August 2,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 3, 2010
A Dayton, Ohio, furniture store clerk was pistol whipped during a robbery Monday, WHIO reported.
Two black men walked into DJ's Furniture's Salem Avenue store and pistol whipped a clerk who had opened the store's safe.
The clerk suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
A police dog tracked a scent to a house, which deputies searched without finding anyone. Police are looking for a teal four-door Oldsmobile 98 in connection with the crime.
August 2,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 3, 2010
Houston-based Gallery Furniture is launching a new online e-commerce site, according to the Business Journal.
The site goes live Aug. 7.
The revamped GalleryFurniture.com site will feature the stores full furniture inventory and an Internet-only section with discounts on products not found in Gallery Furnitures bricks-and-mortar locations.
Gallery tried an e-commerce site in 1999, but moved from the idea the following year.
According to the report, Gallery plans to offer the site to consumers within a 200-mile radius of Houston and could expand its reach in the future.
The retailer is also stepping up its in-store technology with Microsoft Meta Tags placed on all of its furniture for consumers with smart phones can scan items and get instant information.
Gallery Furniture also gained the right to sell Tempur-Pedic products to its online customer.
August 2,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 3, 2010
Simmons Bedding Co. rolled its new luxury brand Beautyrest Black collection and the revamped ComforPedic collection on the opening day of
the Las Vegas Market.
Weve spent many months redesigning the new ComforPedic and Beautyrest Black lines to ensure that the products make a definite statementboth to retailers and consumers, said Tim Oakhill, executive vice president of marketing. Our new Beautyrest Black beds feature a distinctive look and feel that is unlike anything on the retail floor today, and our new ComforPedic models are attractively priced and offer comfort benefits that surpass those of the competition. Were confident that the new collections will come out on top when compared with other mattress offerings in their categories.
The new collection is separated into two categoriesBeautyrest Black and Beautyrest Black Beyond. Both offer advanced pocketed coil springs that consist of a triple-wrapped helix of high carbon steel designed to provide increased strength, motion separation and comformability. The company has also reinforced the edge support for the beds.
In addition to the product unveiling, the company is using Q codes, similar to barcodes, that consumers can scan with smart phones. The scan takes the consumer to a Web site offering information about the product attached to the code.
During the market, Simmons has created a scavenger hunt through its showroom for retailers to learn about and use the technology. The plan is to roll out Q codes at the retail level in the fall.
Beautyrest Black mattresses have a suggested retail price of $1,799-$3,499, and Beautyrest Black Beyond models are priced at $3,699-$4,999.
The new ComforPedic line has new comfort and support elements that include a combination of the brands Advanced NxG memory foam and NxG memory foam. The foam technology conforms to the body's contours and eliminates break-in periods or changes that can come from temperature fluctuations.
The company also beefed up the edge support for added stability. Each bed in the collection comes in plush or firm feels, and dual floor samples are available to retailers. The line has a suggested retail price of $1,699-$2,999.
August 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Acquisition on August 2, 2010
Custom furniture manufacturer Elite Leather Co., Los Angeles, has acquired upholstered furniture maker Hiatt Furniture for an undisclosed amount.
Hiatt will become a new division of Elite Leather which will keep its name under Elite's ownership.
"I have known Hiatt Furniture President Hans Hiatt and his family for many years, and I'm very pleased to bring them into the Elite Leather family," Elite Leather President and CEO Michael Galardo said. "This acquisition will translate to great things for Hiatt Furniture, their customers, and Elite Leather.
Like Elite Leather, Hiatt Furniture is a family run business that has been manufacturing in Southern California for over fifty years.
"Elite Leather has an excellent reputation for quality, service, and integrity," said Hans Hiatt, grandson of founder Hayden H. Hiatt. "I believe that the combined companies will make a strong partnership and yield great results."
Hans Hiatt will continue to be involved in the growth of the Hiatt Furniture, which will include working with Hiatt customers to provide new furniture styles, fabric options, and leather products offered by Elite Leather. Manufacturing of Hiatt Furniture will move to the state-of-the-art Elite Leather factory in August 2010.
Design of the line will become a collaborative effort between the Hiatt Furniture design team and Elite Leather's award winning design team.
Elite Leather will show Hiatt Furniture at this week's Las Vegas Furniture Market in World Market Center, space A954.
Stump & Company, a Charlotte, N.C.-based investment banking firm, represented Hiatt Furniture in the transaction.
August 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 2, 2010
Specialty sleep manufacturer durable products co. announced that its EcoSleep visco mattresses will now carry the CertiPUR-US certification.
This move is in response to consumers seeking clearer guidance when shopping for environmentally friendly mattresses using natural and sustainable raw materials. Now EcoSleep's Cool-Contour Deluxe, Healthy Living and the new Sensation, Obsession and Revelation lines all will feature the CertiPUR-US seal.
"Seeing the CertiPUR seal on EcoSleep mattresses will appeal to people who have a meaningful sense of environmental and social responsibility and incorporate these values into their purchasing decisions," said dpc Owner Dave R. Young. "Consumers that have been looking for clearer guidance when shopping for environmentally friendly mattresses can feel confident that EcoSleep products are not only comfortable but have also passed very strict environmental, health and safety standards."
CertiPUR-US is a voluntary testing, analysis and certification program that was developed by members of the global foam industry in response to an increase in substandard imported foams. The certification is given to home furnishings merchandise, such as upholstered furniture and mattresses. Items that carry the CertiPUR-US seal contain flexible polyurethane foam products that have been tested and certified by an independent laboratory to meet specific criteria for physical performance, indoor emissions and environmental stewardship.
Mattresses that carry the CertiPUR-US seal may be marketed as providing low emission volatile organic compounds for indoor air quality and made without ozone-depleting CFCs, PBDE fire retardant, formaldehyde, prohibited phthalates, mercury, lead and heavy metals.
The mattresses are shipped to retailers and consumers using the dpc's flat-seal technology, which compresses the mattress to a uniform density one third of its original size before sealing and rolling. When compared to traditional torque compression and vacuum-sealing systems, this system consistently preserves the structural integrity of the whole mattress without creating undue stress on the mattress components. Mattresses completely recover to their original shape and size quickly and without defect.
EcoSleep is exbibiting at this week's Las Vegas Furniture Market in World Market Center, space B908.