Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 3,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on December 2008
In an announcement that rightfully deserves a lengthy drum roll: Mimosa is the color of the year, according to the Pantone Color Institute, Carlstadt, N.J. Specifically, it’s Pantone’s 14-0848 shade of the reddish yellow that’s this year’s color.
Mimosa takes over from 2008’s top shade Iris Blue, which is now “so last year.” According to the Color Institute’s tastemakers, yellows express hope and reassurance like no other colors and signal optimism in a time of economic uncertainty. The color experts at Pantone, a subsidiary of X-Rite, have been providing design professionals with products and services for color expression and creativity for 45 years.
“The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and creativity.”
She calls mimosa a versatile shade that coordinates with almost any color, and has appeal for both men and women. The organization predicts it will be showing up in home furnishings, as well as women’s accessories and men’s shirts and ties.
December 3,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on December 2008
A deal for Richmond, Va.-based RoomStore to purchase the Mattress Discounters chain for about $4.5 million has been approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Maryland, according to court records.
Mattress Discounters, which filed for Chapter 11 in September, will be operated as a 72-store chain involving a partnership with investor Ray Bojanowski, who will serve as chief executive officer, according to an article in
The Richmond Times-Dispatch Wednesday. About 18 stores will be closed.
In May 2007, Mattress Firm, the nation’s second-largest bedding chain, made a bid for Mattress Discounters valued at a reported $80 million, but later decided against completing the deal. In September, Mattress Discounters made its second trip to bankruptcy court after filing for Chapter 11 in 2002 and emerging a year later after shutting or selling off nearly half of its 300 locations at the time, including all of its stores in California.
December 3,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 2008
The most recent
Home Furnishings Business Webinar is now archived and available on-demand at HFBusiness.com
More than 350 people registered for the program, “2009 Industry Forecast and Expectations: The State of the Furniture Business.”
Bob George, managing partner of Impact Consulting Services, shared information about 2009 and the expected impact the economy will have on furniture sales. Janice Chamberlain, research editor for
Home Furnishings Business, presented findings from the magazine’s recent survey on retail expectations for next year.
The Webinar, sponsored by the High Point Market, will be available free of charge at HFBusiness.com for 90 days under the Webinar tab on the homepage.
December 3,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on December 2008
Full-line vendor aspenhome is set for a Jan. 19 opening of its new 323,000-square-foot distribution center and corporate office on Jan. 19 in Phoenix. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to improve customer service through quicker order fulfillment with higher accuracy, improved stock-in rates and quality control.
“As the market and industry retrenches during this time, aspenhome is investing in the future so that we can provide the world-class service, availability and delivery that our customers need,” said Bill Colegrove, aspenhome CEO.
The new distribution center more than doubles aspenhome’s inventory capacity, offers 40 truck bays, a five-fold increase; and a warehouse management system upgraded to the latest radio frequency handheld devices for improved efficiency and order processing.
The expanded warehouse capacity will enable aspenhome to maintain 95 percent stock-in levels to support the vendor’s nationwide ASAP 10-day Land Delivery program. New inventory management technology is designed for quicker, more accurate order fulfillment for the retailer while improved inventory housing will reduce product damage and improve quality control of product handling.
All phone and fax numbers will remain unchanged.
Aspenhome is distributed by Furniture Values International LLC.
December 3,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 2008
Manufacturers and purchasers seeking information on sustainable production and consumption can now access The Green Standard’s new Web site at
www.TheGreenStandard.orgDeveloped in conjuntion with Atlanta-based software development firm Azul Arc International, the updated site has fresh, informative content and an intuitive layout.
In addition to a clean, user-friendly design, The Green Standard has expanded and restructured the content geared toward brand enhancement and increased competitiveness. The site includes information on The Green Standard’s new programs, including the first and only Environmental Product Declaration system in the United States and the unique Gaia Product Profile, as well as EcoLibrary, a compendium of articles created for
Interiors & Sources magazine. Plans are to continually update the site with news, additional EPD reports, articles of interest and comprehensive information on The Green Standard conferences and events.
The new Web site coincides with the launch of The Green Standard’s Bright Green, Bright Future campaign, a yearlong educational initiative to empower manufacturers and purchasers to confidently navigate the environmental landscape while making lighter footprints. The campaign includes the introduction of The Green Standard Environmental Product Declaration System, managed by Paul Firth, vice president of technology. In addition to the EPD system, which is considered to be the core component in the emerging global product information system, the Web site provides access to Gaia Product Profile, a tool providing specifiers and purchasers with a summary of all of the information in a full EPD report.
The site also includes a new educational resource, The Green Standard’s Green Purchasing Accredited Professional training, an intensive best-practices training and certification for architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, facility managers, and governmental and educational procurement professionals.
The Web site also details a new membership program offers incentives to join The Green Standard as it provides free use of many of its education, technology and training resources for manufacturers and purchasers.
“We are pleased to be able to support U.S. manufacturers in becoming even more effective in the global marketplace through development of a comprehensive EPD system and believe that this work, along with our educational programs, will meet a long-standing need of both institutional and individual consumers in North America,” said The Green Standard President and CE0 Deborah Dunning.