Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 28,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 29, 2008
Knoxville Wholesale Furniture has opened its third store and warehouse in a 93,000-square-foot location, and the company's owner said he has little concern about the weakened economy due to strong sales in recent months, according to an article in the Knoxville News-Sentinel Friday.
The new store, which includes a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, is the largest location for the company that was launched in 1992.
When a reporter asked about the economy, Owner Tim Harris said the company is marking a record sales year, including the biggest October in its history.
"When you're at the top of your class—whether you're a restaurant, a bank or a furniture store—you'll be fine," Harris told the newspaper. "Our business has been good."
December 28,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Leather Upholstery on December 29, 2008
Poking fun at Chicago's notoriously rough-and-tumble political culture, LeatherCreations took out a quarter-page ad in the city's leading newspaper on Christmas Day to announce, "We Sell More Seats Than the Governor.”
The apparent swipe at embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has rejected charges he demanded favors in return for appointing an interim Senator, also states “And Our Senate Seat Only Costs $1,999 (Plus, this sofa lasts much longer than six years).”
The advertisement by the leather upholstery retailer has been celebrated at several Internet sites. The ad itself can be seen
here on a site operated by the The Leader newspaper of Cleveland.
According to its Web site, LeatherCreations has nine showrooms, including two in Chicago, five near Atlanta and single stores in Hoover, Ala., and Natick, Mass.
December 28,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 29, 2008
Karen Soojian, a senior interior designer with Gabberts Design Studio and Fine Furnishings, Edina, Minn. received the 2008 American Society of Interior Designers' (ASID) Designer of Distinction Award at the recent ASID Award Banquet held in Minneapolis.
Soojian has been in the design profession for over 20 year after her graduation with an interior design degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She has studied in Australia, and her work has been featured in Minnetonka Magazine and the Robb Report.
Utilizing her experience specializing in residential design, she has gained extensive experience in creating memorable interiors for second homes, vacation retreats and professional office spaces.
Colleagues say her work portrays detail, fashion, balance, style and sophistication. She is a leader within the Gabberts Design Studio and has led the team to award-winning designs in multiple showcase houses and with other projects.
December 28,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 29, 2008
Rent-A-Center, which operates 3,000 locations nationwide, announced last week that Paula Stern, Ph.D., has joined the company's board of directors.
Stern is chairwoman of The Stern Group, an international advisory firm with a focus on business and governmental strategy, was chairwoman of the U.S. International Trade commission from 1984 to 1986, and a commissioner from 1978 to 1987. She also serves on the boards of Avon and Hasbro.
Rent-A-Center, Plano, Texas, is the nation's largest rent-to-own operator.
"I am honored that Paula Stern has chosen to become a member of our board of directors," said Mark Speese, the company's chairman and CEO. "Paula brings extensive experience in the areas of international business, economics and government to the board, and will provide skillful leadership as we continue to build on our strategic growth initiatives.”
Stern is filling a vacancy, but the company's press release did not specify which member she is replacing. She will serve as a Class I director until the company's 2010 annual meeting of stockholders.
December 23,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on December 24, 2008
Retail industry market researcher Britt Beemer predicts that a number of prominent retailers will encounter trouble after lackluster sales in the weekend before Christmas.
Beemer, president and CEO of America's Research Group, released the results of the ARG/UBS Christmas 2008 Survey for the Dec. 20–21 weekend, which involved over 1,000 telephone interviews over the two-day period.
“Wal-Mart continued to dominate shopping this year while other Star Performers from (2007) fell short,” he said. “We will undoubtedly see more retail bankruptcies in the New Year.”
Wal-Mart earned a Star Performer designation for retaining 91.2 percent of the Christmas shoppers who visited the retail chain a year ago. However, Beemer issued a long list of poorly performing retailers that, according to the survey, retained less than 69 percent of shoppers, including Costco (68.1 percent), American Eagle (67.4 percent), Lowe's (66.7 percent), Macy's (65.4 percent), Sam's Club (65.4 percent), Belk (64.2 percent), Walgreens (61.0 percent), Dillard (55.4 percent) and Sports Authority (51.8 percent).
Beemer said sales suffered, as only 38.7 percent of those surveyed reported shopping over the final weekend before Christmas. In addition, 68.5 percent said in the weekend survey that they finished at least 90 percent of their shopping this year, the highest level since 2002.