Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
June 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 1, 2010
The Southeastern Home Furnishings Association has named Bill Turner of Furniture World, Petal, Miss., its Retailer of the Year at SEHFA's annual convention, held June 6-8 at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla.
The award honors a retail home furnishings executive for his contributions to his community, humanity and the furniture industry. Turner is a past president of SEHFA and has been involved in the furniture industry for 11 years.
SEHFA's Traveler of the Year Award was presented to manufacturers representative Rob Wester of Dothan, Al., in recognition of his high standard of professionalism. Wester has been in the furniture business for 30 years and represents AICO, Royal Chair and Mac Motion.
Also honored at the convention were Symbol Mattress, which received the President's Recognition Award for the company's support of SEHFA; and outgoing SEHFA President Andy McCurry, McCurry Furniture, Warrior, Ala., who received the President's Award.
The following were announced as SEHFA's new slate of officers: Mark Godwin, Hainje's Home Furnishings, Brewton, Ala., president; Andy McCurry, executive committee chair; Wogie Badcock III, W.S. Badcock Corp., Mulberry, Fla., first vice president; and Jacob Shevin, Standard Furniture, Birmingham, Al., treasurer. New to the board of directors is Rick Howard, Sklar Furnishings, Boca Raton, Fla.
Southeastern Home Furnishings Association is a regional affiliate of the National Home Furnishings Association serving furniture retailers in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
June 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on July 1, 2010
Simonet Home Furnishings & Design has re-opened in Stillwater, Minn., as Simonet Furniture and Flooring Outlet, the Stillwater Gazette reported Tuesday.
Simonet Furniture & Design had closed in March last year due to the slow economy, but is coming back under the leadership of Mike Kranz and Mike O'Brien, great-great-grandson of Sebastian Simonet, who founded the store in 1864.
"Our hope is to continue the 145-year legacy with hometown service and contemporary merchandise," Mike O'Brien said in the report. "The furniture will be constantly changing and customers will receive the same local service they've relied on for decades."
Simonet Furniture and Flooring Outlet plans a grand reopening event for July 19-25 at the 30,000-square foot store.
June 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on July 1, 2010
World Market Center Las Vegas has announced a slate of educational programming for the inaugural Gift + Home show, which will run in conjunction with Las Vegas Market, August 2-6.
A unique roster of speakers will share merchandising secrets, trend forecasting and insight into the minds of consumers.
"Gift is one of the most fun categories in our industry, but keeping up with evolving trends for the different product categories is a challenge" said Margaret Casey, director of programming for World Market Center Las Vegas. "Bringing in fresh perspectives is important--it's a very competitive business."
Gift guru, best-selling author and "Today" show regular Robyn Spizman will share core trends and secrets of gift giving with "Trends that Never Go Out of Style," Monday, August 2, 2-3 p.m., Building C 4th Floor. A leading trend expert, Spizman will help retailers think outside the box and stay relevant.
Sara Lyle, Home, Lifestyle and Gift Guide editor for Good Housekeeping magazine, will lead the Gift Forecast seminar. The publication polled readers to discover the kinds of gifts consumers really want.
Other highlights from the Gift + Home show programming include "Create Award-Winning Window Displays on a Budget," presented by Patricia Norins, publisher, Gift Shop Magazine, Wednesday, August 4, 12 p.m. Building C, 4th floor, which promises to deliver hands-on inspirational ideas to help create impactful window displays that will attract more customers and sell more products.
"Resort Retail: Competing for the Consumer's Dollar," presented by Joseph Federici, vice president, divisional merchandise manager, MGM Mirage Retail--set for Wednesday, August 4, 11 a.m.-noon, Building B 16th floor--will showcase the powerhouse behind MGM Mirage's 200 retail outlets. Federici has been a gift buyer for more than 19 years, none of which have been more challenging than the recent shifting economic times.
Jenny Heinzen York will present "From the Retail Floor: Home Accents Today Retailer Roundtable," Monday, August 2, 11-noon, Building C, 4th floor. Heinzen York, editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today, will take an in-depth look at new data fresh from the retail floor and a panel of retailers will weigh in on what's happening on their own sales floors.
The Gift + Home Launch Party, Tuesday, August 3, 5-6:30 p.m., Building C, 5th Floor, offers complimentary cocktails, hors douevres, and chances to win prizes.
June 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on July 1, 2010
World Market Center Las Vegas has announced a slate of educational programming for the inaugural Gift + Home show, which will run in conjunction with Las Vegas Market, August 2-6.
A unique roster of speakers will share merchandising secrets, trend forecasting and insight into the minds of consumers.
"Gift is one of the most fun categories in our industry, but keeping up with evolving trends for the different product categories is a challenge" said Margaret Casey, director of programming for World Market Center Las Vegas. "Bringing in fresh perspectives is important--it's a very competitive business."
Gift guru, best-selling author and "Today" show regular Robyn Spizman will share core trends and secrets of gift giving with "Trends that Never Go Out of Style," Monday, August 2, 2-3 p.m., Building C 4th Floor. A leading trend expert, Spizman will help retailers think outside the box and stay relevant.
