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August 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on August 19, 2010
Flexsteel Inds. (NASDAQ: FLXS) reported net income for the fiscal year ended June 30 of $10.8 million, compared to a loss of $1.5 million in the prior year.
Net sales for the year were $326.5 million, a 1 percent increase compared to $324.2 million in the previous year.
Net income for the fourth quarter was $4.1 million, compared to a net income of $800,000 during the same quarter last year. Net sales for the fourth quarter were $85.6 million, a 15 percent increase compared to $74.6 million in the same quarter last year.
Residential sales for the year were $246 million, a 7 percent increase compared to $230.7 million in the previous year. Residential sales for the fourth quarter were $65.7 million, a 15 percent increase from the $57 million posted in the same quarter last year.
The company's entire release can be seen here.
August 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on August 19, 2010
WithIt honored its recipients of the 2010 WOW Awards Wednesday night at its annual education conference in Charlotte, N.C.
Kathy Wall, president of
The Media Matters, was awarded the 2010 Mentoring Award acknowledging advocacy, development and promotion of women in a home and furnishings business.
Jay Reardon, president of
Hickory Chair, was the recipient of the 2010 Education Award recognizing efforts to educate associates, retailers or consumers about the home furnishings segment.
WithIt bestowed four Future Leader Awards because each of the women had accomplished much during a challenging business environment, said Dawn Brinson, 2010 WOW Awards committee co-chair.
"Each Future Leader Award recipient has pulled a company, and an industry, upward into the opportunities of the present," Brinson said. "And each has pushed a business even further forward into possibilities of the future."
The four recipients were: Rene Crosby, senior account executive for
Four Hands; Kristin Hawkins, new product development stage gate manager at
Broyhill Furniture Inds.; Vanessa Northrop, marketing director for
City Furniture; and Kaci Prunty, retail marketing manager with
Tempur-Pedic North America.
Catherine Frinier, principal and managing partner of Frinier Atelier, was named the 2010 President's Award recipient.
Mary Frye, president of the
Home Furnishings Independents Association, was honored with the 2010 Chairman's Appreciation Award. "Mary has opened the doors and mentored many women in our industry," said Stephanie Lowder, 2010 WithIt president.
Julie Phillips, vice president and co-founder of
the Phillips Collection, was presented the organization's 2010 Legacy Award. The honor recognizes Phillips' professional achievements and significant lifetime contributions to the home and furnishings industries.
Julie is original, tenacious, sensitive to nuance and passionate about quality, said Mark Phillips, Julie Phillips husband and business partner, and awards presenter during the ceremony. She has won best showroom awards in every city she has worked, including High Point, Las Vegas, Dallas and Singapore.
August 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 19, 2010
Mattress manufacturer Boyd Specialty Sleep is the first U.S. mattress maker to adopt new safety and environmental standards from the Specialty Sleep Association.
SSA designed the standards to help consumers better understand what is inside their mattresses. Boyd is placing the SSA Safety & Environmental Program (SEP) seal on its NaturalFlex latex mattresses, and its PlanetSleep, visco-memory foam mattresses. The mattresses are expected to be on retailer floors in the next few weeks.
The SSA's SEP is the first time the mattress industry has come together to better educate and inform consumers of the components in the sleep products they buy. After more than a year of research and industry involvement, the specialty trade association has created a two-step seal and contents label program that will appear on mattresses from manufacturers who voluntarily join the program that informs the consumer about the minimum environmental and safety compliance levels the particular product adheres to, along with a label that lists components in the mattress.
Consumers wanting further information beyond the seal and label can go the SSA's Web site for more detailed information and contact the organization if they wish to learn more about a specific manufacturer's component filing.
The Boyd mattresses in the program display the group's Level I seal, which means the company has met all federal safety flammability requirements; provided a warrantee for the product; met all safety requirements for childrens products if applicable; disclosed material construction with a descriptive label content; will participate in an annual survey to identify carbon footprint issues and has committed to continuous improvement; and met standards set by the Montreal Protocol Act when applicable, for reduction or elimination of ozone depleting substances.
