Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 23,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 24, 2008
Greg Noe has joined High Point-based Home Meridian International as president of Samuel Lawrence Furniture (SLF). Noe, who had been president of Lifestyle Enterprise since 2001, is moving into the new role with the retirement of Joe Keveryn, who headed SLF for four years.
Lifestyle Enterprise named James Riddle CEO. He had been the company's managing director.
Noe, who has also been president of Pilliod Furniture, will report to Home Meridian International CEO George Revington, who said, “During this time of transition in the furniture industry, we are eager to position SLF to gain additional market share, and we believe Greg can be a key part of this success.”
Home Meridian, a case goods maker, was formed in 2006 with the merger of Pulaski Furniture and SLF. It has offices in High Point, Dongguan City in China and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
December 23,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 24, 2008
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to act quickly on a series of three sales tax holidays and other measures intended to boost retail spending, a sector of the economy that employs about one in five workers.
The tax holidays—applying to a broad range of goods including home furnishings—would take place in March, July and October.
“We urge you to act quickly on legislation to help stimulate consumer spending as one of the first priorities of your new administration,” states the letter to Obama from NRF officials, including the organization's chairman, J.C. Penney President and CEO Myron “Mike” Ullman III, and the top executives of PetSmart and Saks. “To be effective, any fiscal stimulus package must be enacted with great speed. It must be substantial. And it must be sustained.”
The NRF proposal includes both short-term economic stimulus measures and long-term investments. The letter states that sales tax holidays have proven to be a powerful inducement for people to shop. It proposes three 10-day periods in which sales taxes would not be charged, with the federal government reimbursing states for lost revenue. State sales tax rates range from 2.9 percent to 7.25 percent and add $236 billion a year to the amount consumers pay for goods and services, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The NRF estimates the average family would save $175 in sales taxes if the proposal is enacted.
NRF also called for infrastructure investment in roads, rails, ports, public schools and renewable energy projects, saying it would have a double benefit of creating jobs and repairing systems that are critical to commerce.
December 23,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 24, 2008
Ethan Allen, Danbury, Conn., has announced the opening of a new 15,900-square-foot store in Brookfield, Wisc., that represents a consolidation of three locations in the area.
Since January 2008, Ethan Allen has opened 18 new Design Centers and Design Studios and has five more in the pipeline to open in the first half of 2009. The new locations are designed to highlight the retailer's offering, which include everyday best price and free home delivery, as well as professional design consultants who provide in-home consultations at no extra charge.
The largest Design Center opened was a major new flagship store in the heart of the interior design district in New York City, located at 1010 Third Ave. at 60th St. In October a new smaller-format Design Studio of 1,800 square feet was opened in Longmeadow, Mass. The smaller Design Studio format takes advantage of the new high-definition photography and style films, which can be seen on the new www.ethanallen.com Web site. The company has 295 retail locations across the United States and abroad.
December 23,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 24, 2008
The Guitammer Co. of Westerville, Ohio, has introduced a new wireless ButtKicker system that allows movie viewers to feel the sound of their favorite movies with a silent subwoofer that attaches to ordinary sofas and chairs. The technology, which will soon be used at new AMC movie theater complexes, is designed to enable viewers to feel sound, explosions, bumps and thumps to go along with movie soundtracks, video games and concerts. The ButtKicker kit debuted on Amazon.com on Black Friday.
Because the technology doesn't produce airborne sound, Guitammer officials say the kits with starting prices of less than $300 are well-suited for apartments and close living quarters. The technology has also been incorporated into seating by Berkline and is used by Disney, IMAX and Universal Studios. More information is available at www.shakemycouch.com, a Guitammer Web site.
December 22,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on December 23, 2008
The Spring Air Company recently signed a licensing agreement to produce the official Ironman Mattress Series, which will debut at the Las Vegas Market.
Company officials said the agreement with T3 Athletic Products marks the first time a bedding product has been dedicated to athletic competitors.
"The Ironman lineup will utilize technology designed to give Ironman athletes and active consumers alike the quick recovery needed to live vibrant and productive lives," said Steve Cumbow, Spring Air's acting CEO. "Spring Air believes the official Ironman Mattress Series ... is a way to tap into a new market focusing on delivering the right type of support and recovery to more athletic consumers who until now (have been) underserved by the bedding market."
The Ford Ironman World Championship recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in Hawaii in a competition broadcast on NBC that involved 1,700 of the world's fittest athletes. The competitors, ranging in age from 18 to 70, compete in a 140.6-mile odyssey that includes at 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. The Ironman series now includes more than 50 qualifying events worldwide and has spawned licensed products ranging from bicycles to apparel and jogging strollers.