Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
January 2,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on January 3, 2013
Imax Worldwide Home is hosting a fundraiser to support American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
For every $20 donation made through Imax between now and noon on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, donors will receive one entry into a drawing to win an original mermaid sculpture created by artist Colleen Stiles. The mermaid, a life-size body cast sculpture, was originally designed as a market promotion and became the sea-themed inspiration for the fundraiser.
"As our country watched the coverage of Hurricane Sandy, we saw a level of destruction that left thousands of victims - including many Imax customers and sales reps - in its wake," said Rex Yoakley, vice president of sales for the company. "Massive relief efforts are vital to aid in the rebuilding and will be ongoing for months and years to come. We knew immediately that we wanted to help in some way."
Donations can be made through the company's Web site or in the showroom located in AmericasMart Building 2, Showroom 1100. The company plans to match the monetary donations raised. The drawing will take place at 3 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 14, next to the mermaid's display window, located on the 11th floor of Building 2 adjacent to the escalators.
Images of Siréne the Mermaid are available online.
January 2,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on January 3, 2013
Bruce Erickson of Williams All Seasons, Highland Park., Ill., will continue to chair the International Casual Furnishings Association's Retail Council in 2013.
ICFA membership includes all sectors of the casual furnishings industry, including retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, sales representatives and designers. The Retail Council provides leadership for programming and services designed to meet the needs of the industrys retail stores.
Kristine Schultz-Hutchinson, Patios Plus, Rancho Mirage, Calif., will serve as vice chairman of the council in 2013. Gail Williams, Sunshine Furniture, Vero Beach, Fla.; and Mary Beth Singleton, Tropic Aire Patio Gallery, West Columbia, S.C., are new members to the council.
Returning to the council for 2013 are Bruce Aronson, Pool & Patio Center, Metairie, La.; Cathy Galbreath, ABSCO Fireplace & Patio, Birmingham, Ala.; David Schweig, Sunnyland Furniture, Dallas, Texas; Garrett Wallace, Yard Art Patio & Fireplace, Irving, Texas; Paul DeMerlis, The Sign of the Skier, Toronto, Ontario; Mary Fruehauf, Fruehaufs Patio & Garden, Boulder, Colo.; Becky Stover, Stover Hearth & Patio, Frederick, Md.; and Greg Martin, Kolo Collection, Atlanta, Ga.
January 2,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on January 3, 2013
Canadian furniture and bedding protection Caber Sure Fit has re-aligned its North American sales and marketing functions.
he move is aimed at increasing Markham, Ontario-based Caber Sure Fits profile and its portfolio of top of bed accessory products with retailers throughout North America.
Mark Dentale and Lisa Mellet, who led sales in the United States and Canada, respectively, will now focus their attention on two different sales channels.
Dentale becomes division vice president of upholstery and bedding, selling bedding accessories to mattress and furniture retailers, including specialty mattress, furniture and baby stores. He is a long-time industry veteran who joined Caber Sure Fit in May 2012.
Mellet becomes division vice president of home innovations, which sells the organizations DreamSerene, Furniture Skins, QuickCover and Sneaky Sheets products to retailers that do not sell mattresses, including department, big box, home healthcare, pet and hardware stores, as well as pharmacies and shopping channels.
Together, they will have direct oversight of more than 15 independent sales agents in the field, as well as new sales representatives recruited to help expand sales. This flatter structure will extend to the sales and marketing functions, which will now be integrated into every division, equipping the sales agents who are well-versed with the customer needs in their territories with customized materials.
As our North American sales channels became more clearly defined, we realized we could better maximize our resources and provide more comprehensive service to our dealers and customers by creating a continental region. We are excited about the direction this new structure gives us, said Caber Sure Fit President and CEO Bernard Weinstein. Through this leaner organization, we further seal our commitment to being a North American company offering groundbreaking bedding solutions and provide our sales force with the support they need to grow relationships with retailers from Newark, New Jersey to Walla Walla, Washington and Ottawa, Ontario.
January 2,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on January 3, 2013
An International Casual Furnishings Association webinar at noon (EST), Jan. 15 will focus on the groups new consumer finance program through GE Capital.
GE Capital has been a retail credit provider for more than 60 years. The webinar will be presented by GE Capital Client Services Manager Terry Slay.
Slay will share retail best practices and key strategies for driving sales with the right financing tools. GE Capitals longer term financing options include 24-, 36- and 48-month terms. Benefits of these longer financing terms include increased store traffic and higher average ticket prices, according to Slay. In addition, industry research indicates many consumers look for financing deals when deciding where to make home furnishings purchases.
The one-hour webinar is free to ICFA members and $95 for non-members. Registration is online here.
January 2,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on January 3, 2013
Specialty home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) reports that its December same-store sales increased 8.2 percent for the five-week period ended Dec. 29.
The comparable-store sales increase for the same period last year ended Dec. 11, 2011 was 11.3 percent.
"We are very pleased with our December comp store sales results, which reflect strong traffic and an increase in average ticket," said Alex W. Smith, president and CEO. "We experienced momentum in sales throughout the month, including the days after Christmas, and sales were strong across all geographic regions of the country. Importantly, we executed our planned balance of regular and promotional pricing, enabling us to achieve strong store-level margins that were comparable to last year. Our direct-to-consumer business continues to build and performance at our new stores is very strong. We remain confident that the long-term opportunity for growth in both our ecommerce business and our Pier 1 Imports stores is significant. With our holiday clearance event winding down, we are excited about our new spring assortments, which are arriving in stores this week."
The retailer will announce fourth quarter sales for the quarter ending March 2 on March 7. Complete fiscal 2013 year-end results will be released April 11.