Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
July 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 27, 2010
Ashley Furniture HomeStore has stepped into the world of social media with the concurrent launch of its Facebook and Twitter pages to offer consumers a better way to connect to the company online.
Consumers are able to follow Ashley on Twitter, while the Facebook page allows visitors to browse the furniture styles and stay updated on the company's latest promotions, exclusive offers, community events, news, store locations, charities and more.
As part of the launch, Ashley will also be reaching out to the online community in an effort to raise funds for the City of Hope, a cutting-edge research and treatment facility for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
"Ashley Furniture Industries has raised over $4 million for this wonderful non-profit facility. But there's much more research needed," says Ben Thorud, senior vice president. "So we'll be asking our Facebook community to get involved. For every "Like" we receive in the first two months after the launch of our fan page, we'll donate 25 cents to the City of Hope, up to $10,000."
In addition to taking part in the City of Hope charity initiative on Ashley's Facebook page, customers can also learn about the company's other philanthropic and community outreach efforts under the In the Community tab.
July 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on July 27, 2010
Christopher Guy is introducing a boutique concept for furntiure retailers that will include a complete presentation of Christopher Guy product.
At the upcoming Las Vegas Market, the company will showcase living room and dining room vignettes, and expects to expand the program to include complete room settings. The program will allow dealers and showrooms to generate turns on the display product by creating a focal point of distinctive, elegant furnishings that tell a story.
The program will reinforce the Christopher Guy brand and is yet another showing of its commitment to productive and mutually profitable partnerships with our dealer base.
The Christopher Guy brand has been growing from a dedicated customer base. The boutique program will offer retailers the ability to display the power of the brand in one setting. The company is offering a menu of customer benefits as incentives for participation.
The program offers an array of finish and fabric options and does not require a strict square footage requirement.
The boutique will be on dispay in the Christopher Guy space inside the Robert Allen/Beacon Hill showroom on the first floor of Building C at the Las Vegas Market.
July 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on July 27, 2010
Vornado Realty Trust wants to forfeit its High Point furniture showroom holdings to creditors, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., which manages Market Square & Suites, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza, National Furniture Mart, Hamilton Market, and the 300 S. Main building in High Point, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vornado Realty Trust.
MMPI's High Point properties total more than 2 million square feet.
The Journal reported that Vornado is more than 90 days delinquent on its $191 million High Point mortgage, and is offering to forfeit the property there to J.E. Robert Cos., the special servicer overseeing the mortgage.
July 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on July 27, 2010
As part of its strategy toward continuous improvement of its distribution, infrastructure and performance,
Comfort Solutions has formed a license agreement with
top 20 mattress producer Park Place Corp. to make and market Comfort Solutions products in eight states.
The agreement brings together one of the industry's best known independent producers and the sixth largest mattress manufacturer, founded in 1898 as
King Koil Licensing Co.
Park Place is led by Jimmy Orders, president, whose family started the company in 1931. Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions, said he is excited to welcome Park Place into the Comfort Solutions group.
"Both Comfort Solutions and Park Place share many of the same business philosophies, including an emphasis on product quality and customer service, and a commitment to delivering value to the consumer," Roberts said. "Our parallel performance objectives will greatly benefit both companies."
Park Place operates mattress plants at its Greenville, S.C., headquarters and in Denver, Pa. Under the agreement, Park Place will initially produce Comfort Solutions products for Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, as well as for the Florida Panhandle. After Nov. 1, Park Pace will assume responsibility for the states of North Carolina and Maryland.
"The Comfort Solutions team is a group of seasoned mattress professionals," said Orders. "This business is still very much of a people business, and Comfort Solutions has some of the best in the industry. The company's commitment to innovation through a strong research and development effort has resulted in products and brands that are leading edge, exciting and retailing well. Supporting those great products are well-executed programs and materialsa winning formula."
Roberts said Comfort Solutions is positioning itself for accelerated grown over the next several years.
"As the mattress business continues to reshape itself, we're consistently evaluating what we're doing and how we're doing it at every level," he said. "Our primary objective is to delivery excellence in product and service to every national, regional and local customer."
Roberts said the growth and momentum is the result of doing that effectively and efficiently at the management level and in the field.
"As a new licensee partner and as a respected and experienced producer in its own right, we know Park Pace will contribute significantly to the future of Comfort Solutions and to our mutual benefit," Roberts said.
Comfort Solutions has 10 domestic and 31 international licensees.
July 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on July 27, 2010
Long time mattress industry veteran Chris Henning has been named to the new position of senior vice president of strategic planning and business development for
bedding producer Comfort Solutions. In his new position, Henning will concentrate on business development with major national and regional accounts and will be involved in marketing, merchandising and strategic planning as part of the company's executive team.
Henning reports to David Binke, executive vice president of sales for Comfort Solutions.
"Based on his extensive background, Chris brings to our company decades of valuable industry experience and leadership, as well as an excellent reputation for his accomplishments in marketing, merchandising, sales and strategy," said Dave Roberts, Comfort Solutions president. "As we strategically position Comfort Solutions for the long term, we know that Chris' outstanding record of success in the mattress business will play an integral role in our continued development and growth."
Most recently, Henning was president of North American sales for
Kingsdown where he'd been since 2008. Prior to that, he spent five years at
Tempur-Pedic where he joined the company in 2002 as vice president of sales for the western region. He was later promoted to president of Tempur-Pedic's retail division.
During his career, Henning was also senior vice president of sales and marketing for
International Bedding Corp. from 1997 until 2002. He joined the industry in 1987 when he became a sales trainee at the
Simmons Co. He left Simmons in 1997 as vice president of sales.