Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
April 6,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in sourcing/importing on April 7, 2010
At High Point Market, Walid Yazigi of Globe Express Services will lead a seminar, "Vendor Management: Best Practices to Achieve Efficiency and Compliance," Saturday April 17, 2:30-3:30 p.m., at the National Home Furnishings Association Retailer Resource Center in Plaza Suites.
As global supply chains become ever more complex, it is essential to develop a systematic approach to monitoring and improving vendor performance, from quality and productivity concerns to streamlining operations to ensuring customs compliance. This presentation will offer tips and strategies to proactively manage the vendor/buyer relationship, turning a potential liability into a competitive edge. The topic includes best practices on supply chain performance metrics (KPIs), Customs compliance concerns (ISF/10+2, Lacey Act) and the role of third party experts (3PLs, etc.) in streamlining logistics procedures and communication.
Yazigi, senior manager for process improvement and compliance at Charlotte, N.C.-based logistics company Globe Express Services, is an expert speaker in the logistics industry and a member in the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
April 6,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Recliners on April 7, 2010
After an absence of several years, massage chair and recliner vendor Human Touch will return to High Point Market, April 17-22, in showroom space IHFC-H517.
At Market, Human Touch will showcase its HT-Connect/AcuTouch 9500 massage chair and wellness solution for iPhone and iPod touch.
Human Touch says this new massage chair solution is the first of its kind to provide users with a fully customized massage and wellness solution at their fingertips by interfacing with their iPhone or iPod touch.
April 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in sourcing/importing on April 6, 2010
Import volume at major U.S. container ports should rise 8 percent in April compared with the same month last year, according to the Global Port Tracker report released Monday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
"Retail sales are starting to improve and retailers are importing merchandise in the quantities they need to meet that demand," said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold. "We expect these numbers to continue to climb as merchants and their customers move away from the recession and back toward normal shopping habits."
U.S. ports handled 1.01 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in February, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was down 6 percent from January as shipping hit its traditional slow point for the year but up 20 percent from the unusually low numbers seen during February 2009. It was also the third month in a row to show year-over-year improvement after December broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year monthly declines.
March was estimated at 1.02 million TEU, a 6 percent increase over last year as spring products began to head for store shelves. April is forecast at 1.07 million TEU, up 8 percent from last year; May at 1.12 million TEU, up 7 percent June at 1.18 million TEU, up 17 percent; July at 1.24 million TEU, up 12 percent; and August at 1.32 million TEU, up 15 percent.
The first half of 2010 is expected to total 6.5 million TEU, up 10 percent. Imports for 2009 totaled 12.7 million TEU, down 17 percent from 2008's 15.2 million TEU and the lowest since the 12.5 million TEU reported in 2003. The forecast for first-half growth is down from the 17 percent increase projected a month ago as more recent data becomes available.
"Port volumes have begun to rebound and we expect growth to continue going forward," Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. "Retailers were maintaining lean inventories during the recession but are carefully building back up."
April 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on April 6, 2010
Full-line vendor Bassett Furniture Industries (Nasdaq:BSET), Bassett, Va., has announced plans to reopen an upholstery plant in Newton, N.C., at the end of May.
The factory will manufacture a new starting price point of sofas, loveseats, chairs and pillows for Bassett's store network and independent retailers. This new assortment, including 10 new frames and 20 mix and match pillows, represents a 20 percent reduction in Bassett's current opening price point. The new assortment will feature the same warranty offered in Bassett's existing line.
"Our upholstery manufacturing team takes great pride in the precision of their craftsmanship and the speed of their delivery," said Robert H. Spilman Jr., president and chief executive officer at Bassett. "The efficiency of our cellular manufacturing processes has been the hallmark of Bassett's leading service proposition for several years now. This new line will be available to ship to our retailers within 2 to 3 days. We believe we'll be able to use these new products to expand distribution and to drive traffic to our stores. In a time when more and more domestic furniture manufacturing has shifted oversees, we are elated to be able to take advantage of a strong workforce in Newton and introduce a new segment to our upholstery line, made right here in United States."
Bassett currently has 430 employees at its Newton complex and will staff the new facility with existing and new employees.
April 5,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedroom on April 6, 2010
Home office, home entertainment and bedroom vendor Sligh Furniture, Holland, Mich., will launch a new Premium Color Options program targeting dealers with strong interior design business at the April High Point Market.
Nine standard premium colors are available including fresh olive, sassy green, vintage ivory, simply pewter, morning yellow, grey lux, rumba red, blue bliss, and vintage black. In addition, five specialty treatments are available: two-tone, a combination of any two standard color options; deeper tone, a deeper toning of any original Sligh finish; paint striping, which adds a translucent white to beautifully accent any color option; gold- or silver-leaf accents for elegant sophistication; and painted leather desk tops.
Sligh also now offers a custom color-matching option that allows consumers or designers to create a completely unique color story for their home.
Color Option finishes are available on any piece in Sligh's products line. Color Options are applied over the existing Sligh finish allowing this custom program to move with speed. With a distribution center and finishing artisans in North Carolina, Sligh can ship Color Options pieces in three to six weeks.
"We know from our test markets that Sligh Premium Color Options will be successful for designers presenting complete high-end solutions for rooms or homes," said Sligh Chairman Rob Sligh. "It competes in the luxury market where others offer color options and beautiful styling but no one offers all that plus the innovative function for which our products are also well known."