Sara Lyle, Home, Lifestyle and Gift Guide editor for Good Housekeeping magazine, will lead the Gift Forecast seminar. The publication polled readers to discover the kinds of gifts consumers really want.
Other highlights from the Gift + Home show programming include "Create Award-Winning Window Displays on a Budget," presented by Patricia Norins, publisher, Gift Shop Magazine, Wednesday, August 4, 12 p.m. Building C, 4th floor, which promises to deliver hands-on inspirational ideas to help create impactful window displays that will attract more customers and sell more products.
"Resort Retail: Competing for the Consumer's Dollar," presented by Joseph Federici, vice president, divisional merchandise manager, MGM Mirage Retail--set for Wednesday, August 4, 11 a.m.-noon, Building B 16th floor--will showcase the powerhouse behind MGM Mirage's 200 retail outlets. Federici has been a gift buyer for more than 19 years, none of which have been more challenging than the recent shifting economic times.
Jenny Heinzen York will present "From the Retail Floor: Home Accents Today Retailer Roundtable," Monday, August 2, 11-noon, Building C, 4th floor. Heinzen York, editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today, will take an in-depth look at new data fresh from the retail floor and a panel of retailers will weigh in on what's happening on their own sales floors.
The Gift + Home Launch Party, Tuesday, August 3, 5-6:30 p.m., Building C, 5th Floor, offers complimentary cocktails, hors douevres, and chances to win prizes.
June 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on July 1, 2010
Even as we start to emerge from the recent recessionwhich caused thousands of furniture stores to close there are hard-won lessons to reflect on. Simply surviving in a difficult environment is a victory, and the good news is that the stores that remain (along with their battle-tested owners) are poised to gain market share as customers finally begin to replace some of their aging, outdated furniture.
So, as we wish for the most vigorous recovery possible, its a good time to take a look in the rearview mirror to consider some of the painful learning opportunities of the recession. Among historys lessons it would be unwise to repeat:
COSTLY REAL ESTATEIts become clear many furniture stores were paying far too much rent on top-tier locations. In the early part of the decade, robust furniture sales in many fast-growing housing markets prompted furniture retailers to expand in the very best locations (adjoining malls or at the highest-traffic intersections). When home values dropped and consumers purses snapped shut, it became clear that its difficult for furniture stores to sustain the kind of sales levels that go hand-in-hand with the very best Class A sites.
Historically, many furniture retailers have thrived in less visible, secondary locationsjust as many interstate motels operate in slightly out-of-the-way areas, tucked behind a popular restaurant or on a service road that parallels a high-traffic shopping strip. Since furniture stores are usually large, theres a multitude of ways to use the buildings façade and signage to draw in shoppers. Of course, secondary locations also demand your advertising is highly effective and your Web site engages the shopper before she makes a trip to the store itself.
INFLATED FIXED COSTSLike entrepreneurs everywhere, its easy for furniture store owners to focus so intently on day-to-day challenges that longer-term considerations become an afterthought. As a result, an insurance policy (or the advertising account) is often entrusted to a neighbor, a golfing partner, or the firm the store owners father used. The extreme financial pressures of the past couple of years prompted many store owners to more closely assess fixed costs, including the question of whether your local providers are charging nationally competitive rates. In many cases, those store owners called in larger service providers that specialize in home furnishings for a comprehensive audit. Often, store owners reduced fixed costs and improved cash flow.
XXL STORESEven Walmart seems to be coming to the conclusion that 120,000-square-foot stores are too vast for a quick bread-and-milk shopping trip, and theyre experimenting with small formats. In the same way, Ashley is finding success with 5,000-square-foot stores in some markets. In recent years, Ive worked with a number of independents that are using technology to boost sales in small formats. With video catalogs displayed on high-definition flat-screen televisions, shoppers can see expanded offerings of collections they like and sit on a few examples of the collection in the store. Unlike in the past, the customers orders often arrive in daysnot weeks.
Were also seeing large furniture stores create separate entrances for a distinct mattress area or a bedroom gallery to appeal to shoppers who simply dont want to navigate through an enormous space to find a single item. Furniture Row has used the same strategy for years to position itself as a communitys mattress specialist with Denver Mattress, as well as that same citys leading seating store through Sofa Mart.
SUB-PAR STAFFINGHigh turnover has always been a huge management challenge, but one outgrowth of the current economy is that sales associates are likely to have a longer tenure with your store. With this in mind, its wise to invest in sales training (and eliminate sub-par sellers) because its more important than ever to turn every browser into a buyer. Your store probably does enough product knowledge training, but most stores need to create opportunities to boost selling skills. The reality is that every customer who comes in has already shopped your store via the Internet, and its the initial interaction with one of your store associates that will determine whether she buys in your store today.
MIS-MERCHANDISINGIts unfortunate that the recession caused so many furniture chains to cut visual merchandising jobs in recent years. The result has been dull, drab and uninspiring showrooms, and I think those boring beige displays are hurting sales. Some stores are responding by arranging for skilled merchandisers to come in on an occasional basis, and Im visiting several stores at the start of each season to plan upcoming displays with an eye toward freshening the showroom and adding some of the color and style that shoppers complain has been lacking of late. HFB