Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
April 28,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 29, 2010
The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation has named new officers and directors.
Elected as Board president are Jeff Cook, Broyhill Furniture Industries; first vice president, Kurt L. Darrow, La-Z-Boy Inc.; second vice president, Randy Ford, Leggett & Platt; and secretary-treasurer, George Cartledge III, Grand Home Furnishings.
New directors serving a three-year term are Bill Markowitz, The Veneman Group and Doug Wolf, Wolf Furniture.
"The Hall of Fame is at a pivotal point," Cook said. "We must preserve our histories and the stories of our legends now because they are about to slip away from us forever. We are in the process of publishing 40 oral histories for sale to the industry, launching a call for memorabilia before it ends up in landfills, conducting a campaign to encourage companies to preserve their own histories, and preparing to professionally compile a history of the industry. And, thats just for starters.
Re-elected members serving an additional three-year term are Alex Bernhardt Jr., Bernhardt Furniture Company; Don Dreher, DMI Furniture Inc.; and Jerry Epperson, Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd.
New Legacy Board members are: John Bassett, III, Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co.; and Sonny Roseman, C.R. Laine Furniture Company.
April 28,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on April 29, 2010
A furniture store in downtown Casper, Wyo., was evacuated because of a fire Wednesday, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
Fire officials are investigating a small blaze at Plains Furniture and Carpeting that began yesterday morning.
The store was evacuated, and the fire in the basement was quickly extinguished.
April 28,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Rugs on April 29, 2010
Capel Rugs, Troy, N.C., has unveiled its 2010 Look Book, the company's first-ever consumer direct mail catalog. Focusing on price, value and variety, the 48-page, full-color catalog offers retailers a customizable way to reach ready-to-buy, new audiences.
The promotional catalog presents more than 100 of Capel's best-selling rugs including contemporary, traditional, casual, eco-friendly, outdoor and kids' collections. There is a strong consumer incentive to purchase, with prices up to 60 percent off manufacturer's suggested retail price throughout the book.
"At Capel, we are committed to supporting our dealers," said Capel Rugs Vice President of Sales Allen Robertson. "We developed our 2010 Look Book as a way to enhance the consumer experience and facilitate communications between consumers and retail stores."
To aid retailers in their own marketing plans, the 2010 Look Book can be distributed as a direct mail piece to consumers, designers and other prospects, and as an in-store and trade show takeaway. Dealers have the opportunity to customize the back cover of the catalog with a logo, store contact information and additional sales incentives such as a coupon.
The catalogs are available to all Capel Rugs dealers through the end of 2010. For information, contact Vice President of Marketing Bud Young, at 800.425.7847.
April 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Home Office on April 28, 2010
Sligh Furniture, Holland, Mich., has added video animation to its Web site in order to illustrate furniture product features to consumers.
The company wanted the ability to demonstrate features such as the SmartEye infrared remote control mechanism and the StrongArm television mounting device to consumers looking at products online versus in the store.
"With Sligh, technology can be beautiful," said Rob Sligh, the company's chairman. "It's where high design meets high tech, and animation is the best way to show that."
Sligh worked with Web developers to produce three-dimensional animated videos to illustrate how its SmartEye infrared device allows control of audio, video, and gaming equipment that is stored behind closed wood doors; how the Sligh SmartFan's automatic cooling technology ensures high-end electronics are protected from overheating, along with their built-in Smart Ventilation technology; and, how the StrongArm television mounting mechanism gives consumers the ability to adjust the height, angle, and tilt of their flat-screen television based on their individual needs.
Additional video animation and other audio-visual enhancements already are in the works for existing and new technologies.
"It is important to remain consistent," said Sligh. "By incorporating cutting edge technology to show these features, the concept coincides with our products and the values we have as a company."
April 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on April 28, 2010
Ethan Allen (NYSE: ETH) reported net sales of $147.3 million for the quarter ended March 31, up 5 percent from the same quarter last year.
The
furniture retailer reported a net loss for the quarter of $900,000, compared with a loss of $48.7 million during the third quarter last year.
For the nine-month period, the company reported net sales of $426.8 million, as compared to $535.6 million during the same period last year. The year-to-date loss was $17.8 million, compared to a reported loss of $35.8 million during the first nine months of last year.
The Great Recession has provided us an opportunity to examine every aspect of our business and undertake major improvements to all aspects of our vertically integrated structure," said Farooq Kathwari, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We have also focused on improving our liquidity. Our total cash, investments, and restricted cash at March 31, 2010 was $85 million; an increase of 61 percent since June 30, 2009.
While we are gratified with the increase in booked orders during the quarter, the major progress in our initiatives, and the positive news of consumer confidence, we remain cautious as the improvement in the economy is still at an early stage with many uncertainties on the horizon," he said.