a strong value line of sets. "Our customers ask us for them," he said. "They're also a good traffic driver."
Richard and Gayle Allen of Allen's Furniture, with three stores in Virginia and West Virginia, already carry TVs from Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo and LG. But, after sitting through the "Total HD Experience" session, given by Almos Jack Halperin, the Allens are thinking of carrying more advanced sets.
"Now I'm really beginning to wonder about the opportunities with 3DTVs," Gayle Allen said. "It will be something to watch out for."
The Allens are also excited about the new IPTVs on the market, saying the instant access to movies and TV programs through connected services such as Netflix is something their customers will be interested in. "To me, that technology is valuable," she said.
Rod Randall of Randalls Home Appliance and Electronics in Arthur, Ill., is another dealer whos ready to beef up his line up with 3DTVs. Even though theres a lack of 3D content in the market, Randall said the quality and features of the high-end sets particularly Samsungs 2D to 3D conversion gives his customers plenty of incentives to invest in a new TV today.
This gives me a reason to sell the TVs now, he said. There are always customers who are ready to buy the newest products.
To get even more customers into member stores, Bellows is urging them to use MEGA advertising and marketing tools to advertise their companies as aggressively as possible, especially around the key holidays such as Memorial and Labor days, July 4, Black Friday and the week after Christmas.
We're not as aggressive in those time frames as we should be. Our message is you can compete. You've got the tools to compete. You've got the advertising support to compete, he said. Just get out there and make it happen.