Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
August 29,
2006 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on August 2006
Scotchgard, 3M’s renowned fabric protector, is teeing up to make a return to the home furnishings industry by teaming up with Quaker Fabric for its reintroduction.
The protectant was taken off the market in 2000 amid concerns that a primary chemical in the product was a health hazard. Since then, 3M has worked to reformulate Scotchgard using a different, safer chemical. The new Scotchgard that Quaker will work will be used in the residential, contract and outdoor fabric markets.
“3M’s reformulated Scotchgard Protector provides all of the performance benefits consumers expect from the brand—stain resistance, stain repellency and stain release—with products that are not based on PFOA or PFOS chemistry,” said Mitch Culbreath, business development manager with 3M’s protective materials and consumer health care division. This makes Scotchgard Protector the natural choice for consumers desiring to use products with minimal to no environmental impact.”
Culbreath said Quaker was selected as the launch partner for its like philosophy for the brand’s value and concern for the environment.
“We are pleased that Quaker’s commitment to the sale of environmentally-responsible products caught 3M’s attention,” said Larry Liebenow, Quaker president and chief executive officer. “And we are proud that this made us 3M’s first choice when it came to moving the Scotchgard brand back into the living rooms of America’s homeowners.”
August 29,
2006 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on August 2006
Tom Zwolan has been named director of consumer research for La-Z-Boy Residential, a new position for the company.
In his post, Zwolan will lead the company’s consumer research efforts and will grow research as a core competency within the sales and marketing team. Zwolan reports to Jennifer Sievertsen, vice president of brand marketing.
“The La-Z-Boy brand is our greatest asset, and consumers are our most important audience,” Sievertsen said. “Tom brings an exceptional background in consumer research to our marketing team that will allow us to further grow the brand by listening to and meeting the demands of consumers. His expertise in this area will be invaluable to the company’s world class marketing organization.”
Zwolan joins La-Z-Boy with extensive experience in consumer research and marketing. Most recently he was senior vice president at Synovate Motoresearch, a global marketing research firm. Prior to that, he gained experience in consumer research through work at various automotive and business solutions companies. He was vice president of MORPACE International’s automotive research group, and previously held sales and marketing positions with ADP, Inc. Zwolan’s career began at Ford Motor Co. where he spent 15 years in various sales, marketing, strategic planning and market research positions.
August 29,
2006 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on August 2006
Warehouse club retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. reported an 11 percent increase in August 2006 sales over last year to $4.55 billion, but lowered its earnings guidance slightly for the fourth quarter and fiscal year.
During its third-quarter earnings conference call on May 31, Costco said estimated earnings per share for the fourth quarter and fiscal year of $0.77 and $2.33, respectively, were “at the high end of company expectations.” Currently, earnings per share for the fourth quarter are expected to be $0.68 to $0.71; and for the fiscal year $2.23 to $2.26 per share. These estimates include a one-time income tax charge of approximately $0.03 per share.
For the first 52 weeks of its 53-week 2006 fiscal year ending Sept. 3, Costco reported net sales of $57.78 billion, an increase of 11 percent from $51.86 billion during the similar 52-week period of the prior fiscal year.
“The principal factor leading to our revised fourth quarter earnings outlook is lower-than-planned gross margins,” said Richard Galanti, chief financial officer of Costco in a release. “In addition, approximately $0.03 per share of the fourth-quarter revision relates to accruing a reserve for income taxes of up to $14.8 million related to a non-recurring foreign tax assessment for a structure that had been utilized by the company during fiscal years 2000-2005 and that was subsequently discontinued. We remain positive in our outlook for fiscal 2007 and beyond; and we would expect to open at least 35 new locations during the coming fiscal year.”
Costco currently operates 487 warehouses, including 358 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 68 in Canada, 18 in the United Kingdom, five in Korea, four in Taiwan, five in Japan and 29 in Mexico. The company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce Web site, at
www.costco.com and at
www.costco.ca in Canada. Costco plans to open an additional 20 to 21 new warehouses in the first four months of fiscal 2007, prior to the end of calendar year 2006.
August 29,
2006 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on August 2006
Harden Home Studio, a retail presentation highlighting the case goods and upholstery of high-end supplier Harden Furniture, began its rollout this month to 25 retailers nationwide.
August Home Studio installations include Carl Harz, in Elmer, N.J.; Pasadena, Pasadena, Md.; Colonial Gallery, McMurray, Pa.; Maynard’s, Belton, S.C.; and Barrymore in Toronto, Ont.
The Harden Home Studio was introduced during the spring High Point, where Harden dealers participated in informational seminars led by Al Wight, president of research firm Strategic Decisions–whose company conducted consumer research to support the new concept–and by Martin Roberts, president of GRID2, the retail design and consulting firm responsible for the consumer-interactive exhibit.
Financial results from a five-month, three-store test last fall and winter of Harden Expo, the precursor to Harden Home Studio, were monitored by Wight and presented to interested dealers in April. Wight also conducted ongoing interviews with the test dealers to determine effectiveness of the program. Additionally, in-store consumer video audits conducted by GRID2 in the test stores were used to fine-tune the original design, and a summary of conclusions was also shared.
“The response from our dealers to include a Harden-branded footprint in their stores has exceeded our expectations,” says Greg Harden, president of Harden Furniture. “The test phase for this concept provided critical feedback for us, and for our dealers, to proceed with confidence. The test market dealers experienced a 62 percent increase in sales during the five-month period and all improved their gross profit margin.”
The test was conducted at stores of varying sizes and locations, including Gallahan’s Furniture of Fredericksburg, Va.; The Woods at Colts Neck, N.Y.; and Interiors in Lancaster, Pa.
The Harden Home Studio consists of 1,000 square feet of Harden branded space, including a collection of furniture from the casegoods and upholstery manufacturer. GRID2’s layout creates a comfortable place for consumers to select from easily organized fabric swatches, hardware options, wood finishes and upholstery trim, for the customized furniture they desire. Informational and collateral elements reflect a cohesive brand message using signage, lighted kiosks, product catalogs and other printed materials.
August 28,
2006 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on August 2006
Fabric and mattress ticking supplier Culp posted a net income of $132,000 for othe first quarter ended July 30, compared to a $3.9 million loss during the same quarter last year.
The company’s sales were $62.6 million for the quarter, compared with $62.3 million during the same period last year. The quarterly results included $985,000 in restructuring and related chages after taxes. Excluding these charges, net income for the first quarter was $1.1 million.
“We are off to a good start for fiscal 2007,” said Rob Culp, chairman of the board and chief executive officer. “We are pleased with our overall year-over-year quarterly sales gain. These improved results reflect the benefits of Culp’s transition to a more marketing-oriented company focused on product innovation and changing customer needs. As a result of our strategic initiatives over the last two years in both the mattress fabrics and upholstery fabrics businesses, we have achieved improved profitability in each operating segment. We are encouraged by the progress we have made, and continue to make, as we adapt to a leaner and more agile business model.”