Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 11,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 12, 2008
Two former employees of a Badcock Home Furnishings store in Troy, Ala., were arrested for stealing from the retailer, WSFA television reported Thursday.
Angela Holloway and Justin Bradley are suspected of taking cash transactions worth $200,000 and placing sold merchandise on false credit accounts.
The two were arrested earlier this week after an investigation linked them to the scheme.
December 10,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 11, 2008
The U.S. Department of Commerce ordered on Friday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection assess antidumping duties on uncovered innersprings used in the manufacture of mattresses from South Africa and Vietnam after the International Trade Commission issued a final determination that producers in those countries were selling innersprings at unfair value in the U.S. market.
Bedding Component Manufacturers Ltd., the only South African respondent to the investigation, faces a duty of 121.39 percent on its innersprings, but that rate also covers any other such units from the country.
Vietnam received a country-wide duty rate of 116.31 percent on uncovered innersprings.
The order excludes non-bedding innersprings that are used in the manufacture of upholstered living room seating. Leggett & Platt, Carthage, Mo., a major U.S. manufacturer of innersprings, petitioned for the antidumping investigation on Dec. 31, 2007.
December 10,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on December 11, 2008
Faced with forecasts of a worsening office furniture market, Holland, Mich.-based Haworth announced Wednesday it is cutting 350 jobs and will close its Allegan chair factory by the middle of 2009.
In a statement, Franco Bianchi, CEO of privately held Haworth, said "Haworth has not been immune to the unprecedented economic turmoil that has assailed our nation's and the world's economy. We have been proactive in planning for these difficult times and our members have performed admirably in their efforts to increase sales and constrain costs."
Recently, Steelcase said it would cut as many as 900 jobs after scaling back its third-quarter sales projections to about $805 million from $840 million. Herman Miller has also said it is eliminating 450 jobs or more by the end of January and also cut its sales expectations.
A recent forecast by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association said 2008 shipments are down 1.8 percent—after three years of growth—and the organization said 2009 shipments could decline 11.6 percent.
December 10,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 11, 2008
Aaron Rents, Atlanta, the nation's largest sales and lease ownership chain with 1,540 company-owned and franchised locations, announced Tuesday that Cleek's Lease or Own will convert its stores in Central Missouri to the Aaron Rents nameplate.
Cleek's owner "Tiger" John Cleek is president of the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO). After meeting with other franchise owners, Cleek said, "We realized Aaron's has a better system. The low-price guarantee is strong because they simply buy more efficiently than we can as an independent dealer."
Cleek also praised the company's training and advertising.
"Converting a 52-year-old brand bearing my family name has been a tough decision, but my family realizes this change is best for the future and for our employees and our customers," he said
According to published reports, Cleek's of Columbia, Mo., has nine locations.
December 10,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 11, 2008
NetShops Inc., an Omaha, Neb.-based online retailer, has donated a large assortment of outdoor furniture to a family that will be featured on ABC's hit series, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
A two-hour sweeps episode of the show is set to include the story of the Tutwiler family, which has been hard hit by two separate incidents. Patrick Tutwiler, a U.S. soldier, was shot in the neck by an Iraqi sniper. The attack left Tutwiler with traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, memory loss and speech problems.
Less than one year after his return home, Tutwiler's modest home was hit by a tornado. Patrick and his wife, Crystal, pulled the family into a closet and used their bodies as human shields while the tornado tore the house apart. The family was living on a nearby military base temporarily until Patrick was given his official military discharge.
Due to Patrick's injuries and his current part-time employment, the family's finances can't afford to rebuild or purchase a new home. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" spent the week of Nov. 11 building a home for the family in Chapman, Kan.
NetShops donated unique, quality outdoor patio furniture, including four rocking chairs, two matching side tables and one porch swing. The furniture will be used to refurbish the Tutwiler's outdoor porch and the town's damaged community safehouse, which will now double as a community center for the elderly.