June 10,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on June 11, 2010
Case goods manufacturer and importer Martin Home Furnishings, San Diego, announced that it now stocks more than 40,000 replacement parts for both domestic and imported product at its warehouse, and also at its wholly owned factory in Mexico.
The San Diego warehouse stocks more than 5,000 bar coded bins of new replacement parts. An advanced computerized coding system allows parts to be located and shipped quickly and for inventory to be monitored. Orange safety nets keep the parts in place in the event of an
earthquake or other natural disaster.
Martin's Mexico factory can manufacture parts on site and ship directly to the customer. Martin also stocks parts for discontinued items up to ten years. Parts are sent out to customers five days a week, with a turnaround time of seven to 15 days. If the product is under warranty, customers can ship the products to Martin for repair or replacement and the item is shipped back to the customer without charge.
Customer service will respond to a customer inquiry within two hours and can be reached by phone, fax or e-mail. Contact information is available on the Martin Home Furnishings Web site as well as on all hangtags that come with Martin products.
June 9,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on June 10, 2010
Case goods and upholstery furniture vendor Hooker Furniture Corp., Martinsville, Va., (NASDAQ-GS:HOFT) has named Bruce Cohenour as president of Hooker Furniture Case Goods.
For the last year, Cohenour has headed Hooker's case goods merchandising and marketing as executive vice president of marketing. In his expanded role, he will be responsible for sales, merchandising, marketing and operations for the wood furniture division and will report to Paul B. Toms Jr., CEO and chairman of the board.
"We believe Bruce is uniquely qualified to lead the wood furniture division," Toms said. "He completely understands the product, pricing and services we need to offer to be a preferred supplier to our customers. Bruce personifies the values of our company. Our employees, reps, customers and suppliers all have great respect for him and are motivated by his enthusiasm, optimism and the lofty goals he sets."
Cohenour joined the Hooker Furniture management team in 2007 as senior vice president of national accounts and business development after serving for 12 years as a sales representative for the company in Northern Texas and Oklahoma. Prior to joining Hooker, he was a regional sales manager for La-Z-Boy, responsible for the central region of the United States. He began his furniture industry career in retail with his family's store in Bradenton, Fla.
"I'm humbled at this honor, yet relish the extraordinary opportunities that are ahead for Hooker Furniture," Cohenour said. "In addition to having what I consider to be the best team of people in the furniture business, our financial strength and marketing strategy put us in an enviable position to take this company to the next level."
June 9,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on June 10, 2010
It's official. Chinese furniture maker Anji Yuankai Furniture Co. Ltd. will establish its U.S. headquarters in Marion, Ind., creating up to 100 new jobs over the next four years.
In early April, Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold and Director of Development Darren Reese went to China for final meetings to complete the deal.
Established in 1998, Anji Yuankai Furniture Co. (Y.K. Furniture) operates an upholstery manufacturing facility in Zhejiang Province, Indiana's Chinese sister-state. The company plans to begin hiring associates for the U.S. subsidiary, King's Group USA LLC, in October in anticipation of the start of assembly and distribution operations.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered King's Group up to $475,000 in performance-based tax credits. In addition, the IEDC will provide the city of Marion $200,000 from the Industrial Development Grant Fund toward road improvements needed at the site. The city of Marion has negotiated a favorable sale price to King's Group of the currently blighted 12-acre site in return for short term rehabilitation, new construction and job creation in concert with establishment of the "Global Marion Center" by King's Group to recruit more Chinese manufacturers.
June 9,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on June 10, 2010
K. Patrick Smith has started his own company,
Patrick Smith Consulting, which specializes in supply chain efficiencies for the furniture industry.
The company will offer expertise in furniture and home furnishings supply chain management, including operations, warehousing, inventory management, packaging design, domestic and international logistics and final delivery.
"In today's volatile business environment, it is imperative for business owners to examine and evaluate their business processes relative to their supply chain," Smith said. "Our 25 years of industry experience and available resources allow us to bring strategic efficiencies and supply chain solutions to the table that are designed to reduce cost, enhance the consumer experience and significantly improve the client's position."
Smith has been involved in the furniture industry for nearly 30 years and has had a lengthy career in logistics. He is a former vice president of sales and marketing for Worldwide Logistics and former president of
Cargo Consolidation Services.
He serves on the board of the Furniture Foundation and
FurnPAC, the political action committee for the furniture industry. He is a member of the
American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) Suppliers Division, where he served both as a past president and as a member of their executive committee. He served as a member of the AHFA Packaging Committee that developed the testing standards now known as Rule 181, the furniture industry packaging test standard. He has also held key positions in the past with the
Specialized Furniture Carriers Association, and was instrumental in their merger with the American Home Furnishings Alliance Suppliers Division.
"We understand the furniture supply chainfrom raw material to final customer," Smith said. "We offer the perfect combination of strategic thinking, innovative problem solving, and hands-on, real world experience to help evaluate transportation and logistics expenditures and implement improvements whether youre a retailer, manufacturer, importer or supplier."
June 9,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 10, 2010
This week's video takes us to a furniture in Russia that was invaded by a crew from
Improv Everywhere, a group that causes scenes of chaos in public places.
The video shows the group "overtaking" the store for naps and the reaction of the store manager. What would you do in this situation?
Enjoy!