Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
February 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on February 23, 2010
Mattress manufacturer Anatomic Global, Corona, Calif., will send a small team to Haiti as part of its WorldBed humanitarian initiative.
The group will help distribute 1,400 emergency field beds already shipped to displaced Haitians following the Jan. 12 earthquake near Port-au-Prince. In addition, they will assess the ground situation to make possible the delivery of up to 200,000 WorldBeds it has committed to distribute.
The WorldBed Project Executive Director Patrick Johnson and The WorldBed Project Program Director Laura Castro will head the team that will travel with World Hope International March 1-7 to Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas. They will stay at World Hope International camps set-up throughout the Island and meet with other not-for-profit organizations active in Haiti to better understand their logistical capabilities and each groups' needs.
"Since the project began in January, it has been important to get a team on the ground firsthand to assess how the product is being received and distributed," Johnson said. "With the information we gather in Haiti we will be able to better serve the Haitian people in the months to come. We will not only assist in the distribution of the beds, but we will volunteer and provide needed comfort to those affected by the earthquake."
In addition to working with World Hope International, the group will help CARE distribute 1,000 beds that they had shipped last week. They will also meet with Parakletos International who delivered the first field beds in January.
To date Anatomic Global has been joined in the effort by FXI Foamex Innovations, Deslee Textiles USA, Royal Packaging, Brookwood Companies and Parakletos International; and Anatomic Global is in discussions with several other mattress manufacturing companies and retailers. The company is re-investing its corporate profits from all operations for the first quarter of 2010 to manufacture WorldBeds for Haitian relief.
The WorldBed Project is a turnkey sleep system designed for emergency care and relief efforts that can be compression packaged and quickly dispatched, in volume, to areas of need, anywhere, worldwide.
February 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on February 23, 2010
Chicago-are retailer Walter E. Smithe Furniture is continuing its tradition of tying television ads to current events, this time the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Chicago Sun-Times reported this week.
Two Smithe adds feature a Winter Olympics theme.
One shows the Smithe brothers mixing the sport of curling with Asian carp; and a second features a new sport: coffee table ski jumping.
February 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on February 23, 2010
An Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Bakersfield, Calif., showed up again in the local news Monday, and not in a good way.
The store declared bankruptcy in 2008, and recently received a poor rating from the Better Business Bureau. On Monday, KERO reported that the building for the store, which an employee told a customer would close for good in March, is up for lease.
The licensed store got attention late last year when customers contacted the station to say the store wasn't fulfilling orders.
Monday's report quoted another retailer who said that the Ashley store's problems create a ripple effect for other stores carrying the brand.
"We as business owners who sell furniture and sell Ashley, need to stress to the customer that we can get the product without delay for our consumer," said Amy Kandel, owner of Star Furniture.
February 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on February 23, 2010
Dana Murphy has joined The Media Matters as public relations coordinator, a new position for the marketing agency.
In the position, Murphy will oversee public relations initiatives and social media, and she will assist with various other marketing support the company provides its clients.
"Growing up in HIgh Point, I have always had an interest in the furniture market," Murphy said. "Because The Media Matters focuses on the home furnishings industry, I couldn't have found a more ideal position and agency to work for."
With a degree in communications and a concentration in public relations from East Carolina University, Murphy has held internships with Trone, Inc., and with the ECU Student Affairs Department.
"We're excited to have Dana joining our team," said Kathy Wall, company founder and president. "Business is improving and requests for proposals are on the rise. The addition of this position is timely, and we believe Dana will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to our team and our clients."
February 22,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on February 23, 2010
GuildMaster is building on its social media prowess with a retail contest that will allow the company's Facebook fans to vote for the winner.
The Show Your Stuff contest, which started this week, will choose the most outstanding retail displays across the U.S. The winner dealers will get support for a favorite charity.
During our 15,000 mile trip last spring, we were inspired by creativity in action at retailers of all sizes from Massachusetts to Florida to Missouri to California and points in between, said Steve Crowder, GuildMaster CEO. We cant wait to see all the entries from our Show Your Stuff contest.
GuildMaster on Tour Facebook fans will vote for their favorite retail displays as posted on the page Feb. 22 through March 28. Ten retailers from across the country will be named as winners based on voting by fans March 15 through 28. In a new twist, the grand prize winner will receive $5,000 in GuildMaster bucks, $1,000 for their favorite charity and 500 trees planted in their honor. The other nine winners will receive a $1,000 donation made to the retailers favorite charity, 500 trees planted in their honor, and $1,000 in GuildMaster bucks for additional product.
Retailers are encouraged to upload pictures of their best retail displays on the
GuildMaster Facebook page, and encourage their store's customers and fans to vote beginning March 15. Voting will only run through March 28, so be sure to post pictures by March 15.
Two additional displays will receive honorable mention as Designers Choice and Editors Choice awards.
Crowder will present the prizes to each winning retailer in their store April 1 through April 15 leading up to the start of the High Point Market April 17.