Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 2,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 3, 2010
Retailer Furnitureland South has stepped into social media with a March Makeover Madness video contest posted on its Facebook page.
During March, consumers are invited to upload videos showing why a particular room in their home deserves a $10,000 furniture makeover. Participants have until March 31 to encourage friends to vote their video into the final Sweet 16. Those 16 will then be judged by the retailer.
The winning entry will be chosen based on need and creativity, and the winner will receive a $10,000 Furnitureland South Outlet Center shopping spree.
In addition to its newfound presence on Facebook, Furnitureland South is encouraging customers to follow the stores Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, and has added a new Furnitureland South channel to YouTube. These social sites feature articles and videos about everything from home decorating to furniture quality and care, as well as testimonials from actual Furnitureland South customers.
Furnitureland South is hoping to become even more accessible to our customers through these growing social mediums, creating an engaging environment for discussion and feedback, said Jason Harris, executive vice president. We hope that customers will continue to see Furnitureland South as the experts in the home furnishings industry, and their first stop for fun and informative information about interior design, space planning, fabric and finish selections ¦ anything related to home."
March 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on March 2, 2010
New retailer orders for furniture rose 12 percent in December 2009; and factory shipments showed an increase for the first time since June 2006. That's according to the latest Furniture Insights survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors from the High Point accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard.
While December 2009 orders didn't make up all the 21 percent drop in December 2008 orders from December 2007 orders, the trend continued in the right direction. The increase in December followed October results, which were flat with October 2008 and a 10 percent increase in November 2009 orders over November 2008.
For the month of December, approximately 62 percent of the participants reported increased orders over the same month a year ago. The 62 percent is up from 51 percent in November, 41 percent in October, 33 percent in September and 20 percent in August.
For the 2009 year, new orders declined 13 percent, but made up ground in the second half. At the end of June, year-to-date orders were down 20 percent from a high of 22 percent earlier in the year.
Shipments in December 2009 were 3 percent higher than December 2008, the first increase reported since June 2006. Still, December 2008 shipments were 22 percent lower than December 2007.
For the year, shipments fell 15 percent from 2008 when they decreased 12 percent from 2007 levels.
Backlogs fell 4 percent from November as shipments exceeded orders in total. Backlogs were 13 percent higher in December than they were a year ago at this time, which should help shipments in the coming months.
Receivables fell 1 percent from November levels and were down 8 percent from last December.
"Considering the decline in sales of 15 percent, but the slower decline in the last quarter, receivable levels continue to look pretty good on an overall basis," wrote Smith Leonard Managing Partner Ken Smith in the report.
Inventories were even with November and were down 26 percent from last December when they were down 6 percent from the previous year. For the two-year period, shipments were down just over 25 percent with inventories down over that same period about 30 percent.
"Considering the shift to more direct shipments to retailers, it appears that inventory levels are also in pretty good shape," Smith said.
Factory and warehouse employees were even with November and down 10 percent compared to December 2008, when they were down 17 percent from 2007 levels, or off 22 percent over a two-year period. Payrolls were up in December over November, but that is somewhat normal with the December vacation pay and some bonuses. Payrolls were also up 3 percent over last December, bringing the year-to-date payrolls to a decrease of 16 percent over last year when they were down 15 percent.
"With orders up or at least flat three months in a row, we do believe we may have hit bottom," Smith wrote in summary. "Admittedly, the comparisons to the fourth quarter last year were against very weak numbers, but at least it doesn't appear we were digging a deeper hole.
One of the harshest winters in years, however, came on top of the positive order trends in the last quarter of 2009; and consumer confidence also took a hit in February.
"We hope that this was affected by the lousy weather," Smith said of consumer confidence. "Such weather keeps people indoors and likely watching more news on television. We know from our own experience that there is not much that can bring you down more than listening to all the negative news."
Signs of improvement in the economy haven't yet affected consumers, he continued.
"With that said, spring time is coming," Smith said. "For those who have been hit hard with weather, attitudes will get better if for no reason other than the weather. Hopefully people being kept in will notice that some of their furniture actually does need replacing."
Smith also pointed to an upcoming last wave of tax credits for home buying, which could spur more activity in the housing market.
March 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 2, 2010
Sacramento, Calif.-based Goore's for Babies to Teens, a major West Coast baby and childrenʼs specialty retailer, on Monday celebrated the opening of the second phase of its Young America Signature Shop from Stanley Furniture Co.
In 2006, Goore's became one of the first infant and youth retailers to outfit its existing location with a Young America Signature Shop. Owners Ken and April Goore dedicated 1,800 square feet of floor space to feature expertly-designed vignettes exclusive to Young America for a store-within-a-store presentation.
