Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
February 26,
2007 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on February 2007
Hurt by restructuring charges and declining sales, Quaker Fabric Corporation, Fall River, Mass., reported net sales of $32.2 million and a net loss of $12.9 million in its fourth quarter Monday. Sales declined from $50.1 million during the same period last year. The results include after-tax restructuring charges of $6.1 million and $1.3 million in after-tax expenses related to what officials called its early “extinguishment of debt and inventory” and deferred financing cost write-offs.
For the year ended Dec. 30, sales were $151.7 million—down from $224.7 million the previous year—with a net loss of $37.6 million. Excluding significant one-time charges tied to the company’s restructuring plan, the net loss for 2006 was $17.04 million or $1.03 per share.
“The market for upholstery fabric in the United States is continuing to experience unprecedented change, with imports, in a variety of forms, now representing a very large percentage of total consumption,” said Larry Liebenow, Quaker’s president and CEO. “For us, this meant a 29 percent drop in last year’s domestic fabric sales and an 18 percent drop in export fabric sales. This fall-off in our sales outpaced the speed with which we were able to take costs out of our operations. Continued implementation of our restructuring plan is intended to bring our cost structure in line with projected revenues, and we believe that the steps we took last year to reshape and restructure the company represent progress toward returning the company to profitability.”
He said the company is repositioning its marketing efforts to focus on segments such as the outdoor and contract markets that are less vulnerable to imports from China. The company has also has a strategic alliance with partner factory in China that is producing products “with widespread market acceptance,” Liebenow said.
February 26,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on February 2007
After several seasons of diminishing activity, High Point premarket had its slowest start ever Monday, which will be the event’s only day for many of the few showrooms that were open.
The unofficial event, originally set up by manufacturers to show sketches and finish of new goods to key retailers, ended up a chance to pre-sell entire collections and lock down distribution and first cuttings.
Premarket’s diminishing impact reflects the shift of production offshore, which limits the amount of tweaking vendors can perform after getting premarket feedback; and crowded calendars for retailers and exhibitors alike--a number of vendors who showed at last month’s Forbidden City Furniture Show, for example, had carried through on their intention to use that event as “premarket,” and didn’t re-open this week.
Premarket remains of interest to some exhibitors, though, but participation is not a given--they need some specific reasons.
“It’s a good deadline for getting set for the market,” said Kelly Cain, senior vice president at Stanley, which had a handful of appointments set. “If you’re looking to get samples made at the plant and you don’t set a firm due date like this, it can get put off.”
While there were sketches on the wall, Stanley had a very strong sampling of actual pieces for two new collections, and a complete youth bedroom addition.
Hooker has always put great emphasis on using premarket, and had let retailers know that in addition to new product, the vendor also had a full-on presentation of its Showplace retail concept. Indeed, while Hooker’s showroom resembled activity at a “normal” premarket, it was still much slower.
“We’ve always been a big premarketer, but we have maybe 10 appointments today,” said Kim Shaver, director of marketing and communications. “Normally that would be more like 20.”
Bernhardt had plenty of new upholstery frames, a new grand traditional case goods collection, and pieces for its new license collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.
Riverside also came to town since it had rushed out a whole-home collection, Cobble Hill, based upon a big winner at the recent Las Vegas market.
February 26,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on February 2007
Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. announced Monday that it will open The Bedding Center, a 15,000-square-foot space dedicated to bedding manufacturers located in Suites at Market Square at the upcoming High Point Market.
“Ninety percent of the Top 100 Furniture Stores attend the High Point Market, and that segment accounts for 30 percent of sales for bedding manufacturers,” said Tom Mitchell, senior vice president, for MMPI’s High Point operations. “It became very clear to us that we needed to help buyers shop for this category while in High Point, and The Bedding Center is perfect solution.”
The Bedding Center will incorporate unique hardwall dividers in order to create private showroom-like settings for each manufacturer. Participating companies include Therapedic, Springwall, Protect-All, Dreamfit, Carolina Mattress Guild, Natural as Sleep, Protect-a-Bed, Glideaway, Corsicana Bedding and Comfor-pedic. More participants will be added as the Spring Market approaches.
February 26,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on February 2007
Couture designers Silvano Banfi and Frank Zambrelli have teamed up with upholstery vendor Robin Bruce to create a new line of furniture for introduction at the upcoming High Point Market.
The duo is known for their signature designs for top fashion houses including Judith Leiber, Calvin Klein and Nanette Lepore, as well as their own couture shoe line.
The new furniture line, the Banfi Zambrelli for Robin Bruce collection, will be available at select stores this May. Banfi and Zambrelli will be in the Robin Bruce market showroom Monday through Wednesday, March 26-28. There will be a cocktail reception to meet the designers Tuesday, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The new line of custom-designed sofas, chairs and ottomans brings to life Banfi and Zambrelli’s vision of “pure” and “sinful,” with clean-line styles and textiles ranging from shimmering textures to rich brocades.
“We approached furniture design the way we do all forms of fashion, we envision a certain type of woman and bring to life an aesthetic that would please her,” Banfi said in a release announcing the collection.
“Every woman has a good girl and a bad girl inside; our furniture designs and fabrics represent the alter egos of the same person. One day she wants to wear striking jewel tones and the next white linen. This same woman would also want to express both her pure and sinful sides in her home décor--she was our inspiration,” said Zambrelli.
“Robin Bruce is a creative line of furniture and we thought the best way to show its versatility was to invite guest designers Frank Zambrelli and Silvano Banfi to put their mark on it. It gives a unique and sophisticated perspective to Robin Bruce,” said Stefanie Lucas, senior vice president of Robin Bruce and Rowe Furniture, which produces the Robin Bruce line.
The design team looked to luxury forms of transportation as inspiration for the aero-dynamic lines of their modernized chairs, sofas and ottomans, reinterpreting classics such as 1930’s club furniture, and the streamlined aesthetic of seating found inside a Gulf Stream 5 or a yacht.
Customers can customize pieces with a myriad of fabrics and colors.
February 26,
2007 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on February 2007
San Diego, CA- February 22, 2007- Kathy Ireland Home® by Martin (KIHBM), a premier designer and manufacturer of home office and home entertainment goods, welcomed four new associates to their sales team.
The newest additions are Brian Coutu who will cover Western Pennsylvania, Bruce Marmer for South New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, David Tuite for Arkansas and Oklahoma and Drew Nolte of McCaffery & Associates who will handle key big-box retailers worldwide.
“The growth of the company has warranted the need for a larger sales team,” said Vice President of Sales Karl Eulberg. “By expanding our sales team, we can better serve our customers as Kathy Ireland Home by Martin products are now sold in a growing array of retail channels and locations world wide.”
In 1981 Gil Martin founded Martin Furniture, a premier producer of home office and home entertainment furniture. Twenty-two years later, in April 2003, Martin Furniture partnered with Kathy Ireland World Wide and became Kathy Ireland Home by Martin. In 2005 the company grossed over $63 million in sales. Martin products are sold through several retail channels all over the country including warehouse clubs, commercial office, catalogs, Top 100 Retailers and specialty stores. For more information please visit www.martinfurniture.com
As CEO and Chief Designer of Kathy Ireland Word Wide based in Los Angeles, California, Kathy began building her empire in 1993 with the mission of “finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.”™ By staying true to this commitment Ireland’s HOME line has received several awards including the Good Housekeeping Seal for her Home Collection. This Forbes Magazine reports that KIWW is a “design empire which grosses over one billion dollars annually in retail sales.” There are now well over 10,000 pieces that are in line with her mission. Kathy’s home design efforts extend beyond Home furniture; for more information please visit www.kathyireland.com