December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
World Market Center will launch "One Good World," a new green initiative, at the 2010 Winter Las Vegas Market, Feb. 1-5.
One Good World encompasses existing eco-friendly practices at World Market Center's trade complex and will further equip retailers with the insights, information and strategies needed to respond to the rising consumer demand for sustainable furnishings, and reduce one's own carbon footprint in the process.
The effort includes a new sustainable products locator program, showcased manufacturers throughout the market, an expanded educational offering including prominent celebrity designers speaking on sustainability, consumer research, and a digital newsletter to launch next year. Soon World Market Center will announce a sustainability leadership congress slated for early 2010 featuring pre-eminent organizations from government, environmental groups, manufacturers, retailers, interior designers and consumer media focused on wood sourcing.
"The green economy is not coming fast it is already here," said World Market Center Las Vegas President and CEO Robert Maricich. "Being 'green' is more than a principle and more than a trend; it is a sound business practice. Taking proactive actions to respect our environment is now a business reality and increasingly critical to our industry. There's a lot of good product out there, but it can be confusing and hard to find. We are taking big steps to help resolve any confusion--connecting suppliers, retailers and even consumers in this new era of sustainability and accountability."
The new product locator "One Good Guide," is designed to help buyers find legitimately sustainable products anywhere on the campus of World Market Center. This will include all participating permanent showrooms as well as the long-running, eco-friendly temporaries on the second floor of Building B. Interested participants must submit an Application to the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) with specific declarations about their materials usage, transportation, wood sourcing, VOC emissions; and if submitting for upholstery, foams used in cushioning. They also must be verified to be showing and offering sustainable products at market, not merely available options.
One Good Guide was developed in conjunction with the Sustainable Furnishings Council, which will perform verifications for all applicants. Participants will be listed in a special section of the WorldDirectory distributed to thousands of buyers at Las Vegas Market, and will receive window decals and showroom signage to call attention to their status, along with additional on-line marketing and public relations support.
"World Market Center's approach to advancing meaningful green initiatives is an example for our industry, relying on facts rather than opinions," said Jeff Hiller, president of Sustainable Furnishings Council. "This commitment was evident in their sponsorship of national consumer research earlier this year, and in their new Good Guide sustainable exhibitor directory program. Unlike other markets which rely on self-reporting, World Market Center is employing an industry first vetting process on critical issues such as indoor air quality and wood sourcing to ensure the legitimacy of claims. This is the only defense against the green-washing that exists."
Hiller called One Good Guide an "at-a-glance-but-with-teeth" tool for buyers.
"With so much confusion around eco labels, there is growing concern about all issues of sustainability," he said. "Producing the Guide will help all who shop the market as they shop but also as they go home and market and sell the merchandise. This is the information retailers need to differentiate their stores and products and to close the sale."
Ecological education events include DESIGNINGreen, a green interior design symposium, which will feature several prominent figures such as HGTV's Angelo Surmelis and brand icon Kathy Ireland, among others, who are part of a national consumer print campaign about to launch. The Market is also will host SFC in staging its GREENleaders Certified Sustainability Training, a 6-hour exam course for accreditation as a local market expert in green furnishings (6 ceu). The course was offered for the very first time at Las Vegas Market in February 2009 with great success and now has certified more than 150 graduates.
In a survey last September, 80 percent of Las Vegas Market designers and retailers said they believe sustainable home furnishings are very to moderately important to their business. These same buyers were asked whether they were looking to purchase sustainable products while at Las Vegas Market, and 55 percent said "yes" while another 21 percent stated they were "considering it."
World Market Center underwrote a major national consumer study to understand awareness, purchase interest, price sensitivity, and other important concerns related to green furnishings. The study, fielded earlier this year, revealed consumers are significantly interested in purchasing sustainable home furnishings, with two important qualifiers: If they like the style and it costs about the same. If both style and price are on par, more than 80 percent of consumers indicate some level of interest.
World Market Center also makes it a priority to make environmentally conscious decisions in its own business operations. World Market Center regularly recycles packing material, as much as 70 percent of all refuse is recycled on site, and has put into circulation environmentally friendly products whenever possible, from water bottles, paper and plastic materials that contain a higher level of recyclable material. World Market Center Las Vegas recently rolled out an environmentally conscious co-op marketing effort for its tenants and exhibitors, offering partners an email blast program instead of printed postcards, at no cost to participating companies.
For more information about participating in One Good Guide, World Market Center exhibitors should contact the Sustainable Furnishings Council at 919.967.1137 or
e-mail.
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 14, 2009
Police have arrested the owner of a Burlingame, Calif., furniture store for scamming customers out of almost $13,000 over a two-year period, according to a report Friday from the San Mateo County Times.
Thomas Woodward, who police say owns Bay Area Sofas in Burlingame, began taking deposits and payments in early 2006 on furniture that never reached customers. Woodward closed the store in September.
If Woodward is convicted, the victims can ask the court for compensation.
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
Christmas lights may have caused a two-alarm fire that damaged a Macy's furniture store in Novato, Calif., according to a report picked up Friday by KGO-TV.
The fire, which began Friday afternoon, was soon under control. Damage was contained to the roof exterior, and no injuries were reported.
Investigators haven't determined the exact cause of the blaze, which The apparently started on the roof where electrical cords were under a fiberglass cover.
December 13,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 14, 2009
One worker was injured in a Thursday fire at the Allentown, Pa., plant of American Atelier, the Allentown Morning Call reported Friday.
According to the fire marshal, the fire began when sparks from welding equipment burned table carts in a storage area. One worker went to the hospital for smoke installation.
Fire damage was confined to the tables.
December 10,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 11, 2009
U.S. consumer sentiment improved in early December on signs of stabilization in the labor market and widespread holiday discounts, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers.
The survey said its preliminary index of sentiment for December rose to 73.4. The latest figure was higher than the 67.4 for November.
The survey's gauge of current economic conditions jumped to 79.1 in early December from 68.8 in November. This was the highest since March 2008 when it was 84.2.
The barometer on consumer expectations rose to 69.7 from 66.5 in November.
"Confidence improved in early December mainly due to widespread price discounting by merchants attempting to spark holiday sales as well as somewhat more positive expectations for economic growth and employment," said Richard Curtin, director of the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.