January 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on January 28, 2010
Homeward Bound, a West Hartford, Conn.-based home furnishings retailer, has been recognized for its outstanding community service with two awards.
The three-store Homeward Bound won a national Retailer Excellence Award for event-based community service from Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine; and the Arts in the Community award from the Danbury, Conn.-based Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance.
Both awards recognized Homeward Bound's commitment to the communities it serves through its support of local arts and organizations. While the support of the local community is crucial to the survival of small and medium-sized retailers, retailers must return the favor by supporting their communities.
Trip Rothschild, co-owner of Homeward Bound with his wife, Kathy Walsh, believes that supporting the arts is, "not only very satisfying but also good business for us. A community that supports unique and exciting retail businesses is also one in which the arts also flourish--and vice versa. More than ever in these difficult times, local businesses and local arts organizations need to deepen their collaborations to further their mutual interest in the economic and cultural health of their shared communities."
The Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance was inspired to establish its Arts in the Community to showcase programs and activities that may be viewed as models or best practices for other communities by Homeward Bound's commitment to supporting local organizations.
"We are so honored to be the first recipient of this award," Walsh said. "We believe that the arts can be a powerful and uplifting force in each community. We are especially proud of our work supporting young people's participation in the arts through scholarships, but also through exposure to some of the world-class artists who live in our local towns and that we showcase at the events we host."
The HVCA award followed earlier recognition Homeward Bound received from Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine.
A recent example of Homeward Bounds continuing community involvement was the first ever Bank Street Festival in New Milford, which transformed a charming New England street into a fair with music, dancing, performances, author readings, farm-to-market stands and a host of children's events. With the support of the town, all the street's businesses participated, making it a major event with over a thousand people attending.
"This was a fantastic event," Walsh said. "We brought famous artists, authors and fantastic programs like New Milford Hospital's Plow-to-Plate into our stores and onto the street. Even better, the community flooded the street and poured into the shops to see all the amazing happenings. This sort of goodwill always translates into long term increased sales above and beyond the sales associated with just the one event.
These are activities I have always believed in ever since I was at Bloomingdale's, where hosting events was a way of life and helped create the great vibe that made Bloomies so successful. It was a great honor to receive these two awards."
January 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Retail Technology on January 28, 2010
Retail technology vendor Storis, Mt. Arlington, N.J., has added four new bedding retailers to its client list.
Three-store, Missouri-based Mattress Source; three-store Chubby's Mattress in Texas; Sleep Sanctuary, with two stores in New Mexico; and four-store Dr. Snooze in Florida have chosen Storis' Vision R8 SaaS (Software as a Service) suite of applications.
"We are excited to welcome these progressive bedding retailers to the Storis family," said Storis Director of Sales Mark Van Winkle. "Our Vision R8 SaaS solution is the perfect match for the bedding retailer. With our SaaS platform, retailers benefit from a reduced capital investment, ease of use for a quick implementation, and an outsourced IT staff allowing them to focus on sales and growth. We look forward to building a strong relationship with each organization for years to come."
January 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on January 28, 2010
Western Home Furnishings Association has partnered with Internet strategy and online solutions company FurnitureDealer.net to launch its 2010 Conference microsite.
The site is an interactive tool for everyone interested in attending the WHFA's May 2-4 Conference and Expo at the California Disneyland Resort. Visitors to the site can view a diverse selection of education, networking and events, as well as register for the event and take advantage of the many incentives and discounts available only on the microsite.
WHFA als has announced a special promotion for attendees who book their hotel room at the host property, Disney's Grand Californian Resort and Spa, by the end of Las Vegas Market. Everyone who books their room at the host hotel by Feb. 5 will receive a free Disney commemorative gift, be entered into a weekly drawing for a free Disney DVD and will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a free trip to conference, which includes air and hotel accommodations(click here for rules and restrictions).
Attendees of the Las Vegas Market can visit the WHFAs Retailer Resource Center, B-1630 to enter both contests and to see all the incentives and offers.
"Excitement is high for our 2010 conference," said WHFA Executive Director Sharron Bradley. "Retailers are very excited to learn about 'The Disney Way.' And we are staying at an amazing property in the center of the Disneyland Resort, with a low rate of only $189 a night. This is going to be one event that retailers won't want to miss."
For full conference details, visit the microsite. Click here to reserve a hotel room at the Disney's Grand Californian Resort & Spa; or call (714) 520-5005 and use the reservation code GCWD10A.
Registration for conference is $495 for members and $395 for groups of three or more full registrations from the same organization.