"The first time I learned of the seal I was ecstatic and wanted to be a part of the program," said Dennis Boyd, the founder and president of Boyd Specialty Sleep, St. Louis. "The SSA's SEP seal is a real breakthrough for the consumer and empowers them to see what a manufacturer is doing to actively assure the safety and environmental friendliness of their products. The retail response we saw a few weeks ago in Las Vegas to our products carrying the seal exceeded our expectations and I believe a further indication that the SSA has really solved one of the great challenges our industry has faced in recent memory by finding a way to bring us all together around the issue of safety and environmental sensitivity to the products we sell."
Boyd Specialty Sleep, founded in 1977, has a manufacturing center and eight retail locations in the St. Louis area, and a second manufacturing facility in Fontana, Calif.
August 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 19, 2010
E.S. Kluft & Co., maker of Aireloom and Kluft brand mattresses, has named Steve Smith vice president of finance.
Smith is a financial executive with 20 years experience implementing cost-saving programs for a variety of fast-moving, growth-oriented manufacturing businesses, including the mattress industry, most recently with Sweda Company LLC, one of the largest companies in the promotional products industry in the country, where he served five years as controller.
At the former Spring Air, Smith worked with Kluft and served as division controller and as a key member of the top management team where he oversaw budgeting, cash management, forecasting, financial reporting and analysis as well as banking and union relations. During his tenure he introduced a high-efficiency lighting system to the plant that saved $16,000 per year and improved brightness at the plant by 30 percent. He also launched a paperless procedure for system reports that resulted in significant savings to the company.
"We are excited for Steve to bring to Kluft the expertise and cutting-edge ideas that he has put to use at many other high-profile organizations to boost productivity and efficiency which will ultimately increase profits for our company," said Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based E.S. Kluft & Co. President and CEO Earl Kluft.
"I'm thrilled for the opportunity to work with Earl and utilize my experience in the mattress industry to continue to build Kluft as a leader in luxury bedding," said Smith. "We look forward to our collaboration together to put in place innovative systems to increase Klufts bottom line and create superior products."
August 18,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on August 19, 2010
Jane Seymour, actress, author, artist and designer, will host the 22nd American Furniture Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Oct. 17 at the High Point Market.
"Jane is passionate about design and home furnishings," said Jeff Cook, Foundation president. "Her elegance will make the evening more memorable as we honor our new Industry Fellows and celebrate the accomplishments of the visionary leaders of our industry."
Seymour has proven her talents in the performing arts of ballet, motion pictures, television, radio and theater. Her credits range from "Somewhere in Time to Live" and Let Die to the television series "Dancing with the Stars" and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." She also has performed in leading roles on stage in London and on Broadway in New York City.
Her love of art and color has led to her great success as a painter and now furnishings designer. Seymour first entered the home furnishings business with Saks Group Inc. in 2004. Two years ago, she launched Jane Seymour Designs, a national lifestyle brand inspired by her homes, art and family-centered lifestyle. In 2009, she partnered with Michael Amini and his team at furniture importer AICO, debuting her first licensed furniture collection, Michael Amini & Jane Seymour, A Design Collaboration.
Seymour's other home furnishings licensees include Badash Crystal, Firefly Home Collection, Winward Floral & Seasonal Decor, Acacia Home and Garden, and Stylecraft Home Collection. Her nine books include "Making Yourself at Home," featuring home and lifestyle tips, and her most recent, "Among Angels."
"It will be an honor to be in the company of such creative people who have inspired me to work in an industry that I love, which has made such an impact on our daily lives," Seymour said.
Industry Fellows who will be recognized for their exceptional leadership, accomplishments and contributions to the furniture industry are Gerald Birnbach, Manuel Capo, Thomas Day, Darrell and Stella Harris, Michael and George Massood, and Robert "Bob" Timberlake. Inductees into the Hall of Fame also will be announced at the banquet.
The deadline for reservations is Oct. 1. Tickets are $125 each and can now be purchased online. Reservations may also be made by e-mail or by contacting the Foundation office at 336.882.5900. Checks should be mailed to the American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, 202 Neal Place, High Point, N.C. 27262.