Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
August 8,
2007 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007
Restoration Hardware, Corte Madera, Calif., said Wednesday that construction will start this fall on an 800,000-square-foot warehouse in West Jefferson, Ohio, to serve the company’s East Coast stores and direct-to-customer sales in categories other than furniture.
The 110-store retailer, which also sells extensively through catalogs and the Internet, has signed a 15-year lease on the facility, which is projected to open in mid-2008. It will add to the company’s two distribution centers in California and a third facility in Baltimore. The company plans to phase out a third-party facility in Nashville, Tenn.
“This is a significant step in the planned transformation of our supply chain and infrastructure,” said Ken Dunaj, chief operating officer. “Over the next three years, we’ll be executing a sequenced plan to drive greater service and productivity in our supply chain and build a network that can support our long-term growth objectives.”
Dunaj said the company has already upgraded its furniture distribution facilities and has consolidated its small-package, direct-to-customer operations. During the rest of this year, it will phase in a new warehouse management system. Future initiatives include a new order management system and a redesign of the company’s furniture delivery network.
August 8,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007
Restoration Hardware, Corta Madera, Calif., announced Wednesday that its second-quarter earnings are likely to reflect a loss. Citing weakness in the home sector, the company said it expects to see a loss per diluted share of 21 cents to 19 cents due to below-plan revenues and higher costs. The company will report earnings on Aug. 30.
Net revenues are likely to be in the range of $183 million to $185 million—versus $179 million in the same period of 2006—for the quarter that ended August 4. In May, the company said it expected second-quarter revenues to top $195 million.
Gary Friedman, president and CEO of the 110-store chain, said he expects improvement later in the year. “The growth and infrastructure investments we made in the first half of 2007 should provide a catalyst for earnings improvement in the third and fourth quarters of the year. In addition, as previously announced, we have significant cost savings initiatives that will be realized in the second half of 2007 and into 2008, including lower catalog production costs versus last year.”
He said the company will provide additional information on its outlook for the third and fourth quarters when it reports its second-quarter results. At the close of its first quarter in May, the company projected that annual revenues would increase by 9 percent to 11 percent over fiscal 2006 to reach $780 million to $793 million.
August 8,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007
WithIt honored four industry professionals at its annual Wow Awards banquet in Charlotte last night.
Lee Brown, senior consultant and practice leader for the consumer research group of Impact Consulting, was honored with the organization’s Legacy award given to a woman of achievement who has made lifetime contributions to the home furnishings industry.
Jeff Cook, president of Broyhill Furniture, was recognized with the Mentoring award, which is given to an executive or organization that fosters advocacy, development or promotion of women in their company.
Dawn Brinson, vice president of marketing for The Media Matters, took home the Education award honoring someone that has developed programs to educate associates, retailers or consumers about home furnishings.
Dana Pretner Andrew, director of marketing and public relations for the Las Vegas Market, received the future leader award given to a woman 40 or under who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and the potential to become an industry leader.
In addition to the awards dinner, WithIt is holding its two-day educational conference.
August 7,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on August 2007
Mattress Firm, which has 400 sleep stores in 36 markets, announced Tuesday it has entered into a long-term strategic alliance with sleep expert and author Michael Breus.
Breus is the author of “Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4 Week Program To Better Sleep and Better Health” and is also the resident sleep expert for WebMD.com. He has appeared as a wellness expert on national TV programs that include “Oprah,” “CNN,” “The Today Show” and “The View,” and has been interviewed for articles in a number of national publications. He’s a clinical psychologist specializing in sleep disorders and a diplomate of the American board of Sleep Medicine. He’ll be featured in a PBS special called “Good Night With The Sleep Doctor” in December.
In his relationship with Houston-based Mattress Firm, he will participate in the retailer’s public awareness initiatives on the importance of proper sleep. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Breus on advocating the importance of a great night’s sleep,” said Bill Dandy, Mattress Firm’s executive vice president of branding. “It was clear to us from the beginning that Dr. Breus’ relentless commitment to educating the public was consistent with our passion as a company to improve people’s lives by offering sleep solutions through an unparalleled buyer’s experience.”
August 7,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007
Select Comfort Corp. is rolling out enhanced Sleep Number 7000 and Sleep Number 9000 beds with upgraded, luxurious materials.
“The new Sleep Number beds represent the company’s desire to continue to innovate for the benefit of the consumer,” said Greg Pesky, the company’s product director for consumer mattresses. “The key attribute of the Sleep Number bed is the ability to adjust the firmness on each side based on personal preference. By adding layers of the most technologically advanced fabrics and materials available, we’ve taken the comfort a sleeper can achieve on the Sleep Number bed to an entirely new level.”
The enhanced 7000 bed features a rayon and silk sleep surface that is softened with aloe vera. The fabric also provides effective vapor and moisture transfer, wicking away heat and sweat for added comfort while sleeping. The bed also has three inches of Intralux Ultra, a premium foam
The new Sleep Number 9000 bed offers a cover of boucle yards for vapor and moisture transfer. The bed also features Outlast Adaptive Comfort technology, which is supposed to balance a sleeper’s temperature.
“With most mattresses, the look is very homogeneous, and the design feels outdated because it’s so extravagant and ornamental,” said Brad Lohrding, vice president and design director with Polivka Logan, a Minneapolis-based design house with a 45-year history in consumer product design. “With the new Sleep Number beds, we saw an opportunity to make a statement about the advanced technology found on the inside, by creating a modern, sophisticated design on the outside.”
Both the 7000 and 9000 beds offer Select Comfort’s adjustable air chambers for a personalized sleep experience.
Select Comfort, based in Minneapolis, designs, manufactures, markets and supports its adjustable-firmness mattresses. The beds are sold through Select Comfort’s 460 company-owned U.S. stores, select bedding retailers, direct marketing operations, and online at sleepnumber.com.