Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
January 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on January 27, 2010
After 45 days of photos, tweets and videos and an average of more than 500 weekly fan votes on Facebook, Hickory Springs has announced that a California hairstylist the winner of its EarthCare Challenge.
Laura Dillon of San Bernardino, Calif., beat out five other contestants to win the national competition.
Dillon will be at next week's Winter 2010 Las Vegas Furniture Market Feb. 2, where she will get to select her grand prizea collection of EarthCare Inside home furnishings courtesy of Craftmaster Furniture. Her grand prize will carry a retail value of up to $5,000.
Taking place entirely on the Internet on social networking communities Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and EarthCareInside.com, the EarthCare Challenge documented the real, live challenges of six consumers as they abandoned their old ways and adopted eco-friendly upgrades to their home and lifestyle.
"Our congratulations go out to Laura and all of our contestants who shared their personal journeys," said Dwayne Welch, Hickory Springs executive vice president. "The contest showed how simple decisions whether small (turning off lights) or big (opting for solar panels or a high-efficiency toilet), can really get people talking and inspire positive change."
Dillon won the panel of judges over by demonstrating her transformation toward living more sustainably. She banned her family's daily habit of using paper plates, started a recycling regimen in her home, found eco-alternatives to items such as gift wrap, beauty products and lighting, and began riding her bicycle to the market. She also started a vegetable garden in her backyard, among other initiatives, proving how simple changes can help anyone become "eco-chic."
Announced at the October 2009 High Point Furniture Market, The EarthCare Challenge followed the 45-day makeovers of six national finalists beginning in December. Family, friends and social media users around the world participated by becoming a fan of the contest on Facebook and voting for their favorite contestant in exchange for a shot at weekly giveaways. More than 500 fans voted in each week by liking or contributing to contestants' online updates.
January 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 27, 2010
Imperial Home Galleries, El Centro, Calif., will end operations Saturday as it completes a going-out-of-business sale, the Imperial Valley Press reported Monday.
The furniture retailer traces its roots to 1928, when it was a department of Imperial Hardware Co., which remains parent company and whose two hardware stores are staying in business.
Imperial Hardware President Phil Heald told the paper he believes someone will open another furniture store in El Centro when the economy improves.
January 26,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Retail Technology on January 27, 2010
Londonderry, N.H.-based online interior design software company 20-20 Icovia Inc. will relocate its permanent Las Vegas Market Showroom to the third floor of World Market Center's Building C in time for next week's Las Vegas Winter Market.
Icovia's move allows it to participate with the hospitality exhibitors of the new InspireDesign event running in conjunction with the furniture market. Icovia's previous WMC space was on the fifth floor of Building A.
Icovia's new showroom is situated in a higher traffic area where a concentration of attendees will be top interior design firms and hospitality planners.
"The new location allows us to maintain our presence in the home furnishings industry, which is our core focus, but also gain awareness with interior designers and the hospitality industry where we also have customers," said Icovia President Steve Street. "The Venetian and Palazzo hotels recently signed with Icovia to supply interactive floor plans on their website for meeting planners. We are very excited that the World Market Center is supplying a venue for manufacturers, retailers, interior designers and hospitality in one location."
Attendees visiting the Icovia showroom at InspireDesign can to see Icovia's Web-based floor plan design software for interior designers and firms. Hospitality planners will be able to visualize how adding Icovia interactive diagrams to their Web site will increase booked meetings.
Icovia also will showcase its 2D and 3D room planner solutions for furnishings retailers, and work with manufacturers who want to incorporate their product catalogs into Icovia.
January 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on January 26, 2010
The National Retail Federation is projecting this year's retail industry sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, will increase 2.5 percent from last year.
According to its quarterly retail sales outlook report, influential economic indicators such as the housing market and employment are beginning to show positive signs, which will bolster consumer confidence throughout the year. Total industry retail sales for 2009 declined 2.5 percent.
As we continue to see signs of improvement throughout the U.S economy in 2010, overall sentiment will begin to lift, making way for slight increases in consumer spending, said NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells. While we still expect shoppers to continue to be frugal with their discretionary spending, retailers will soon be able to reap the benefits of leaner, smarter inventories and a year and a half of pent up consumer demand.
Other positive economic contributions will come from trade, especially strong exports, a turnaround in the inventory cycle, and federal government spending. Consumer spending will lag behind overall economic growth, Wells estimates, but will continue to expand at a modest 2.02.5 percent rate.
January 25,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Acquisition on January 26, 2010
Case goods vendor Home Meridian International, High Point, closed the purchase last week of selected assets of Prime Resources International, a Chicago-based designer, importer and marketer of residential furniture.
Kevin Gallagher, will continue as president of PRI and will report to George Revington, president and CEO of Home Meridian International. Two other PRI executives, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Shawn Cantrell and Vice President of Asian Upholstery Operations Richard Knight also will continue with PRI after the acquisition.
With the deal, Home Meridian gains entry into the motion upholstery category, and also will benefit from PMI's existing sourcing relationships.
"Kevin has done a great job of designing and sourcing products for major retailers based on their unique design and service requirements," Revington said. "PRI has recently launched a promising motion upholstery business and is a good fit for HMI because it fills gaps in our product mix. Down markets provide a unique opportunity to gain market-share, grow our top line, fill product voids and increase profitability through efficiencies of scale. We are actively seeking additional acquisition opportunities that fit our strategic requirements."
"Our new relationship with HMI provides us with the capital, resources and credibility to rapidly expand our business," Gallagher said. "HMI has an industry best global operating system based on SAP and we can immediately tap into its infrastructure and broad base of distribution."
PRI will debut its new designs at the Las Vegas Furniture Market in February and will have a major showing at Pre-Market in High Point in March.
Home Meridian International is a global design and marketing company that ranks among the top 10 casegoods suppliers to US furniture retailers. Along with East and West Coast distribution centers, HMI has offices in Dongguan, China, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is the parent company of Pulaski Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality, Creation's juvenile furniture and now Prime Resources International.