Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
February 4,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on February 5, 2013
HW Home in Denver, Col.; and Coconis Furniture, South Zanesville, Ohio, are the National Home Furnishings Associations 2013 Retailers of the Year.
HW Home, led by Ron Werner and Jim Hering, is the honoree in the category of annual sales under $10 million. Coconis Furniture, led by Randy Coconis, is the honoree with annual sales over $10 million.
Werner and Hering are co-founders and owners of HW Home, a home furnishings retailer and design source. HW Home likes to say that the company "lives in the Yes," striving to deliver the highest level of customer service and satisfaction to its clients while simultaneously building trustworthy vendor relationships and supporting the companys loyal team members with dignity and respect.
Werner graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Economics and minor in Jewish Studies. Prior to forming HW Home in 1998, he was a senior vice president of investments with Smith Barney. Werner serves on various boards including The Alexander Muss High School in Israel, The Mathew Shepard Foundation, The Riverfront Park Community foundation, The Riverfront Park Association, and the National Home Furnishings Association.
Hering graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Business and Political Science. Prior to forming HW Home, he was general manager of Holly Hunts Flagship Chicago showroom and was responsible for management of her showrooms and proprietary furniture collections. Before joining Holly Hunt, Hering was production manager for Dennis & Leen, and Formations in Los Angeles. He is a board member of the Accessories Resource Team and an avid tennis player.
HW Home opened its doors on June 15, 1999, in Boulder, Colo. The duo crafted the lifestyle boutiques concept after visiting and assisting Werners sister with a home décor project during January 1998. During that visit they quickly realized that both Boulder and Denver were void of a chic home store. Their concept was relatively simple: Offer design center styled merchandise at retail competitive price points while maintaining stock levels to satisfy todays consumers demand for instant gratification. Their assortment blend and high level of service has proven to be a success. Today the company operates three retail locations spanning 50 miles of the Colorado Front Range, a stocked distribution facility and executes design projects coast to coast.
In 1972, Randy Coconis began working for his father in the Zanesville, Ohio-based family furniture business full time just out of high school. He began his career on the delivery truck and then moved into sales and eventually into management. Due to a his father's sudden serious illness, Coconis began managing the store in 1981. Five years later after his fathers passing; he became owner with his brother, Paul Jr.
Under his leadership Coconis Furniture has grown from six employees to 60 and is one of Ohios largest independent furniture retailers. The stores showroom has grown from 5,000 square feet to more than 70,000 square feet today. A new, 30,000-square-foot warehouse was constructed in 2005; and in 2010 a second satellite store was opened featuring a mattress and reclining furniture gallery. Currently plans are being finalized for a new 30,000-square-foot store in Heath, Ohio.
Coconis is a past recipient of Ohios Furniture Retailer of the Year, past Treasurer of the Ohio Home Furnishings Association, serves on the board of Furniture First buying group, and currently sits on the board of the new North American Home Furnishings Association.
In his hometown of Zanesville, Coconis sponsors and is involved in many community activities and charity organizations such as, The Muskingum Valley Red Cross, Sertoma and Autism charities including the local annual Tee it up for Autism golf outing held each June. He also participates in local recycling center and disaster victim relief donations. Coconis also founded the Coconis Family Endowment Fund established with the Muskingum County Community Foundation.
In 2011, Randy received the prestigious Dick Johnson Community Service Award presented by the Muskingum County Community Foundation.
Randy is proud to have his two sons, Chad and Kyle (Bo) involved in the family business, making them the fourth generation who are innovating and growing the business. Coconis Furniture attributes its success to the dedicated help and enthusiasm of its many valued employees, some of whom have been with the company for over twenty years.
NHFAs Retailer of the Year Awards are presented annually at the Spring High Point Furniture Market Furniture Industry Awards Gala. This years Gala will be held Monday, April 22, at 6:15 p.m. in the IHFC Ballroom, 11th Floor, Green Wing.
Candidates were nominated by active members of the home furnishings industry. The recipients are selected for their outstanding contributions to the home furnishings industry, exemplary service to the community and personal business achievements. The awards, signified by crystal obelisks, are the highest honor the 90-year-old trade association can bestow upon a member.
February 4,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on February 5, 2013
Bedding supplier Simmons Co. has donated 50 mattresses to Convenant House Georgia, a shelter for Altanta's homeless and runaway youth.
The organizational helped 497 metro Atlanta teens between the ages of 17 and 21 get back on their feet last year.
"As a company, we are committed to giving back to our Atlanta community," said Anne Kozel, brand director, specialty products at Simmons. "We are proud to assist Covenant House in its mission and hope our mattresses help the affected young people to recharge and recover."
The Comforpedic from Beautyrest mattresses will be used in CHGA's new crisis shelter, a residential facility open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and designed to help young adults in need of housing and crisis intervention for up to 60 days.
Additional mattresses will go to CHGA's onsite independent living program, Rights of Passage, which young adults are eligible to enter after leaving the crisis shelter. In this cottage-like atmosphere, teens learn crucial life skills, such as money management, résumé writing, food preparation and cleaning methods, that will help them to one day find and maintain a home of their own.
