June 28,
2007 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on June 2007
The Las Vegas Market will offer dozens of free seminars and daily social events entertainment July 30-Aug. 3 at the World Market Center and Sands Expo, according to an announcement Thursday.
“The seminars and programs we are presenting at our Summer Market offer an incredible range of options for attendees and represent the most diverse line-up to date,” said Dana Andrew, director of marketing and public relations for World Market Center. “Attendees can take advantage of educational, trend-setting, industry and business seminars that provide meaningful and strategic tools to make their business successful.”
Seminar highlights include a presentation by Mary Liz Curtin of Leon & Lulu, a retailer in Clawson, Mich., that takes a fun look at customer service on Monday, July 30, 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Retailer Resource Center on the 16th Floor of Building B.
On Tuesday, July 31, The Retail Sustainability Panel will take place at the Sands Expo from 3-4:30 p.m.. It will be moderated by Mike Italiano, founder and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, and will include Steve Freeman of Minneapolis-based Room & Board.
On Thursday, August 2, a panel discussion for retailers on sourcing will take place 3-4 p.m. Titled “From Asia to the Home—A Complete Supply Chain Review,” it will take place in the Retailer Resource Center on the 16th Floor of Building B.
More information on seminars is available at
www.lasvegasmarket.com . The site also lists daily networking and entertainment events that get an early start with the Las Vegas Market’s second annual Rep Appreciation Day on Sunday, July 29, in the atrium of Building B. There will be events exclusively for reps during the day and early evening.
The Official Market Kick Off Party is set for Monday, July 1, 5:30 -7:30 p.m., in the Grand Plaza between buildings A and B.
The Viva la Venetian Festival on Tuesday, July 31, runs 5-7:30 p.m. at the Sands Expo.
The Green Party will open the inaugural Living Green Pavilion in the Sands on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m.
June 27,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on June 2007
Magnussen Home Furnishings, High Point, has hired Charles Aurich as vice president of global manufacturing. He will be based in Hong Kong, where he previously oversaw Asian import operations for Lexington Home Brands as general manager for Asian operations.
In the newly created position at Magnussen, Aurich will lead the company’s quality and supply teams worldwide, identify new sourcing opportunities and create and integrate new global supply chain management and quality management programs. He reports to President and CEO Richard Magnussen.
“Charles has a successful track record of building and leading effective global manufacturing and quality initiatives,” Magnussen said. “With his first-hand knowledge of the global marketplace, Charles brings tremendous value to building our international infrastructure and will play an integral role in helping us achieve our goal of ‘on time, on quality and on cost.’”
June 27,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Home Office on June 2007
Office and residential furniture maker Herman Miller, Zeeland, Mich., saw sales in its fourth quarter increase 9.3 percent, helping produce net earnings of $31.7 million.
Net sales for the quarter ended June 2 totaled $485.3 million, and full-year sales reached $1.9 billion, an increase of 10.5 percent.
“We closed the year with a strong fourth quarter,” said CEO Brian Walker. “The new products we’ve launched and the new markets we’re entering have us well positioned for the future.”
June 27,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 2007
Thomas Fumarelli has been named president of Holly Hunt, a furnishings and textile design company with showrooms across the United States.
Prior to his appointment as president of Holly Hunt, Fumarelli served for four years as chief operating officer of Oregon-based Watermark Paddlesports Inc. and Yakima Products Inc., a $110 million outdoor sporting goods company, where he was responsible for manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, finance, information technology, and human resources worldwide.
Before Yakima Products, Fumarelli spent 14 years at Chanel, of New York and Paris, where he directed corporate strategic planning, as well as finance, operations, logistics, and human resources planning for this multi-billion dollar manufacturer and retailer of luxury goods in more than 25 countries. He also spearheaded the globalization of all support functions for Chanel during his tenure.
“Thomas Fumarelli brings a wealth of experience to Holly Hunt, having spent 14 years overseeing finance and operations for Chanel, one of the world’s leading luxury brands,” said Holly Hunt, founder and chief executive officer. “Thomas’ operational acumen, entrepreneurial vision and keen understanding of high-end, high-service businesses will prove invaluable as we strengthen the Holly Hunt brand and serve a wide range of designers.”
June 27,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 2007
The Federal Trade Commission issued a business alert late Wednesday reminding retailers that the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act requires businesses to truncate electronically-printed credit and debit card receipts to no more than the last five digits of the card number and to delete the card’s experation date.
Congress passed the FACTA provision to minimize the amount of personal identifying information on card receipts, because they can be lost or thrown away and later retrieved by identity thieves. The business alert said data security continues to be among the FTC’s top priorities.
“Businesses that violate FACTA could face FTC law enforcement action, including financial penalties. Data security breaches could also harm customer relations, so compliance with this law is good for business,” notes the alert.