May 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on May 14, 2010
Dallas Market Center will launch InStore LIVE! The Workshop for Successful Retailers during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, June 23-29.
The intensive five-hour workshop, sponsored by the Dallas Market Center's magazine, InStore, will offer retailers practical advice for enhancing their business. The workshop will be held 1-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 23 in the
Expo area between the World Trade Center and International Floral & Gift Center.
"InStore LIVE! is our response to the positive feedback we have received about InStore magazine," said Jane R. Robertson, executive vice president of marketing, Dallas Market Center. "Our goal is to continue strengthening our partnership with retailers by sharing the insights and ideas from InStore industry experts in a face-to-face, personal format. This is an opportunity for buyers to come in on the front of market and acquire practical, tactical information in a concentrated timeframe."
Registration for InStore LIVE! is $99, which includes all seminars, educational materials, refreshments and a $60 hotel voucher that can be applied to the Wednesday hotel cost. To register for InStore LIVE! e-mail here or log on to the Dallas Market Center Web site.
Dallas Total Home & Gift Market includes multiple markets held simultaneously so that buyers may select from a wide range of product categories: Dallas Holiday & Home Expo, June 23-29; Dallas International Lighting Market, June 24-27; Dallas Hospitality & Contract Design Show, June 24-27; and FINDS Dallas Temp Show, June 25-28.
Attendees may contact the Dallas Market Center in-house travel agency, Market Travel, for substantial travel and hotel discounts by calling 800.DAL.MKTS.
May 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on May 14, 2010
E.S. Kluft & Co., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., maker and distributor of the
Aireloom and Kluft brand mattresses, has named 30-year mattress industry veteran Howard Galant senior vice president of sales, a position that has been vacant since November 2008.
He will focus on strategic growth opportunities for the company while overseeing existing key accounts and managing the national sales team.
"As our brands grow, we continue to make investments in the sales organization to provide a new level of service to our retailers," said E.S. Kluft & Co. President and CEO Earl Kluft. "Howard is one of the most respected sales executives in our business and brings a whole new level of vision and leadership to that division."
Kluft has worked with Galant several times over the past few decades, first at Spring Air and more recently at Comfort Solutions.
Galant began his career at Serta in 1980 as a sales representative. He then worked at Sealy and Stearns and Foster as a key account manager. He then joined Spring Air, first as vice president of key accounts and then as southwest regional vice president of sales from 2000 to 2008. Prior to joining E.S. Kluft, Galant was regional vice president of sales at Comfort Solutions.
"Earl has always been the design, performance and comfort leader in our business, particularly in the luxury sector. He is the person the industry has come to watch to tell us what the next luxury trend will be," said Galant. "I am very excited to work with Earl and his management team once again and work with the nations top retailers who carry our brands."
May 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on May 14, 2010
The Western Home Furnishings Association 2010 Conference & Expo at Disneys Grand California Hotel and Spa in Anaheim, Calif, drew 280 furniture retail attendees, a three-year high for the event.
"This year's conference was an extraordinary event," said WHFA Executive Director Sharron Bradley. "There was a positive energy in the air as attendees were eager to learn about new ideas and push past the economic difficulties our industry has faced over the last few years. The magic of Disney also brought in a special touch that left retailers and vendors refreshed and inspired to build a better retail operation."
The three-day conference started off with the dynamic opening session, "Make Some Noise," presented by Ken Schmidt, former director of communications at Harley-Davidson. During his presentation, Schmidt shared with the audience the story of how Harley-Davidson went from a struggling business to being a successful motorcycle company by connecting with their customer and learning what they really wantedthe ability to create customized motorcycles.
Each morning started with a jolt during the EXpresso Expo sessions, which offered attendees 20-minute shots of education. A highlight to this year's EXpresso Expo was a special presentation by Jim "Mack" McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, Texas. McIngvale inspired and moved the audience with his story of Gallery Furniture; from the first time he created a television ad to the day that he thought he had lost it all when his main store and warehouse were set on fire by an arsonist. Through McIngvale's stories, attendees learned different tips and tricks on how they could make their operation the "Worlds Best Furniture Store."
Another highlight of the conference was the ability to learn from Disney during the special Disney Institute session on building brand loyalty. Presenting the Disney cycle of introducing brands to customers at an early age, this session showed attendees how to build brand loyalists of their business and how to use specific marketing tactics to attract people of all ages to their store.
Continuing with the business behind the magic, the two-part series by retail consultants Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender on The Science of Shopping, helped attendees look even further into how Disney creates unique merchandising displays and the little tricks the company uses to get their customer to spend money.
"Going into the conference, I had high expectations because of the line-up of speakers, but I have to say, the conference far exceeded my expectations," said WHFA President Claudia LeClair of Fiesta Furnishings. Having the Disney Institute on board provided a rare insight into the operations and talented minds behind what is one of the most recognized brands in the world. I think everyone who attended will agree that the combination of speakers, seminars and fun made this one of the best conferences ever."
When attendees werent busy soaking up new knowledge, they were given numerous opportunities to network with one another and learn from each others stories. Whether it was during nightly dinners or the retailer roundtables, attendees left feeling like they had taken away at least one new idea to implement in their business.
