Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
May 4,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on May 5, 2010
Pico Rivera, Calif.-based case goods and upholstery furniture vendor AICO/Amini Innovation Corp. has promoted Martin Ploy to president, replacing Larry Rinaldi who recently retired.
Ploy has been with the company for eight years, and served as executive vice president for the past five years.
Ploy's past experiences included many diverse aspects of the furniture industry. After two years in manufacturing at Maywood Furniture, he learned the retail business during his 17 years at RB Furniture, where he eventually became executive vice president of the 77-store chain. He left to go into wholesale, where he held executive positions with Kanowsky Furniture and BenchCraft Furniture. Ploy then returned to retail as president of Krause's Sofa Factory before joining AICO in 2002.
"Martin's manufacturing, retail, sales, marketing and managerial background has allowed him to know all of the varied aspects of business," said AICO Founder and CEO, Michael Amini in a company announcement. "His broad breadth of experiences has always provided us with a unique and solid perspective as to how we should value our employees, customers and our suppliers, with an aggressive drive and critical eye on building our business for the future. Additionally, he is intimately familiar with the dynamics and unique culture of our company.
"His pleasant personality, and 'do it now' (manner) has achieved great credibility with our employees, sales people and our customers. There are very few people in the furniture industry who dont know and enjoy Martins interpersonal style and his intimate caring for both their business and personal success. I have no doubt that Martin's leadership will help take our company to new heights of success with increased consumer awareness, continued growth of customer appreciation and the reputation of attracting the best people available to keep the momentum moving ahead at AICO."
One of Ploys first responsibilities will be to analyze and oversee the strategic realignment of the company, which will include making some key internal moves, as well as adding certain needed positions.
"With the huge success of the recent collaboration between Michael and Jane Seymour, we must stay focused on our furniture merchandising, presentation, marketing and greater recognition of our brand," Ploy said. "We will need to expand our team ... and our thinking about taking our current momentum and using it as a springboard for achieving the next level."
Ploy said he was honored and excited about heading up the AICO organization.
"The wonderful team of people here, the overflowing of talent, and the committed loyalty and pride of everyone is a reflection of the unique leadership Michael provides," Ploy said. "The only thing that exceeds his business acumen and his unending creativity is the enormity of his heart."
May 4,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on May 5, 2010
Furniture retailer Pottery Barn's efforts were among the new iPad applications reviewed by BNet blogger Lydia Dishman.
Dishman noted that despite the iPad's selling a million devices in 28 days, half the time it took the ballyhooed iPhone to reach that level, retailers have been slow to adapt to the iPad.
In her blog, Dishman called The Gap's 1969 Stream app, which includes a store geo-locator and mobile-to-mobile discounts, a "home run."
eBay's iPad app got a "single" designation.
Pottery Barn's app, however, got a "swing and a miss" since the application only duplicates the furnishings retailer's catalog.
May 4,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 5, 2010
A former Starkville, Miss., furniture store owner's trial on fraud charges has been postponed, the Starkville Daily News reported Tuesday.
The trial of Tamara "Tammy" Christy on mail fraud charges, originally set to begin Monday in Oktibbeha County was re-set for July 27 at the request of prosecutors.
We asked for additional time to interview the defense witnesses, and the judge granted our request, said Assistant District Attorney Rhonda Hayes-Ellis in the report.
Christy owned a furniture store in 2003 and 2004 before it closed abruptly. The indictments accuse her of "making fraudulent representations or promises" by fax and by mail to three people across state lines.
"She is accused of devising a scheme to defraud people of money under the guise of providing furniture," Hayes-Ellis said.
May 4,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 5, 2010
The Tampa location of home furnishings retail giant Ikea will celebrate the furniture store's first year in business with a furniture giveaway, WTSP reported Tuesday.
This Thursday marks the Tampa Ikea's first birthday. To commemorate the occasion, the first 100 visitors (18 years or older) to IKEA Tampa's birthday celebration will receive a free Leksvik coffee table. The first 100 kids under 10 get a free Barnslig Struts soft toy.
On Friday, the first 100 visitors to the Ikea Tampa furniture store receive a mystery envelope containing an Ikea Gift Card or other prize. The first 100 visitors to the store on Saturday and Sunday also receive a mystery envelope.
The four-day celebration also includes a Tampa-only "Birthday Blow Out" 30 percent to 70 percent off select products throughout the store.
May 3,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 4, 2010
An announcement last week that Visa cut interchange, or "swipe" fees on debit transactions in Europe has drawn criticism from the Retail Leaders Industry Association, an Arlington, Va.-based trade group of major retailers.
While Visa Europe agreed to cap debit card interchange rates at 0.2 percent for four years, in the United States the Visa debit card interchange rate rose nearly 30 percent in April to 0.95 percent plus $0.20 for every transaction.
The move also likely foreshadows further Visa increases on the fees paid by American retailers unless Congress acts soon on debit interchange reform, according RILA. Interchange fees, which are imposed by the card association and issuing banks to process the credit and debit card transactions, have tripled in the United States since 2001 to $48 billion last year and amount to a hidden tax on consumers.
These "swipe fees" are charged to every retailer, small or large, for every credit and debit transaction processed. RILA noted a study released in March that identified swipe fees as stalling the creation of nearly a quarter million jobs.
"While most western economies have taken action to rein in excessive debit card swipe fees, here in the U.S. the credit and debit card industry continues to hurt retailers and consumers by setting rates indiscriminately and raising rates at will," said John Emling, senior vice president for government affairs at RILA. "Without interchange reforms in the U.S., reform in Europe means the credit card industry will look to American retailers and consumers to make up lost revenue. As Congress debates comprehensive financial reform, now is the time to bring appropriate oversight and transparency to interchange fees. ... The U.S. is fast becoming the only industrialized nation in the world that allows our own banks to stifle business growth by indiscriminately setting rates far above the cost associated with the service provided."
RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.