"We are so grateful for the mattresses provided by Simmons," said Allison Ashe, executive director of Covenant House. "As we prepare to move into our new crisis facility we will be able to serve more homeless youth than ever before, and Simmons is providing a comfortable place for them to lay their heads at night."
February 4,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on February 5, 2013
Norwalk Furniture has unveiled a new Web site designed to appeal to the shopping habits of 30- to 55-year-old shoppers.
Special features were added as the result of research by marketing students at the University of Akron.
The students opened our eyes to what younger shoppers really want in the shopping research phase, and we listened, says Reyna Moore, vice president of marketing and merchandising for Norwalk Furniture, Norwalk, Ohio. Of utmost importance is beautiful imagery and making detailed information about our products easily accessible. Our goal quickly became to create the ultimate pre-shopping experience that will draw consumers into the stores of our dealers.
The navigation and lightening speed of the site features multiple filter options that enable the consumer to narrow the product line and fabrics to their lifestyle, their color and pattern preferences, and the right scale for their room size.
The size of your home and the rooms in it dictates the size of the furniture you buy, and those living in small spaces have an even bigger challenge, Moore said. The marketing students suggested that we present the home type and the square footage so that only products in the right scale are shown when she clicks on Shop by Room Size. We agree that is a fabulous suggestion to streamline the shopping experience.
The site also lets consumers try out their own design combinations by quickly outfitting all upholstery in their choice of fabrics, nailhead treatments and wood finishes. Each product they create features product specifications for future reference, which can be saved to a personal portfolio on the site, shared with friends through a variety of social media platforms, and printed to take to the store when they are ready to place the order. Consumers may request up to five fabric swatches at no cost.
When women of all ages are furnishing their homes, they look for inspiration. It was a top priority to be certain that our imagery is beautiful, not just from the perspective of the photography but as a result of the technology that adds depth and intense saturation, Moore said. By presenting products as five lifestyles, shoppers are more easily able to see themselves in the settings, and then to drill down into specific frames and fabrics offering the same point of view. Our merchandising team shares their design inspiration in our Spring and Fall Color trends, and the Things We Love in fashion and architecture from around the world.
At the encouragement of the students, the site also tells the Norwalk story through a timeline. Visitors to the site can get to know the Norwalk family through numerous behind-the-scene photos of Norwalk dealers at events, the staff in action, and charitable causes that the company supports.
Consumers today want to know everything about the products and the people who made them, Moore said. We are proud to say that our upholstery and tables are made in America. This site provides an inside view of our culture and the heart that goes into each piece that we produce.
February 4,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on February 5, 2013
Tim Yaggi has been named chief operating officer for bedding supplier Tempur-Pedic (NYSE: TPX), a new position for the company.
Yaggi reports to Mark Sarvary, president and CEO.
Yaggi has more than 25 years of operational experience leading publicly traded consumer brands, including Norelco, (Philips) (NYSE: PHG) Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) and Masco (NYSE: MAS).
Most recently, Yaggi was group president of the North America builder group at Masco. From 1994 to 2008, Yaggi held a number of senior management positions at Whirlpool Corporation. As executive vice president, market operations, North America for Whirlpool, Yaggi was responsible for leading operational functions that accounted for about $12 billion in revenue, including brand marketing, product management and development, sales, supply chain and consumer care.
"Tim will be a great asset to Tempur-Pedic," Sarvary said. "He brings a wealth of talent and deep operational experience in consumer products that will help Tempur-Pedic continue to grow as the worldwide leader in premium and specialty sleep."
February 4,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on February 5, 2013
Gift for Life, the gift, stationery and home décor industries' charitable organization, announced that its Party for Life event raised nearly $200,000.
The 21st annual event was held Sunday, Jan. 27, at The Boathouse in Central Park in New York City and welcomed hundreds of industry attendees.
Each year this event draws a crowd that is enthusiastic and generous, said Leslie Nathan-Street, Gift for Life chairperson. This year we welcomed more than 450 guests as we raised funds to support DIFFAs mission of care and education. Thanks to everyone for helping make this event a huge success.
The Party for Life featured numerous New York City-themed food stations, multiple bars, a photo booth, and a short program honoring industry leaders with two awards: Global Views received the Design for Life Award, which recognizes excellence in product design and sustained impact on the gift and home décor industries; and Whereoware received the "Trailblazer Award," which recognizes an industry pioneer for outstanding achievement and significant contributions, as well as for creative products and ideas with lasting impact.
Guests competed for a wide array of prizes at silent and live auctions including jewelry, home décor, show tickets, vacation packages, market trips, marketing assistance, and much more.
Each year, Gift for Life hosts events throughout the U.S. benefitting DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. The primary mission of Gift for Life and DIFFA is to eradicate the AIDS pandemic in the U.S. Working together, Gift for Life and DIFFA will continue to raise funds for HIV/AIDS service and education programs.