Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
April 7,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on April 8, 2010
How's this for turnabout?
Marion, Ind., Mayor Wayne Seybold is heading to China Thursday to meet with furniture manufacturer Y.K. Household Products to sign a deal to bring YK to Marion, Inside Indiana Business reported Wednesday.
Y.K. would occupy the former Hobby Lobby building in Marion, which the city acquired earlier this year with selling it in mind.
Seybold and Marion Director of Development Marion Darren Reese are going to China to for final meetings and to complete the deal, which should initially create 40 jobs.
April 7,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on April 8, 2010
Costco, Issaquah, Wash., reported March 2009 sales of $7.14 billion on Thursday, a 12 percent increase from the same five-week period last year.
This year's five-week period for March included 34 days of sales compared to 35 last year; Easter fell in the reporting month of April last year. This calendar shift negatively impacted this year's March total and comparable sales by approximately one to two percent.
For the thirty-one weeks ended April 4, Costco reported net sales of $45.2 billion, an increase of nine percent from $41.48 billion during the similar period last year.
Costco currently operates 567 warehouses, including 414 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 77 in Canada, 21 in the United Kingdom, seven in Korea, six in Taiwan, nine in Japan, one in Australia and 32 in Mexico. The company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce Web site. Costco plans to open up to six additional new warehouses prior to the end of its 2010 fiscal year on August 29.
April 7,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Youth, Juvenile Furniture on April 8, 2010
Young America, Stanley Furniture Companyʼs infant and youth furniture brand, has announced the third and final grand prize winner of its Winter Sales Associate Appreciation Event.
Jodie Williams of Stacyʼs Furniture in Grapevine, Texas, is the companyʼs third grand prize winner. She and a guest will enjoy an all-expenses paid Smoky Mountain Experience at the Snowbird Lodge near Stanley's Young America factory.
Stanleytown, Va.-based Stanley introduced the three-month promotion to its Young America retail accounts in December in order to encourage sales associates to test their proficiency of the new Young America brand.
"Congratulations to Jodie for taking advantage of this unique sales opportunity," said Glenn Prillaman, president and CEO of Stanley. On behalf of the Young America team, I would like to commend her and Stacyʼs Furniture for their dedication to and appreciation for the new Young America brand.
Young Americaʼs Winter Retail Sales Associate Appreciation Event concluded on Feb. 28. The three grand prize winners include Christie Tygrett of Wells Home Furnishings in Charleston, W. Va., Koren Kearse of Jalikan dba USA Baby in Overland Park, Kan.; Stacy's Furniture's Williams.
April 7,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on April 8, 2010
Case goods manufacturer Leda Furniture, Toronto, returns to High Point Market April 17-22 after a three-year absence.
"Times are still challenging, yes, but we feel that the time is right to showcase our new design introductions in High Point once again," said Leda President Marco Confalone. "We have still been introducing new collections even while away from High Point and these new designs will give retailers more of what consumers are wanting in their furniture buying experience."
Fusion is a contemporary bedroom and dining room introduction. The group combines storage capabilities with condo and small room scale. The collection's Reveal Bed which features pull-out storage towers built into the headboard.
"These were specifically designed for bedrooms that cannot easily accommodate night tables," Confalone said.
Lounge is a new introduction of unique television stands and wall units designed for today's consumer.
Aside from new collections making their High Point debut, Leda also will focus on options and other marketing programs.
"Feedback we have received from designers, retailers and from our Web site inquiries have revealed finish options to be a key factor consumers are wanting," Confalone said. "Our market showcase will focus on recent second finish offerings for several of our collections."
Leda will also focus attention on its ongoing The Leda Advantage campaign, which outlines the advantages to retailers of Leda's domestic production, limited distribution, meaningful communication and quick-ship programs.
"We are anticipating a year of growth in 2010 with a focus on our domestic production and fashion-forward designs," Confalone said. "We want retailers to know that there is a benefit to them in working with Leda. Their floor space is important, therefore we need to ensure that they get the most from our products and programs."
April 7,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on April 8, 2010
A partnership between Doug Kays, past chairman of the National Home Furnishings Association, and Internet marketing and software development firm JGSullivan Interactive Inc. has acquired the HomeFurnishings.com consumer Web portal from the NHFA.
The new entity, HomeFurnishings.com LLC, now will open the portal to all furniture manufacturers, suppliers assocations and buying groups in addition to NHFA members. Launched in October 2009 as a Web marketing initiative for retailer members of the NHFA to connect with consumers, the portal continues to grow as it now includes more than 3,000 retailer microsites and over 50,000 consumer site visits per month.
Kays, who helped spearhead the program, is now the CEO of HomeFurnishings.com LLC. JGSullivan Interactive developed the portal's platform.
"Demand from other industry groups to participate helped drive the decision by the parties to form a new company outside of NHFA and take this portal to the next level," said Kays. The NHFA remains an integral industry partner in the promotion of the retailer and supplier to consumer web portal, although membership in the NHFA will no longer be a requirement of participation on the site.
"We are currently designing programs for buying groups, vertical retail companies, manufacturers and suppliers within the industry so they and their related retailers may connect online with the consumers who are using HomeFurnishings.com as their pre-buy shopping resource," Kays said.
The expanded program also will extend to provide a brand-aligned solution for manufacturers' dealer locators. For manufacturers that don't have a dealer locator, HomeFurnishings.com can become that resource. For brands that have retailers without brand-aligned Web pages, HomeFurnishings.com will fill that gap and help the brand take the consumer to a page with the dealer's location and contact information as well as brand messaging and promotions.
Doug Kays, and attorney and former retailer, has worked as an executive in the home furnishings industry for the past 30 years. In addition to his work with the NHFA and in furniture retail real estate, Kays has also served as general in-house counsel and as vice president of operations for former West Coast retailer McMahan's Furniture; and as vice president of operations for the Western United States for Heilig-Myers.
JGSullivan Interactive has been in business for more than 55 years, as a marketing and software development firm specializing in Internet programs, site development, and print-on-demand applications for Fortune 1000 clients. Its Dealer E-Channel (DEC) software platform has managed over 30,000 independent dealer sites in various industries, connecting them to manufacturers, distributors, associations, buying groups and consumers.