Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
May 19,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Accessories on May 2008
Mark Hearne has been named director of international business development for Artisan House, a producer of metal wall, floor and tabletop sculptures.
In the new position, Hearne will lead the company’s efforts to grow its European business.
“We are extremely excited about having Mark join Artisan House,” said John Shilling, president. “His years of experience and insight into the industry are just what we need to take Artisan House to the next level in our overseas distribution.”
Hearne previously served as vice president of sales and marketing for The Lam Lee Group. During his 20-year tenure he was directly involved with the company’s U.S. sales force and international distributors. In 2005 Hearne left the company to establish a retail home furnishings venture that his family continues to operate.
“I’ve been very familiar with Artisan House throughout the years and always admired the company and its product,” said Hearne. “It’s great to be working for a company that is so well-regarded and established in the industry. The company has stuck to its original vision of creating the finest hand-crafted metal works of art and they continue to focus on doing that better than anyone else.”
May 18,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on May 2008
Sandy Penney has been named associate publisher for
Home Furnishings Business.
Penney is a veteran of the furniture trade publishing arena. She worked for Vance Publishing, owner of
FurnitureStyle, for nearly 20 years. Eleven of those years, she worked for
FurnitureStyle selling advertising programs. Penney reports to Amy Kyle, publisher of
Home Furnishings Business.
“Sandy has deep relationships in the community and is going to be an amazing addition to the team,” Kyle said. “We look forward to continuing the growth of
Home Furnishings Business with Sandy on board.”
Penney is based in Flower Mound, Texas, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.
“I am thrilled to finally work with a power house trade title that services the needs of its readers,” Penney said. “The marketing platforms presented to me by
HFB far exceed any B2B trade property out there. I look forward to continuing my career with North American Publishing Co. and being a true student of the trade.”
Penney can be reached at (972) 539-3715 or via e-mail at spenney@napco.com.
May 18,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on May 2008
• The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has revised its estimates of home furnishings and furniture stores sales for the first three months of this year.
DOC now estimates home furnishings stores sales for the first quarter to be $11.7 billion, off 7.0 percent from the comparable quarter of 2007. Furniture store sales for the same period in 2008 were $15.2 billion, down 3.0 percent from the same period in 2007.
March 2008 home furnishings stores sales were reported as $4.1 billion, down 10.8 percent from March of 2007. Furniture stores sales in March were $5.1 billion, a decline of 6.1 percent compared with year-earlier results.
Combined year-to-date sales for home furnishings and furniture stores sales were estimated at $26.9 billion, down from $28.2 billion for the first quarter of 2007.
DOC estimates are based on current data from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Annual Retail Trade Survey and administrative records.
• Privately-owned housing starts increased 8.2 percent in April, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.032 million, compared with March starts of 954,000. Measured against April 2007 results, starts fell 30.6 percent.
The number of completed privately-owned housing units completed fell 16.0 percent in April to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 1 million units, compared with March figures. Measured against April 2007 results, completions plummeted 34.9 percent.
Housing starts and completions are tracked by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and DOC. In addition to releasing April housing statistics, revised numbers were also released for 2006 and 2007. Housing starts for 2006 and 2007 are now calculated as 1.8 million and 1.4 million, respectively, and completions are 2 million and 1.5 million, respectively, for 2006 and 2007.
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.
May 18,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 2008
Wholesale buying club DirectBuy said it has hit the $1 billion mark in “merchandise ordered.”
DirectBuy sells home furnishings, home improvement items, cabinetry, flooring, entertainment, outdoor products and accessories to its members. The company-issued press release did not break down sales by category.
To be able to buy from DirectBuy, consumers must pay for a membership upfront. A membership costs about $4,000 and continues with an annual fee. The retailer says it “derives no income from the sale of merchandise, and enables consumers to purchase brand-name merchandise at manufacturer-direct prices.”
DirectBuy has 156 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
DirectBuy, with its 156 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, joins Ashley HomeStores, Rooms To Go, the Berkshire Hathaway family of retailers, Ethan Allen, American Signature, Ikea, Williams-Sonoma, Pier 1 and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries to hit the $1 billion mark.
May 18,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 2008
Home Furnishings Business Senior Editor Jo Fleischer offers his thoughts on Rooms To Go’s current financing promotion, and speculates on possible future retail offers, in his new blog, “Any Room, $30 a Month.”
You can read it
here.