Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 14,
2009 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on December 15, 2009
Greg Skoog of Caldwell Freight, Lenoir, N.C., has been named 2010 president of the Specialized Furniture Carriers Association.
The SFCA, and a network of furniture carriers serving North America and a division of the American Home Furnishings Alliance, also announced other officers for 2010.
Greg Skoog of Caldwell Freight, Lenoir, N.C., will serve as president. First vice president is Scott De Jong of De Jong Enterprises, Norwich, Ontario; and second vice president is David Canfield of American West Worldwide Express, Minneapolis.
T.J. Alfuth, of Worldwide Logistics, Jefferson, Wisc., serves as chairman of the SFCA Board of Directors.
The board includes six members, four from furniture carriers and two from other supplier members. Serving a one-year term are Barry Bailey, Bernhardt Furniture Co.; and Pat Cory of Cory First Choice Home Delivery. Serving two terms are Buster Mann, Hickory Springs Manufacturing Co.; and Louis Massood, MGM Transport. Serving three-year terms are Ed Long, Shull Transportation LLC; and Chris MacKenzie, Clark & Reid Fine Furniture Services.
December 14,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 15, 2009
Contemporary specialist Design Within Reach (Pink Sheets: DWRI) has named John Edleman director, president and chief executive officer effective Jan. 3.
Edelman, 42, is the former president and chief executive officer of Edleman Leather, a division of Knoll (NYSE: KNL). He brings more than 20 years experience with lifestyle brands to the position.
During his 14-year tenure at Edelman Leather, six years as president and chief executive officer, Edelman is credited with increasing the company's brand awareness, sales and profits as the leading national provider of premium leather to the home furnishings industry. He was instrumental in leading the sale of his namesake company to Knoll in October 2007. Prior to joining Edelman in 1995, Edelman spent seven years at Sam & Libby, Inc., where he was responsible for its U.S. business.
Edelman succeeds Ray Brunner in the position of president and chief executive officer. Brunner was ousted in October by fund manager Glenn Krevlin's Glenhill Capital Management, the company that took a 92 percent ownership in the company in August for $15 million.
In addition to Edelman's appointment, Design Within Reach has named John McPhee, 46, chief operating officer.
McPhee was formerly the chief operating officer of Edelman Leather, which he joined in 2003. Previously, he held senior management positions with Candie's as president, and Sam & Libby as executive vice president. In addition to his consumer experience, McPhee has real estate development and management expertise.
"During the search process, the board met with many highly qualified candidates, but the search committee unanimously concluded that Edelman and McPhee were the perfect team to lead the future vision of DWR," said Krevlin, chairman of the multi-channel retailer. "John Edelman is a charismatic, creative and team-oriented executive with an approachable style. He has a strong knowledge of and affinity for the modern home furnishings aesthetic and is considered to be an industry expert in 'modern.'
"John McPhee is a seasoned operational executive who has a strong background in IT, logistics, real estate and finance," Krevlin said. "He will be an exceptional complement and partner to John Edelman. My vision was to find leaders for DWR that foster a culture that is maniacally focused on servicing our clients and customers. This team will help us achieve these goals."
Edelman said he is excited to join the retailer.
"I have always been impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication that the store associates have for the products and vendors they work with," he said. "John McPhee and I look forward to helping shape the new future of DWR."
Based in San Francisco, Design Within Reach was founded in 1998 and sells contemporary furnishings through its
Web site, catalog and more than 65 retail stores in the U.S.
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
Profitgroups, a division of Profitsystems, has scheduled its early 2010 Colossal performance group meeting for March 10-11 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The conference theme is "Thinking about Tomorrow TodayProspering in the New Economy." Several Profitsystems employees as well as industry experts will be presenting and participating in round table discussions. The agenda will cover topics in all key areas for retail home goods businesses: financials, marketing (including customer relationship management, e-marketing, and Web strategies), buying, inventory management, merchandising, selling, back-end operations (such as: office, warehouse, delivery, and customer service), and the newest systems technology
Profitgroups members are leaders who are not satisfied with average performances," said Phyllis Zaepfel, vice president of Profitgroups. "They are business savvy individuals who know there is always room for improvement. These meetings have always had a huge impact on the business and personal life of the attendees. Putting together this many people who are driven to find better ways of doing things is always exciting and productive."
The concept behind performance groups is to gather forward-thinking retailers together to solve business problems, share best practices, and help each improve their bottom line. Typically, the five performance groups meet individually, however, during the Colossal group meeting all five established Profitgroups will be in attendance for one all-encompassing conference.
All clients and prospective members are invited to attend the conference.
PROFITgroups members who have participated in the conference in the past have benefitted from the meetings.
There is something really awesome about being in a room with like-minded people who want to help you grow as well as help themselves," said Pat Young, general manager of Patrick Furniture, Cape Girardeau, Mo. "The Colossal meeting was such an eye opening experiencethe ideas, methods, marketing, management, and just shear hands-on knowledge in one room was amazing. I truly believe a mastermind group like Profitgroups can help anyone take their business to the next level.
Joel Harres, owner of Harres Furniture and Appliances, Columbia, Ill., has been a member of Profitgroups for five years.
"We find the Colossal meeting extremely valuable," he said. "We are able to broaden and multiply the benefits we get out of the smaller groups. Pulling a big group of retailers together that are all on the same page in terms of performance standards, reporting, and analysis lets us see some eye-opening systems and techniques that we would not ordinarily be exposed to. The meeting helps to reinvigorate our attention to detail and makes us excited to go back home and start implementing new ideas.
For information on attending, contact Zaepfel at phyllisz@profitsystems.com or call (800) 325-2018 for more details.
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
Select Comfort Corp. (NASDAQ: SCSS) today closed its previously announced underwritten public offering of 3.8 million shares of its common stock at a public-offering price of $4.75 per share.
Net proceeds from the sale of the shares, after underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, are expected to be about $16.4 million (excluding $1.6 million, which the company would receive if Sterling SC Investor exercises its contractual preemptive rights).
Piper Jaffray & Co. acted as the sole manager for the offering.
The company plans to use the proceeds of the public offering to improve working capital and pay down debt.
"The close of this public offering represents another significant milestone in our efforts to strengthen our balance sheet and improve financial flexibility," said Bill McLaughlin, president and CEO. "The combination of the recent Sterling Partners investment and the proceeds from this public offering allows us to eliminate our currently outstanding debt. The closing of this offering fulfills our obligation to raise equity capital under our credit agreement, and we have no present intention to raise any additional equity capital."
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
Charlotte, N.C., retailer Interiors Marketplace plans to open an Asheville location in January, the Charlotte Observer reported Saturday.
In addition to relocating the existing operation early this year, owners John and Kelley Vieregg also opened another store, Post & Gray, in Charlotte.
As in the existing stores, the 14,000-square-foot Asheville store in Biltmore Station will offer high-end, quality pieces at discount prices, including stock overruns, excess inventory and discontinued items. Interiors Marketplace and Post & Gray also sublease space to vendors, taking a percentage of sales.