WHFA is the largest affiliate of the National Home Furnishings Association, representing approximately 1,000 independent home furnishings retailers in more than 2,400 stores in 12 western states.
January 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Rugs on January 28, 2010
Kalaty Rug Corp. will open a permanent High Point showroom in space 202 on the second floor of historic Market Square in time for the upcoming spring market.
New York City-based Kalaty also has a permanent showroom at the AmericasMart in Atlanta.
Since 2007, Kalaty has shown at the High Point market in a small space within the showroom of high-end upholstery and case goods manufacturer Highland House on the fourth floor of Market Square. In this new permanent showroom, Kalaty will be able to feature a broader selection of rugs from its vast collections at the annual fall and spring High Point markets.
"We are pleased to be opening a High Point showroom," said Ariel Kalaty, a company spokesman. "High Point is an important market for us, and we feel that the historic architectural backdrop of Market Square is the ideal place to showcase our full line of rug collections, which ranges from contemporary to transitional to traditional designs. Having a permanent High Point showroom is one aspect of a broader and more aggressive sales and marketing plan which includes better serving our current customer base as well as our desire to forge new and lasting relationships within the furniture community with manufacturers, furniture dealers and designers."
While the Kalaty family rug business originated in the early 1900s in Iran, Mirza Kalaty founded Kalaty Rug Corp. in the United States in 1979. Today, Mirza Kalaty and his five sons, Ramin, Mike, Farshad, Ariel and Kamran operate the company. For more information and to view the full line of Kalaty rug collections, visit the company Web site.
January 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on January 27, 2010
Howard Lester, chairman and chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma, plans to retire from his post at the retailer's annual meeting in May. He has been at the helm for 31 years.
Lester bought the company from founder Chuck Williams in 1978. At that time Williams-Sonoma had four stores, a small catalog and $4 million in revenue. Today, the retailer has six e-commerce Web sites, seven catalogs and more than 600 stores among its six brands.
Lester will continue to assist the company in a consulting and advisory role through December 2012 and have the title of chairman emeritus.
Upon Lesters retirement, the board will appoint Laura Alber chief executive officer as well as a nominee to the board of directors.
It has been an extraordinary privilege to lead this wonderful company for the past 31 years but an even greater privilege to watch the passion of our 27,000 associates delight our customers every day and together take our vision to a place that we could have only dreamed," Lester said. "I continue to be amazed by the creativity and entrepreneurship that lives within our culture. Todays announcement is the culmination of the long-term succession plan we set in motion upon my reappointment as CEO in July 2006. I could not be more proud of what we have built and have complete confidence that the company will continue to thrive under the leadership team headed by Laura.
Alber joined the company in 1995 and was appointed to her current role as president in 2006. Under her leadership, the company has created Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed + Bath, and PBteen, and the companys expansion into the Middle East. She has also played an instrumental role in the companys global supply chain, distribution, and logistics strategies, which are increasing product quality, improving customer service, and driving down costs.
It is an exceptional honor to follow in the footsteps of one of the most highly esteemed executives in retail," Alber said. "Howard has been an outstanding mentor, and he is retiring at a time when the foundation of the company has never been stronger. We are confident in our direction and, together with the leadership team, ready to execute against those strategies that will grow and improve our businesses, deliver great products and services to our customers, and enhance shareholder value.
The board intends to appoint Adrian Bellamy, the current lead independent director, as non-executive chairman of the board upon his re-election at the companys 2010 shareholders meeting. Bellamy joined the board in 1997. Bellamy has experience in retail as both an executive and as a board member, having served as chairman and CEO of DFS Group Ltd. for 12 years and on the boards of Gucci Group N.V. and The Body Shop. He also currently serves as a director of Gap Inc. and is chairman and director of Reckitt Benckiser plc.
Williams-Sonoma is what it is today because of Howards vision, boldness, and philosophy on what it takes to make a retail company greatjudging your performance by how your customer judges you," Bellamy said. "He is an icon in the industry and is leaving the company with a highly experienced management team, great momentum, and a legacy of core values on which the company was built. We thank him for his many years of service as Chairman and CEO and are looking forward to his continued involvement as an advisor.
The Board intends to renominate Pat Connolly, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, and a director since 1983, to the board.
In addition, the board intends to include Sharon McCollam as a nominee to the board. McCollam has been a strategic and financial leader of the company since 2000 and has served as executive vice president, chief operating and chief financial officer since 2006. In partnership with the executive team, she has shepherded the company through both high-growth and recessionary times and organizationally aligned shareholders interests with the companys strategic initiatives.