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Idaho Independent Closes

By Home Furnishings Business in Store Openings on April 20, 2010

After selling everything but the office furniture and some oriental rugs, Michael's Furniture Showplace in Boise, Idaho, closed for good the Idaho Statesman reported.

A contractor is any remaining rugs, and the office furniture may be sold at a yard sale.

A going-out-of-business sale started in January.

Check Out Step on the Gas

By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on April 20, 2010 Be sure to click over the HFBusiness.com and read Dino Green's blog, Step on the Gas, for information on smart outsourcing.

Green, director of sales and marketing for Diakon Logistics is a regular blogger for us online, and today is his first entry. We'll keep you informed through HFBusiness NOW! when it is updated.

Click here and you'll be taken straight to the page. Comments? Either submit a comment online to join the discussion or e-mail Sheila Long O'Mara.

Hickory Chair Achieves Sustainable by Design Designation

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on April 18, 2010

Hickory Chair Furniture Co., Hickory, N.C., achieved Sustainable by Design environmental certification from the American Home Furnishings Alliance last week.

Hickory Chair has been making measurable environmental improvements at its Hickory, N.C., manufacturing facility since 1997, when the company instituted its EDGE (Employees Dedicated to Growth and Excellence) continuous improvement initiative.

"Through EDGE, our initial goal was to recycle and repurpose all of our waste materials," said Hickory Chair President Jay Reardon. "As we made great progress in our recycling and repurposing efforts, we realized that we needed to design the waste out of the process from the beginning."

In 2008, Hickory Chair entered AHFA's voluntary environmental management program, EFEC (Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture), which requires companies to adopt a culture of environmental stewardship by showing improvements in management of resources and raw materials; reductions in energy and water consumption; and reductions in waste disposal and associated costs.

Donna Musick, Hickory Chair's environmental coordinator, says the company's improvements fell into three key areas: better machine utilization, which reduced energy consumption; process improvements, which eliminated additional work and wasted materials; and eliminating non-value added operations, which improved productivity and reduced energy and materials usage.

Hickory Chair earned its EFEC registration in September 2008. Three months later the company was awarded the industry's first Sage Award. The program, which is sponsored by AHFA and Cargill's BiOH polyols business unit, recognizes home furnishings companies that are environmental leaders.

Next the company took on Sustainable by Design certification. To pass its SBD audit, Hickory Chair was required to conduct a rigorous evaluation of its corporate environmental footprint, as well as its global climate impact. For each key area on a checklist, Hickory Chair established numerical goals and a system for evaluating annual achievement and establishing new goals. These key areas include: supply chain management, including assisting suppliers worldwide in the development and implementation of sustainability programs; energy conservation, water conservation, recycling and solid/hazardous waste minimization; use of low VOC/low HAP coatings, certified lumber, low-emitting UF resins; greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint.

As Hickory Chair worked its way through the checklist in 2009, the company continued reducing landfill waste, which fell by 178 tons in 2007 and another 125 tons in 2008. A wood grinder purchased in 2008 has improved use of wood scrap as boiler fuel and resulted in a $450,000 savings in fuel oil expenses during its first year of operation.

"Hickory Chair has implemented these and many more effective environmental programs and practices while growing its profitability," said Reardon, who added that the company has only increased prices once in the past eight years, despite initiating these programs. "We believe people care about where and how furnishings for their homes are made. In addition, we feel that there is a growing interest in companies who are trying to reduce their environmental footprint."

Last week Hickory Chair's documentation of all its systems and measures was audited by the Sustainable by Design Board of Examiners. The company will be subject to an annual maintenance audit in order to maintain its SBD certification.

In addition to Hickory Chair, C.R. Laine, Kincaid Furniture, American Drew and Lea Industries have all achieved Sustainable by Design certification.

United to Open N.C. Factory

By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on April 18, 2010

United Furniture Industries, Okolona, Miss., will open an upholstery manufacturing operation in a former Stanley distribution facility in Lexington, N.C., Governor Bev Perdue announced Friday.

The company plans to create 150 jobs and invest more than $3.3 million during the next three years in Lexington. A $125,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund helped secure United's decision. 

United Furniture Industries produces affordable living room furniture, including sofas, chairs, recliners, sleepers and other items.  United Furniture currently has five locations, including three in Mississippi and two in North Carolina. The existing N.C. facilities, located in Archdale and High Point, employ about 400 people.

United Furniture plans to purchase the vacant Stanley Furniture distribution facility in Lexington, where it will assemble frame materials, foam and upholstered material from outside vendors into finished furniture products.    

"Davidson County and Lexington were chosen as a result of availability of facilities and workforce, cooperation of state and local officials, and proximity to our existing North Carolina facilities and our customer base," said Larry George, president of United Furniture Industries. "We look forward to continuing our growth and presence in North Carolina and would like to thank all of those involved in making this happen."

Berkline Launches "Buy-One, Get-One" Promotion

By Home Furnishings Business in Motion Upholstery on April 18, 2010

Morristown, Tenn.-based recliner, sofa and home theater seating manufacturer Berkline has launched a "Buy-One, Get-One" recliner promotion at this week's High Point Market.

The BOGO promotion gives retailers the opportunity to offer consumers two recliners for the price of one with five different style choices ranging from $499 to $899 in a wide array of Berkline's color and cover options.
 
"The number of styles, not to mention the selection of colors and covers, extends beyond what is typically included in this type of program," said Bo Morrison, Berkline's director of sales and merchandising, recliners and home theater. "We're launching a program for our customers that is more dynamic than what we€™re currently seeing in the market."
 
Morrison noted that there is no added charge for special orders.

"This is a very unique component of the program that's especially appealing when offered alongside guaranteed production time of 21 days," he said.
 
Customers can choose from two different fabrics and nine colors for Style #70117 ($499) and Style #70116 ($599). Both are available as either a Rock-a-Lounger, which rocks or reclines, or a Wallaway, which allows the chair to fully recline even when placed within inches of a wall.
 
There are also five fabrics and 28 colors to select from for Style #70118 ($699) and Style #70119 ($799), both of which will be available (with or without PowerRecline) as Rock-a-Loungers, Wallaways, or Swivel Gliders.
 
Style #70120 ($899) has the same color and cover choices as #70119 and #70118 and can be purchased as a Rock-a-Lounger or Wallaway (with or without PowerRecline) but also has built-in storage and/or a massage function.
 
"Our dealers can run the BOGO program in their stores without having to buy a lot of inventory or disrupt their normal business," said Morrison. "On top of that, we're fulfilling special orders without any upcharge," which he said is a differentiator from from competitors' programs.

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