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Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on March 27, 2013
The Design Center at the Chicago Merchandise Mart has been redesigned to create a better customer experience.
After an extensive redesign and shuffle, more than 65 home and casual furnishings tenants have been relocated into spaces on the 14th and 15th floors.
The floor renovations, by interior designer and architect Gary Lee Partners, have improved the Design Center shopping experience by creating a more concentrated, easily navigable showcase of the top name showrooms in residential and outdoor design.
More than 115 showrooms, representing 2,500 product lines, span floors 6, 14 for residential furnishings including furniture, fabrics, lighting, rugs, and wallcoverings and floors 15 and 16 for outdoor furnishings including furniture, fabrics, rugs and accessories.
"The Design Center re-launch event was a fun way to show off our new space to clients and friends, while benefiting from the increased foot traffic to meet a new audience," said Emily Mundwiller, showroom manager for Tufenkian. "The reconfigured floors provide high level focus and one-stop shopping for designers and browsers alike. We look forward to more events like this in the Mart."
The daylong relaunch event last month featured special events including book signings, guest speakers, new product introductions, and drew key industry executives like Eric Schenk, President / CEO of Century Furniture, Holly Hunt, President of Holly Hunt,Crans Baldwin, CEO of Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman, Gary McCray, President of Lane Venture, and Keith and Michelle Bradley of Bradley.
The 14th floor renovation included the construction of a designer amenity center, "Lounge 1447," which features a well-appointed conference area, lounge, café and audio/visual display. Lounge 1447 was designed as an office-away-from-the-office for designers, architects, guests and showroom personnel who do business in the Design Center.
"The relocation of more than 65 showrooms and extensive floor renovations couldn't have gone smoother and we're thrilled with the final result," said John H. Brennen III, executive vice president, MMPI. "With the support of our parent company, Vornado, they made a substantial financial investment in the reconfiguration and design of 14th and 15th floors and relocation of many tenants. We are proud to offer Midwest designers the best Design Center presentation in the country."
March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Furniture Retailing on March 27, 2013
from http://hhcourier.com/Main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=33&ArticleID=157757
After more than three decades of continuous operation, Krispin's Contemporary Furniture, one of Ohio's most prestigious home furnishings dealers, is going out of business and closing its doors forever.
Home Center Furniture Inc. DBA Krispin's Contemporary Furniture was founded in 1978 by Dan and Becky Grubb.
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March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Internet on March 27, 2013
from http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/03/27/web-accounts-three-quarters-williams-sonomas-growth
With an extra week in the 14-week fiscal fourth quarter at housewares and home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma Inc, Q4 e-commerce net revenue grew by $70 million and increased 24.0 percent year over year, the retailer says. For the full fiscal year ended Feb. 3, 2013, e-commerce net revenue rose 17.4 percent, and represented 76.4 percent of the retail chain's growth.
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March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on March 27, 2013
Full-line furniture vendor Emerald Home Furnishings will add a second showroom for the April 20-25 High Point Furniture Market.
In order to accommodate its growing product offering, Emerald added an additional 3,800 square feet in space 105 on the main floor of the Center Point Building at 401 S. Hamilton Street. The new space complements the companys primary showroom, space 201 in Center Point, bringing the Emerald's combined showroom space in High Point to more than 28,000 square feet.
We are excited to have this new space to really shine the spotlight on new Emerald product lines in a gallery setting, said Emerald Vice President of U.S. and Asia Operations Robert Kirchmeyer. For April, we will use the new space as a 'Sleep and Sit' pavilion, promoting compelling new additions to our bedding line--including the Cool Jewel gel and memory foam sleep collection--as well as a range of new upholstered beds, and attractive additions to our office and accent chairs categories. We look forward to launching other new products and categories in this space in the future.
Tacoma, Wash.-based Emerald Home Furnishingss current product lineup includes fabric and leather upholstery, motion furniture, casual and formal dining room furniture, bedroom collections, and occasional tables, as well as entertainment, home office and accent chairs. The company has showrooms in Tacoma, Wash., Las Vegas and High Point; and sourcing offices in Haining City (Shanghai), China; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Saigon, Vietnam.
March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on March 27, 2013
Hong Kong furniture retailer Sofamark has debuted luxury mattress brand Pure LatexBliss at three locations.
Sofamark, one of Hong Kongs leading furniture stores, launched Pure LatexBliss products specially designed for regional preferences, and including mattresses, pillows and toppers, in showrooms located in Sheung Wan, Taikoo and Kwun Tong.
More than 75 guests attended a grand opening event at the Langham Hong Kong Hotel on March 23. Latex International President and CEO Dave Fisher, Vice President of Strategic Marketing Tomas Eisenberg and Pure LatexBliss President Kurt Ling represented the company for the festivities, joined by Sofamark directors Jack Kwan and Nelson Lau.
We couldnt be more excited about our new relationship with Sofamark as they share our enthusiasm for bringing the Pure LatexBliss brand and our lift, relax, relieve message to the Hong Kong market, said Ling. Hong Kong represents an important first step for our China expansion plans as it remains the leading luxury goods market in the region. Sofamark customers value U.S. manufactured goods, and it is our privilege to provide them with the finest quality sleep products available in the world today.
All Pure LatexBliss products exported to Asia will still be manufactured in the United States at the companys Connecticut facility. The company also will introduce am exclusive, ultra-luxury collection customized specifically for the Asian consumer, with new mattress profiles including 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch all-latex beds. The pricing for the mattresses range from US$2,500 to US$8,000.
