Daily News Archive
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April 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 14, 2010
David A. Davis has been named chief executive officer of Austin, Texas-based Provençal Home to lead the executive management team as chief executive officer.
Davis reports to store founders Sue Norris and Don Norris.
Over the years, David has held every possible store position from receiving to strategy to sales and customer service, said Sue Norris. His broad experience and understanding of the business and furniture industry and his passion for delighting our customers will help evolve our family business to thrive for generations to come.
In his new role, Davis is responsible for the strategic direction of Provençal Home overseeing all aspects of the business including strategy, sales, marketing and operations. As the stores first employee hired in 1994, Davis most recently served as vice president and general manager.
Working closely with the Norrises, Davis has helped grow the business from a small wedding registry and accessories store to a multi-million dollar furniture business with more than 9,000 square feet of show room space of furniture, rugs, lighting, linens and accessories serving thousands of customers locally and nationally.
Davis is a board member of Home Furnishings Independents Association.
Davis reports to store founders Sue Norris and Don Norris.
Over the years, David has held every possible store position from receiving to strategy to sales and customer service, said Sue Norris. His broad experience and understanding of the business and furniture industry and his passion for delighting our customers will help evolve our family business to thrive for generations to come.
In his new role, Davis is responsible for the strategic direction of Provençal Home overseeing all aspects of the business including strategy, sales, marketing and operations. As the stores first employee hired in 1994, Davis most recently served as vice president and general manager.
Working closely with the Norrises, Davis has helped grow the business from a small wedding registry and accessories store to a multi-million dollar furniture business with more than 9,000 square feet of show room space of furniture, rugs, lighting, linens and accessories serving thousands of customers locally and nationally.
Davis is a board member of Home Furnishings Independents Association.
April 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Retail Closings on April 14, 2010
The Scan Design furniture store in Medford, Ore., will close, KTVL reported Monday.
Neighboring downtown businesses are concerned about losing foot traffic, especially since another furniture store in the area, Joseph Winans, announced it would go out of business a month ago.
Scan Design will begin a liquidation sale Friday.
April 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 14, 2010
Natura World's Julia Rosien has been appointed to the WithIt board of directors and to The Better Sleep Council.
Rosien is a second vice president with WithIt, which encourages the development of women in the home furnishings industry. The Better Sleep Council is a non-profit organization that educates the public about the importance of sleep.
"Julia's dynamic and creative approach to marketing and social media has cultivated a thriving online community that reaches deep within our industry," said Ralph Rossdeutscher, president and CEO of Natura. "Julia's appointment to both the WithIt board of directors and The Better Sleep Council reflects her remarkable ability to inspire, engage and lead. She will be a valuable asset to both organizations."
Since joining Natura World in 2008, Ms. Rosien has nurtured an active and vibrant social media community and modeled new marketing and community building strategies industry-wide. In her positions with the WithIt Board of Directors and the Better Sleep Council, Ms. Rosien will continue to forge supportive networks and foster on-going dialogue within the furnishings and sleep products industry.
April 12,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 13, 2010
Italian leather upholstery vendor Natuzzi SpA has named Joseph Mussallem president of Natuzzi Americas' North American Team. He replaces Cary Benson who left the company in December.
Most recently, Mussallem was senior vice president of sales, responsible for national accounts, Natuzzi Editions and Italsofa brands.
"Joe has led the sales charge and has a proven track record of success," said Cosimo Cavallo, chief commercial officer, Natuzzi SpA. "He will lead Natuzzi North America out of what has been a very challenging economic period and will continue to provide the necessary direction and guidance for the growth of our organization."
Mussallem will focus his efforts in 2010 on new organizational initiatives which include dedicated teams for each of three brands under the Natuzzi Group brand umbrella, a focus on logistics and product delivery, and branding opportunities with the company's retail partners. He reports to Cavallo.
Brad Cates, who joined the company in February as vice president of the Natuzzi Italy brand, is now senior vice president, Natuzzi Italy Team, in charge of both sales and marketing. He reports to Mussallem.
Mussallems remaining direct reports include three vice presidents, sales and marketing, for the East, Southwest, and North regions: Peter Halunen, Matthew Hayward, and Craig Ruse, respectively; Amy Mock, assistant brand manager, and Luigi Nocci, key customer account executive, both on the Natuzzi Editions and Italsofa Team; and Shannon McKaughn, sales administrator, North American Team.
April 12,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on April 13, 2010
Sarreid has partnered with Rudy van Thiel of van Thiel & Co. to create C-BenchMade, a line of solid hardwood furniture that debuts at the upcoming High Point Market.
The hand-crafted, hand-finished C-BenchMade is an extension of the Chatham Crossing furniture line distributed by Sarreid since October 2006. To reflect the major design changes and the more eclectic, less traditional designs and finishes, Sarreid has re-branded the collection as C-BenchMade.
Sarreid teamed with former Masco executive Rudy van Thiel on the new line. Van Thiel & Co., founded in 2003, purchases authentic antiques and one-of-a-kind "found items" throughout the world, focusing on items that can be restored to fit well into modern interiors. The company owns an antique restoration and custom furniture production facility near Beijing.
To control quality and design fidelity, the C-Benchmade line is produced at a Sarreid owned facility in India using both responsibly harvested and reclaimed hardwoods. The collaboration launches in Sarreid's newly remodeled showroom on the third floor of the C&D building with more than 150 furniture pieces, including updated and fine-tuned revisions of Chatham's best-selling items as well as a substantial number of brand new designs.
"Combining the skills of the well-trained craftsmen in our new Indian facility with the design and finish expertise of van Thiel & Co has placed us in a strong position to offer well-priced, higher-end product with unique and exclusive designs," said Alex Sarratt, Sarreid partner and president. "Chatham has been a very popular line and we believe that this move will make it even more successful."
Since October 2004 Sarreid has distributed van Thiel's unique offerings of restored antiques, antique reproductions, maps, and accessories to retail furniture stores, high-end mail order, and members of the design trade in North America, more than tripling sales.
"The combination of the new C-BenchMade collection, van Thiel & Co. lines, Encore and the best of our occasional and accessory lines enables us to work in depth with professional stores and designers," said Charles Hoffman, Sarreid partner and director of sales.
"Partnering with Sarreid has allowed me to focus on what I enjoy most--exploring the world to find good quality antiques and signed art pieces that are distinct from items that are flooding the market," van Thiel said. "With Sarreid handling marketing and distribution and us personally selecting and restoring our unique finds and creating replicas of our favorite discoveries, we have a strong partnership that serves our customers very well."