The event closed Tuesday night with the Retailer of the Year Gala sponsored by Serta. During the gala, Mitchell Gold of upholstered furniture maker Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, presented the 2010 Western Retailer of the Year Award to Jim Hering and Ron Werner, co-owners of HW Home in Boulder, Colo. Surrounded by an audience that included close family, friends, vendors and industry peers, Hering and Werner accepted the award with great honor.
The 2011 NHFA/WHFA All Industry Convention will be held next April 30-May 2 in San Antonio, Texas.
May 12,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on May 13, 2010
Stanley Furniture (NASDAQ: STLY), one of the few case goods company that was making product domestically, plans to move that production offshore.
The move will impact 530 employees at the company's Stanleytown, Va., factory. The move does not change the company's strategy to produce its
Young America nursery and youth line. The company reported a net loss of $19 million for the first quarter ended April 3 compared to a $2.4 million loss in the same quarter of last year. Net sales for the quarter were $36.5 million, a 8.5 percent slide from $39.8 million during the first quarter last year.
Stanley said the path to profitability is through an offshore supply strategy. The company will transition the majority of its Stanleytown, Va., facility to a number of key offshore vendors with whom it has existing relationships.
Most of the factory will become a warehouse and distribution center. In addition, the company will retain a domestic assembly and finish processing in its Martinsville, Va., facility that will allow Stanley to offer multiple finish options on specific items throughout its lines.
Young America will continue to be manufactured in Robbinsville, N.C., except for certain SKUs that will be phased over to offshore vendors to lower the cost.
"We believe any sound business must have a strategy which satisfies customer needs and differentiates itself from its competition, said Glenn Prillaman, president and chief executive officer. Domestic manufacturing seamlessly blended with overseas sourcing has been the hallmark of our companys operations model for over 10 years. Over that time period, the
driving factors of demand for each of our two major product lines have become increasingly unique and we must adjust to address these changes in the marketplace."
Prillaman said the company's focus on domestic production for Young America is imperative to ensure quick ship and its product offering.
"We continue to serve our Young America customers with differentiating features such as multiple finish options and functional flexibility ..." he said. "Our transition away from overseas sources with this product line began late last year and it continues to challenge us. We believe we have dedicated the appropriate resources to improve our efficiencies in our Robbinsville, N.C., facility where the majority of the product line is made."
Prillman said the company will be implementing a price increase charging for the features and benefits it has added to the line.
Stanley expects restructuring expenses of about $12 million to $15 million as the plan is implemented over the balance of this year. The company said it expects most of the staffing reduction to take place in the fourth quarter of this year.
"Obviously we are disappointed with our operating results," Prillaman said. "However, after a significant amount of careful planning, we are taking decisive actions to establish a path toward profitability. Due to the depth and length of this recession and the continued sluggishness of the housing market, many of our end consumers simply are not in the marketplace for premium residential wood furniture. Unfortunately, the decrease in demand for premium residential wood furniture has resulted in a unit volume well below the amount necessary to support a facility the size of Stanleytown. We deeply regret the impact this will have on our associates affected by this decision."
Stanley has renegotiated the terms of its long-term debt to provide for a pay down of notes with a no pre-payment penalty to reduce future interest expense while maintaining flexibility through the first quarter of 2011. The interest rate on the notes remains the same, but the loan is now secured by company assets.
"We believe we can differentiate our products by creating more tasteful fashion and styling at an accessible value for todays changing consumer without merely utilizing Asian manufacturing to source commodity furniture and market solely on price," Prillaman said. "We believe our
remaining domestic manufacturing efforts will add substantial value and further differentiate our products from competitors in our price segment. We think an increasing number of affluent consumers around the world seek choice and customization. Additionally, our retailers need timely product support and service. It is very difficult to face the fact that consumer demand will no longer support the livelihoods of so many, but our company must move forward. With our new plans, we believe Stanley Furniture will thrive once again, playing an influential role in our segment of the furniture industry."
In addition, the company said Albert Prillaman will retire as chairman at the end of the year. He will continue to serve as a director.
"I am confident in the company's strategy with the restructuring plan announced today," he said. "Now that the transition to a new CEO is complete and we have developed this restructuring plan, the end of the year is an appropriate time for me to step down as chairman."
Michael Haley has been elected as lead director for the company's board. Haley has served as an independent director since April 2003 and is chairman of the corporate governance and nominating committee on the board.
May 12,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on May 13, 2010
Furniture retailer Leon's, Toronto, on Wednesday announced first-quarter 2010 sales of C$42.3 million, a 3 percent increase over the prior-year period.
Net income for the first quarter, which ended March 31, was $11.97 million, an increase of 41.7 percent.
Higher sales were aided by a general improvement in the economy along with a strong marketing and merchandising effort. The profit improvement was mainly the result of three key factors: higher sales compared to the prior-year quarter; an improvement in our gross margin which was aided by the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and a more favorable product mix; and the continuation of improved productivity and expense controls that were initiated in the prior year.
Leon's plans to increase the pace of its expansion over the next five years with the goal of opening approximately five stores per year. This year, Leon's already has begun construction on a new 73,000-square-foot facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario; and will soon begin construction on a new 84,000-square-foot building in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Leon's also recently signed a lease for a 76,000-square-foot store in Guelph, Ontario, and will completely renovate the building for an opening in summer 2011.