March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on March 27, 2013
The International Home Furnishings Representatives Association has named the 2013 winners of the Charles B. Costar Dean of IHFRA Awards.
The Dean of IHFRA Award recognizes quality of service and dedication to IHFRA and the Chapter. The recipient has set an outstanding example for others to follow. The award was renamed in 2007 to the Charles B. Costar Dean of IHFRA to honor Costar, a longtime member and officer of the organization. This award is in recognition of Costars dedicated service and loyalty to the representatives group.
Pat Lee has been in the furniture industry for 44 years. He is an active member of the Virginia/Carolinas Chapter of IHFRA and the local Piedmont Furniture Club in High Point. Lee successfully completed the Certified Home Furnishings Representatives course to hold the CHR designation, and has been a furniture sales representative for 40 years, representing Braxton Culler and Universal Furniture during that time.
Gary Silverman has been a member of IHFRA for 39 years and a member of the Home Furnishings Representatives of Michigan Chapter of IHFRA for the past 34 years. He has served on the HFRM Board since 2007 and as HFRM Treasurer since 2010. Silverman has been with The Coaster Co. for the last 11 years and represents other lines. Previously, he was with Peoplounger for 18 years, and served as vice president of sales for 10 of those years. He is an avid golfer in his leisure time.
Harry Bassett worked in the home furnishings industry for almost 40 years and was a sales representative for Magnussen Home Furnishings, Simon Li, and Jackson/Catnapper Furniture. He was an active member of the North Central Chapter of IHFRA before he recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. Bassett was a Native American and served on many boards and committees on behalf of his Fond u Lac Reservation in Cloquet Minn. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. Both of his sons, Christopher and Bryan, are in the furniture industry and will accept Bassett's award in his memory.
Rick Aaronson is an active member of the Greater Metropolitan Furniture Association. He served as President of the GMFA predecessor organization Metropolitan Furnishings Association. He and his partners, Tony Bellarosa and Chris Clarizio, cover metro New York, New Jersey, southern Connecticut and the Hudson Valley for Klaussner Home Furnishings. Aaronson started his furniture career at Eclipse Sleep Products, serving as regional sales manager for National Mattress Co., and was vice president of sales and marketing for Deville Furniture.
David Marcus is a veteran professional selling to the furniture industry. He is a member of the Midwest Chapter of IHFRA and serves as vice president of his Chapter. Marcus was president of Harris Marcus Home for many years and is now an independent representative for various companies including Acme Furniture, Anthony of California, Armen Living and D.R. Kincaid.
Robert Petril is an active member of the Tri-State Home Furnishings Association. He came to furniture design from an extensive furniture background including sales and management with top American and Italian industry leading companies. His experience ranges from the technical abilities of an upholsterer in his young days, through the skills of a salesman and top-rank manager, to a deep knowledge and great contact with the consumers world. Roberts latest design collection was recently introduced by Lazar Inds.
Mark Cisneros has been in the home furnishings industry since 2002. He is an active member in the Home Furnishings Representatives Guild of Southern California, and currently is serving his second term as a vice president on the Board of Directors. Cisneros was introduced to the furnishings industry by the Burton family, who are a third generation furniture family. He is currently a sales representative covering southern California and southern Nevada territories for Robert Michael Ltd., USA Premium Leather Furniture, and Uniters NA.
Awards will be presented at the 79th annual IHFRA Presidential Gala at the upcoming Spring High Point Furniture Market. The Gala will be held on Friday, April 19, at the IHFC Ballroom on the 11th floor of the Green Wing of the International Home Furnishings Center.
For more information on the IHFRA Presidential Gala, contact the IHFR Office at 336.889.3920 or e-mail. Reservations can also be made online.
March 26,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on March 27, 2013
Web marketing company Web4Retail has a new marketing program that marries Web design, social media, e-mail marketing and more for home furnishings companies.
The Fusion Marketing program is a new concept for the furniture industry, said Denise Keniston, president of Web4Retail.
"It fuses different aspects of web marketing into a single, cohesive, and highly-effective program," she said, adding that Fusion uses all aspects of online marketing to capture an online audience.
"We created the Fusion Marketing concept to achieve concrete results for our clients, and to establish accountability in the Web marketing arena," Keniston said. "Our home furnishings retailers can count on us to perform, to get them a growing online customer base and to do it in a way they can track their marketing dollars. Our clients tell the story best."
Lombard's Fine Furniture, Columbus, Ohio, recently transitioned to the Fusion program.
"We've had such a great experience with them so far," said Lombard's Trent Heer. "We know Fusion will deliver for us in a way we can understand and appreciate. As a furniture dealer, I like that there are clear measurable deliverables, and that I can see real results. It's not your typical ambiguous online marketing plan."
One of the key marketing features of Fusion is the ability to build an online audience, Keniston said.
"If you follow the steps laid out in the Fusion Marketing program, then Web4Retail guarantees clients will acquire an online audience of 10,000 or more over the course of a year," she said. "We began the first phases of this new program earlier in the year and already many of our current clients have signed on. Fusion Marketing allows furniture dealers to establish clear-cut goals, and to set benchmarks for web marketing success."
With Fusion Marketing, Web4Retail intends to keep clients involved and aware. "Fusion isn't a behind-the-scenes process," Keniston said. "Retailers appreciate the collaborative effort from start to finish."