"We have been extremely pleased with the success of our Young America Signature Shop," said Ken Goore. "But like all retail-savvy businesses, we are focused on continuous improvement. Thatʼs why we decided to implement a Phase 2 of our Young America Signature Shop."
The renovation is actually an addendum to the original Shop concept.
"After Young America introduced the next generation of the brand, we became convinced that there were additional selling opportunities in the infant category that we had yet to realize," Goore said. "Phase 2 includes a build-out of the existing space with a focus on cribs as an integral part of our storeʼs and Young Americaʼs story."
The new generation of Young America is backed by a lasting to promise to its consumers to be "the brand you can trust." This promise consists of four fundamental components--choice, safety, green and quality--each supported by the fact that all of
Young Americaʼs products are now made in the United States.
To further support this promise, Gooreʼs new Young America Signature Shop will be the first to display the companyʼs inaugural Made in the U.S.A. crib.
"The crib has been signed by all of the members of our Robbinsville, N.C., facility that help make the new Young America a reality," said Stanley Vice President of Product Development Kevin Walker.
Gooreʼs will display the "signature" crib in its Young America Signature Shop until a new Shop is scheduled to open. At that point the crib will be repackaged in the companyʼs new quality-conscious, environmentally-friendly packaging and shipped to the next Young America Signature Shop grand opening.
"'Made in the U.S.A.' is the backbone of Young Americaʼs brand promise," said Stanley President and CEO Glenn Prillaman. "To demonstrate the significance of this, we wanted to incorporate something meaningful into the Young America Signature Shop experience that consumers could relate to as well. Itʼs a traveling road show, of sorts, and weʼre proud to share the first stop along the way with our partners at Gooreʼs."
Founded in 1992, Gooreʼs began as a 2,000-square-foot boutique store offering primarily furniture and bedding and grew into a 32,000-square-foot baby and childrenʼs superstore. For more information, click here.
March 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on March 2, 2010
Experts in lean manufacturing and benchmarking will headline the 2010 American Home Furnishings Alliance Manufacturing Summit, scheduled for Friday, May 21 at the Airport Embassy Suites in Greensboro, N.C.
Leading off the 9 a.m.-4 p.m. program is Jeremy Leonard, economic consultant for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Inc., a business research organization based in Arlington, Va. Leonard's work includes widely-cited research on the cost pressures affecting U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and sources of productivity growth. His overview of the state of manufacturing will draw on MAPI's most recent quarterly economic forecast. By supplying major assumptions for the economy and running simulations through the IHS Global Insight Macroeconomic Model, MAPI generates unique macroeconomic and industry forecasts.
The program continues with Jerry Epperson, managing director of Mann, Armistead & Epperson Ltd., Richmond, Va. Epperson's furniture industry overview and analysis is a perennial program highlight.
Afternoon speakers include Robert Camp, a leading authority on benchmarking. Camp spent 23 years at Xerox Corp., where he created benchmarking programs and led large-scale benchmarking investigations. He is the author of "Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance."
The afternoon also will feature Dr. Randy Cook, a clinical professor in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, and director of education with the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. The Shingo Prize is named for a Japanese industrial engineer who distinguished himself as one of the world's leading experts on improving manufacturing processes. Cook will offer insights to the Shingo Prize philosophy, which emphasizes integration of lean principles, lean systems of management and the application of lean tools and techniques to creating a culture of continuous improvement.
The 2010 Manufacturing Summit is open to all interested home furnishings executives. Companies do not have to be AHFA members to register. Registration is $149 for AHFA member company executives and $249 for non-member company executives. The fee includes an opening reception at the Embassy Suites Thursday evening, May 20, as well as lunch on Friday. Register online here. Under the Events tab, click on Manufacturing Summit.
Hotel reservations can be made by contacting the Embassy Suites directly at 336.668.4535, or on the hotel Web site.
March 1,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on March 2, 2010
Bedding supplier Sealy is expanding its presence in China with a new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility outside of Shanghai.
The company conducted a review of the Chinese market and the increasing demand for Sealy product in the area.
The planned facility is a joint venture between Sealy Corp. and Sealy of Australia. Construction on the factory in the Qingpu Industrial Park will begin soon, and manufacturing is scheduled to begin later this year.
"Sealy is now growing its brand in one of the most dynamic markets in the world, China," said Larry Rogers, Sealy president and CEO. "Additionally, Qingpu is an excellent location based on its strong infrastructure, supply chain system and close proximity to Shanghai's Port."
"This facility will support growing demand for Sealy products in the Chinese domestic market and multiple Sealy Asia joint venture businesses in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore," said Simon Dyer, Sealy of Australia CEO and Sealy China general manager.
Sealy China has been operating retail outlets and distributing imported Sealy products since early 2009. The expansion is the culmination of successful retailer relationships and partnerships as well as early retail successes in the Chinese market.