Daily News Archive
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June 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Legal on June 22, 2010
Slate.com blogger Florence Williams is wondering why her sofa needs flame retardants.
In a Monday posting, Williams noted that upon opening a sofa she'd ordered online from home furnishings retailer Ikea she "was soon overcome by a sweet and pungent chemical smell."
She noted that since a lot of companies want to do business in California, they must meet that state's strict flame retardant rules for furniture.
"Because national furniture makers want to sell to Californians, we're all sitting on flame retardants whichever state we live in," Williams wrote. "Americans, and Californians especially, have the highest blood and milk levels of flame retardants of anyone in the world. By a lot. We'd be better off with furniture made from wool and goose down. But as of yet, Ikea isn't offering any."
June 21,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on June 22, 2010
Talk about appealing to a target market. According to an article last week from Advertising Age, Pepsi Cola will emulate Argentine soccer coach Diego Maradona's pledge to run naked in Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup, now underway in South Africa.
Should Argentina win, Pepsi said the company will sell its soft drinks in Argentina with no label for a week.
"If the coach goes naked, we will, too," the company announced. "Pepsi promises."
June 20,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on June 21, 2010
Online home furnishings retailer Hayneedle.com announced on Thursday it will open a new customer service center in Omaha, Neb., next week.
The new, 28,000-square-foot Hayneedle.com Customer Care Center doubles the company's sales and service capacity, currently located at the company's West Omaha headquarters.
Hayneedle.com recently hired 40 new summer associates for its Customer Care Center. The new facility will flex from non-peak season employment of 100 sales and service associates to more than 250 full-time and seasonal associates during the company's historically busy fourth-quarter holiday shopping season. Unlike many retailers who outsource some or all of their contact center operation, Hayneedle.com operates a 100 percent Omaha-based Customer Care Center, centered in the city the company has called home since its founding in 2002.
The service provided by Hayneedle.com's dedicated associates enabled the Customer Care Center to achieve a greater than 50 percent increase in revenue contribution last year.
June 20,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on June 21, 2010
Online home furnishings retailer Hayneedle.com announced on Thursday it will open a new customer service center in Omaha, Neb., next week.
The new, 28,000-square-foot Hayneedle.com Customer Care Center doubles the company's sales and service capacity, currently located at the company's West Omaha headquarters.
Hayneedle.com recently hired 40 new summer associates for its Customer Care Center. The new facility will flex from non-peak season employment of 100 sales and service associates to more than 250 full-time and seasonal associates during the company's historically busy fourth-quarter holiday shopping season. Unlike many retailers who outsource some or all of their contact center operation, Hayneedle.com operates a 100 percent Omaha-based Customer Care Center, centered in the city the company has called home since its founding in 2002.
The service provided by Hayneedle.com's dedicated associates enabled the Customer Care Center to achieve a greater than 50 percent increase in revenue contribution last year.
June 20,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on June 21, 2010
The former owner of Tinsley's Furniture in Rock Hill, S.C., has returned to the retail fray with a new, multivendor business model in The Shoppes @ River's Edge, the Rock Hill Herald reported Thursday.
Tinsley's Furniture had closed in November in the face of the recession. The Shoppes @ River's Edge occupies the same building where the furniture store operated.
"This is kind of a rebirth for us," Owner Drenner Tinsley said in the report. "The concept allows people to come in and see so many different items for sale under one roof. We felt like bringing in a variety would suit the needs of more people."
The store has nearly 60 vendors so far, including Eclectic Transformation, which sells home decor and furniture; and vendors selling other products such as antiques, to jewelry, to sports memorabilia. The Shoppes also includes an art gallery featuring the work of local, regional and national artists.
Tinsley said in the report that despite the multiple vendors, The Shoppes @ River's Edge is not a flea market: "We're trying to keep it upscale."
The Shoppes has been open for three weeks, and a grand opening is set for Friday.