Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
April 4,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on April 5, 2010
Wolf Furniture, Altoona, Pa., made charitable contributions in February in honor of U.S. presidents, Chambersburg Public Opinion reported.
Wolf made the contributions totaling $2,500 in each of the 10 communities where it has locations.
The following organizations each received donations of $250: Family Services, Altoona, Pa.; Women in Need (WIN), Chambersburg, Pa.; Frederick Memorial Hospital Cancer Patient Assistance Fund, Frederick, Md.; ARC of Washington County, Hagerstown, Md.; Safe Home, Hanover, Pa.; Shalom House, Harrisburg, Pa.; YWCA, Johnstown, Pa.; Clare House, Lancaster, Pa.; Central Pennsylvania Community Action, State College, Pa.; and YWCA, York, Pa.
April 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on April 2, 2010
Brad Lebow has been named president of Horich Parks Lebow, a marketing and advertising agency working within the furniture industy.
Lebow was previously the chief operating officer for the company.
Brads been with us for over a decade, said Charlie Horich, CEO and long-time president. Hes been my right hand for many years ¦ I felt it was time to both acknowledge the way his role in the agency has grown, and to choose a president that our clients already know and trust, and in whom they have complete confidence.
Sharing executive duties with Lebow will allow Horich to spend more time with his existing clients, cultivate new business and, along with Lebow, develop a growth plan for the next ten years; a plan that both Horich and Lebow promise will keep client interests front and center.
The client service culture that drives this agency is Charlies legacy," Lebow said. "Job one for me is making sure we never lose sight of that. As HPL grows and evolves, Im confident well bring even more to our retail partnershipsexpanded production facilities, a broader range of creative services, including the integration of new mediabut always with the idea of improving results and strengthening our client relationships.
Chip Hector has assumed the role and title of chief operating officer for the agency. Horich, Lebow and Hector, along with Jon Parks, executive vice president, have managed the agency through 10 years of growth.
The industry is emerging from a challenging period, Lebow said. But weve been working hard, as our clients have, to create opportunities for growth even in this difficult environment. The fact that weve succeeded bodes really well for the future.
April 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on April 2, 2010
Home Delivery America, an in-home delivery company, has received GEs 2009 Region Player of the Year award and also the 2009 Most Improved Home Delivery Quality of Service.
The region player award honors the company that maintains the highest level of operational excellence in the region for the calendar year. We are extremely pleased with this achievement, said Richard Merians, CEO, Home Delivery America. I couldnt be more impressed with the commitment and dedication of everyone at this facility; they are truly a shining star within our organization.
The QOS award goes to the GE service provider that has most improved from the previous years scores. We have worked very hard to develop better initiative, and we are honored to receive this great recognition for our efforts, said Neil Henning, director of operations.
Home Delivery America has been partnering with GE since 2000. It makes more than 100,000 appliance deliveries for GE annually for new construction as well as residential homeowners through the Home Depot account.
In addition to appliance deliveries, the company also offers delivery for furniture and bedding.
April 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on April 2, 2010
New retailer orders for furniture rose 4 percent in January compared with the same month last year, according to the Furniture Insights survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors conducted by the High Point accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard.
January 2009 orders were off 24 percent from January 2008. This year's January increase was slower than the 12 percent and 10 percent gains, respectively, in December and November, but Smith Leonard Managing Partner Ken Smith believed severe winter weather played a role, and expects that to be a factor in February numbers.
January shipments rose 6 percent over January 2009, following a 3 percent increase in December. While shipments were down 24 percent in
January 2009 versus January 2008, Smith noted that remember that December's increase in shipments was the first such increase since June 2006.
"Shipments in January were 10 percent lower than December 2009, but that was somewhat normal in the January to December comparisons," Smith said. "Approximately 62 percent of the participants reported increased shipments in January up from approximately 50 percent in December.
January backlogs were up 4 percent from December and 26 percent higher than January 2009, the fourth consecutive month that backlogs have increased over the prior year.
"We realize that some of this relates to imports and the time it takes to get through the system, but it is good to see backlogs increasing at least somewhat," Smith noted.
Receivables were 4 percent lower than January 2009 even with shipments increasing 6 percent in January. Receivables increased 1 percent over December in spite of a 10 percent decline in shipments.
"We continue to hear about slower paying customers, but we are also hearing more about requiring deposits, especially in the custom order business," Smith said. "We did have a few bankruptcies and going-out-of-business situations in 2009. Hopefully, no more significant ones are on the horizon."
Inventories increased 10 percent over December 2009 but were still 21 percent lower than January 2009. A number of companies took some down time in
December and many did not accept new inventory until after the first of the year.
"We continue to believe that inventories are in pretty good shape, especially after the last two years of heavy discounting in order to move slow moving and obsolete items," Smith said.
Factory and warehouse payrolls were 6 percent lower than January 2009 when they were down 25 percent from January 2008. Payrolls were down 21 percent from December, but Smith attributed that to year-end bonuses and vacation pay. The number of factory and warehouse employees was also down 6 percent from January 2009, when they were down 17 percent from the year before. The number of employees rose 3 percent from December 2009.
"For the third consecutive month, new orders in January increased over the same month a year ago," Smith said in summary. "After two years of significantly declining order rates, this news has been good news. Certainly, we are not making up much ground, but with some stabilization, this is allowing companies to at least attempt to adjust to current levels versus wondering how low it can go.
"The news we heard from Premarket was mostly very good. The retailers who came seemed to feel that business was improving--maybe not where they want
it, but improving. As we mentioned before, we believe the weather has clearly been a factor for most of this winter. Snow, rain, floods--you name it, we have had more than normal in most areas of the country. Hopefully as spring has come, consumers attitudes will improve, in spite of the mess in Washington. We also have heard from other retailers that business continues to improve. We hope that trend continues and should make for a good High Point Market."
April 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on April 2, 2010
Luxury British mattress and bed manufacturer Savoir Furniture is targeting the U.S. Market with beds starting at $8,250 retail.
The company was originally commissioned in 1905 to produce beds for the world's grandest hotel of its time, The Savoy in London, and the timing of the U.S. debut coincides with the reopening this summer of The Savoy after a $200 million renovation.
Following openings in Austin, Texas, with Dream Bed in February, Scottsdale (Parnian Furniture) and Miami (ThreadCount) in April, New York City and Dallas in May and June, five additional locations are scheduled to open during the year.
Alistair Hughes, owner and CEO of the British based company, feels that Savoir's presence in the U.S. market is timely.
"Savoir represents a smart investment in healthy living and smart economics. Our mattresses are custom made of superior quality, all natural materials and crafted to last a lifetime," Hughes said. "The mattresses are ergonomically better for the body and mind, free of toxins and allergens, and showcase our artisans' meticulous skills gleaned over the course of 100 years."
The road to retail thus began as the rich and famous personally commissioned beds after sleeping on Savoir products in fine hotels. Clients include the Aga Khan, the Rothschild family, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Elton John, Emma Thompson, and many more celebrities.
Savoir Beds are handcrafted by one artisan from start to finish and completely individualized to meet height, weight, body and design needs of each client. For couples requiring different levels of support, two differently tensioned and upholstered mattresses are lined and zipped together to bring comfort to both. Every Savoir order is a custom order. Frames and mattresses and even bed fabrications are all individualized for each client, though Savoir has a collection of these from which to choose.
"The new economy is all about shifting perceptions," Hughes said. "People spend thousands on a watch or vacation, and more on a car, but they are reluctant to invest in something in which they spend a third of their lives. Savoir is not about selling beds; it is about selling quality of life through sound, peaceful sleep."