Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
June 22,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on June 2008
• Privately-owned housing starts slipped 3.3 percent in May, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 975,000, compared with April starts of 1.008 million. Measured against May 2007 results, starts fell 32.1 percent.
The number of completed privately owned housing units jumped 11.6 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.1 million units, compared with April figures. Measured against May 2007 results, completions fell 26.9 percent.
Housing starts and completions are tracked by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Commerce.
• The Producer Price Index (PPI) for manufacturing industries stood at 179.3 in May, up 2.4 percent from April and up a huge 9.5 percent from year-earlier results. May PPI for furniture and related products manufacturing was 170.6, up 0.5 percent compared with April and up 3.0 percent from May 2007.
PPI for furniture and home furnishings stores stood at 118.6 in May, down 0.5 percent from April and up 3.0 percent from May 2007.
PPI, tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), measures the average change over time in the prices received by domestic producers of goods and services. PPI measures price changes from the perspective of the seller.
Weekly Review of Economic News (WREN) reports are summaries of recently-released economic statistical data that affect the home furnishings industry. WREN reports are compiled by HFB
Research Editor Janice Chamberlain.
June 22,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on June 2008
Star International Furniture is turning up the star power in its World Market Center showroom at this summer’s Las Vegas Market.
The company will be hosting a two-night cocktail event featuring Golden Nugget headliner Frankie Moreno and his band. The group will be performing Tuesday, July 29, and Wednesday, July 30 in the Star showroom between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The showroom is at Building B, Space 680.
In addition to being a talented singer and songwriter who has written hundreds of songs, Moreno has produced and released six albums.
“When we first saw him play at the Golden Nugget, we knew we had to have him play at our showroom to match the competition the Strip presents,” said Matt Genova, marketing manager for Star. “His energy and ability to engage the entire audience is incredible and his musical skill set is beyond belief. Get ready for a memorable experience.”
June 22,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 2008
Porto Home, a Raleigh, N.C.-based retailer of eco-friendly furnishings, shut the doors of its four-year-old store and a second, newer location in Chapel Hill recently, according to a published report.
Porto Home was featured in a June 2007 feature in
Home Furnishings Business on the travails new furniture retailers face. The chain was founded by two designers, Michael Perry and Emily Barrett, in Raleigh’s North Hills section, and established a second location in fast-growing Chapel Hill in May 2007.
The
News & Observer in Raleigh reported the closing of Porto Home’s two stores recently. The retailer’s listed phone numbers are currently not in service. Perry told the newspaper there weren’t enough customers to support the company’s vision of providing hand-crafted, environmentally sustainable goods. The owners said the company would fulfill outstanding special orders.
June 19,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on June 2008
Lexington Home Brands has become embroiled in a dispute with Bob Timberlake, who the company states in legal documents is seeking to end a license agreement over the popular furniture collection that runs through 2010.
Lexington Home Brands filed suit this week in Davidson County Superior Court seeking to have the license enforced through 2010. According to the legal action, representatives of Timberlake, a famed American Realist painter, served notice that his company intends to terminate the agreement in 60 days, arguing that Lexington has breached the agreement by failing to “promote, advertise and market the furniture products.”
Details of the dispute were first reported in Lexington’s local newspaper,
The Dispatch on Thursday. A Lexington Home Brands spokeswoman declined to comment, citing a policy against discussing pending litigation.
Dan Timberlake, general counsel for Bob Timberlake Inc., said he could not discuss details of the matter except to say, “We’re obviously disappointed Lexington elected to take this approach on resolving a fairly simple business matter, but we’re fully prepared to go forward based on their decision and look forward to a resolution.”
In addition to seeking to clarify the license matter, Lexington is seeking $145,000 it says it is owed for goods purchased by Bob Timberlake Inc. for sale in its retail store and catalog.
The World of Bob Timberlake became one of the most successful lines in the industry when Lexington Home Brands launched it in 1990. Timberlake and Lexington locked horns in 2006 when the manufacturer announced plans to shut a factory and shift production overseas. Timberlake strongly expressed his desire to continue having his designs manufactured domestically, and the situation was resolved when Linwood Furniture reached an agreement to reopen the factory to produce the line for Lexington.
June 19,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Motion Upholstery on June 2008
As part of a new marketing campaign, Lombard, Ill.-based The RoomPlace at Harlem Furniture, which has a history dating to 1912, will streamline its official name to “The RoomPlace.”
The company has grown from a single store in Chicago in 1985 to 17 showrooms in the Chicago area, two in Indianapolis and one each in Merrillville, Ind., and Mishawaka, Ind.
The new name announced Thursday comes as the company launches a new marketing campaign titled “Live What’s Next” that extends from advertising to a merchandise lineup it describes as conducive to today’s ever-changing lifestyle trends.
“There’s more to furniture than just tables and chairs,” said CEO Bruce Berman in a news release. “It should be something that complements and enhances your way of life, focusing on needs beyond simply being somewhere to sit, eat or sleep.”
He said the approach extends to power reclining seating that enhances the home theater experience and modular pieces that can be rearranged easily for different entertaining occasions.