Daily News Archive
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January 14,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 15, 2010
The International Sleep Products Association Expo 2010, for March 3-6 in Charlotte, NC, will feature several special events throughout the week.
Expo 2010 kicks off with a welcome reception featuring the mattress industry band, the Insomniaczzz, and concludes with the Industry Breakfast and award-winning speaker, Craig Karges.
The opening reception, sponsored by Atlanta Attachment Company, will offer a wide-variety of Carolina-themed food and drinks, fun, and music.
During the Industry Breakfast, attendees will be entertained by Craig Karges, a nationally recognized speaker and author known as the "extraordinist." Karges has made more than 4,000 appearances on four continents and in all fifty states with a blend of mystery, humor, psychology and intuition. He has appeared on the Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and specials for Cox Broadcasting. He has also appeared on Lifetime Television, CNBC, CNN Headline News, the Fox News Channel, and E! Entertainment Television.
Also during the breakfast program, ISPA will honor two leaders within the industry with the Russell L. Abolt Exceptional Service Award, and the Robert MacMorran Memorial Award. The Russell L. Abolt Exceptional Service Award, the highest honor bestowed on an individual member on behalf of the International Sleep Products Association, recognizes industry leaders who have truly gone above and beyond their peers in advancing the interests of the mattress industry. The Robert MacMorran Memorial Award, is given to individuals who have demonstrated meritorious service to the sleep products industry, without regard to their professional or business affiliation.
For more information on the ISPA Expo 2010, click here.
January 14,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 15, 2010
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday issued a recall on 1,000 cribs distributed through Caramia Furniture and Mother Hubbard Cupboard's of Ontario, Canada.
The product in question, the Diane Crib, has slats on the cribs' drop-side that can detach from the top and bottom rails, posing fall and entrapment hazards to the child. Eighteen reports of slats detaching from the rails have been received, but no injuries reported.
The cribs were manufactured between September 2002 and June 2004. A label affixed to the inside of the headboard or footboard lists the manufacturing dates.
The Slovenian-made cribs were sold at Buy Buy Baby and juvenile product and mass merchandise stores nationwide from September 2002 through December 2005 for between $240 and $370.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Diane crib and contact Caramia Furniture to receive a free replacement drop side. The free replacement will be available beginning March 2010.
For additional information, contact Caramia at (877) 728-0342 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site.
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Incidents can be reported here.
January 14,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 15, 2010
Leggett & Platt, Carthage, Mo., has selected Cleveland, Ohio-based Edward Howard to provide public relations and marketing services for its Bedding Group and Consumer Products Group.
Edward Howard also will support other Leggett & Platt groups and public relations needs of the company as assigned. Leggett & Platt is a diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs, and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in homes, offices, and automobiles.
"Leggett & Platt is an industry leader with a 126-year tradition of innovation," said Mark Quinn, group executive vice president of marketing. "We have great opportunities to grow our market share, launch new products, change perceptions, and solve complex problems through creative marketing and communications strategies. We are excited to be working with Edward Howard as our new public relations agency following a rigorous national search. Edward Howard won the business with their demonstrated creativity and combination of experience and capabilities across marketing and public relations, traditional and new media, and business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing."
"We look forward to Edward Howard's fresh approach to reaching both retailers and consumers," said Rob Woods, president of Leggett & Platt Consumer Products Group, the company's primary connection to the sleep industry's consumers. "We have a lot of exciting initiatives planned for 2010 to support our efforts in helping bedding retailers energize their performance and grow their business and in educating consumers on the benefits of creating a comfortable and stylish sleep environment as a way to improve their everyday life."
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
Home furnishings retail group Williams-Sonoma (WSM) raised its fiscal fourth-quarter forecast and reported sales rose 7.4 percent during the holidays.
Led by a turnaround in sales at Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma last quarter swung to a third-quarter profit. In addition to Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma, the company also operates West Elm.
Williams-Sonoma expects fourth-quarter earnings of 69 cents to 74 cents a share on revenue of $1.06 billion to $1.08 billion, compared with its November view of 36 cents to 45 cents on revenue of $970 million to $1.03 billion.
For the eight weeks ended Dec. 28, Williams-Sonoma said revenue rose to $783 million, including a same-store sales increase of 6.5 percent.
Williams-Sonoma also forecast revenue growth excluding store closings for the upcoming fiscal year in the low-single digits on percentage basis, with per-share earnings growth of 10 percent to 15 percent.
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
The Furniture Buying Index climbed three points for January to a reading of 62. This marks the second consecutive month the Index has risen by three points.
Consumers are feeling slightly better than they were last month, said Britt Beemer, chairman of Americas Research Group. But, the Index is nowhere near the 70 level that retailers need to see to make promotions more successful. This positive movement is good showing that President Day sales could make a come-back this year."
The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America's Research Group from interviews with 5,000 to 8,000 consumers across the country. In a typical month, 80 percent of the consumers interviewed can name a specific furniture item they intend to buy. The Index's mark signifies what percent of the benchmark 80 percent actually have a particular item in mind.