Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 2,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in sourcing/importing on December 3, 2012
The National Retail Federation wants President Obama's help in stalled contract negotiations between management and striking union workers at West Coast ports.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit has established pickets outside a majority of terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
A prolonged strike at the nations largest ports would have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy, read a letter last week from NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay to Obama. We call upon you to use all means necessary to get the two sides back to the negotiating table.
In its appeal to the president that the administration directly engage in the ongoing labor dispute, NRF noted the outcome of the 2002 West Coast ports lockout. The 10-day lockout led to significant supply chain disruptions, which took six months to remedy, and cost the economy an estimated $1 billion a day.
An extended strike [in Los Angeles and Long Beach] this time could have a greater impact considering the fragile state of the U.S. economy, the letter stated. The two sides must remain at the negotiating table until a deal is reached.
December 2,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on December 3, 2012
The High Point Furniture Market is changing its logo to a more up-to-date image that uses the Markets hashtag, #hpmkt.
The change makes the High Point Market one of the first organizations in the United States to incorporate a hashtag as a main element in its business identity.
The High Point Market is the premier destination for design enthusiasts, both in retail and in the decorating world, said Tom Conley, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. The Markets brand is a solid one, but the former logo didnt accurately reflect the brand. This new logo showcases something unique, modern, strong, and ahead-of-the curve. Those are words that accurately describe the High Point Market as well.
According to a recent New York Times article, hashtags are becoming the new URLs and are one of the top search tools on the Internet and social media, accelerating search functionality.
The Markets hashtag #hpmkt was already being used on social media as a replacement for the full High Point Market name, said Cheminne Taylor-Smith, vice president of marketing for the High Point Market. That gives the HPMkt acronym in the Markets new logo an immediate recognition factor. And as the logo is used online, it will help increase the SEO for the High Point Market and its Web site.
The new logo, designed by the Market Authoritys agency, Emisare, offers several styles that showcase the hashtag, as well as the Markets tagline The Worlds Home for Home Furnishings. The logo is being unveiled Monday on the Web site and throughout all the marketing and collateral for the Market. It also will be used for the High Point Market Authority, the official sponsor and organizer of the High Point Market.
December 2,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on December 3, 2012
Home furnishings women's leadership network WithIt is collecting gifts for the Little Smiles charity.
WithIt will hold a Christmas get-together on Dec. 12 at the Chop House in High Point, N.C., to support the effort. Margi Kyle, a WithIt board members and a Virgina/Carolinas regional member, founded Little Smiles in Charlotte, N.C., "to provide toys, games, DVDs, computers, VIP outings, celebrity meet-and-greets, concerts, sporting event tickets, theme park tickets, and so on for children in local hospitals, hospices and shelters; to help children escape their everyday pain and allow them to be a kid again, even if it's for a short period of time."
WithIt asks participants in the Dec. 12 event to bring a gift to donate to this charity. Suggested gifts include coloring books, colors, PlayDoh, boy and girl dolls, games, DVDs. Gifts should not be wrapped, so that nurses and volunteers can pick which items will have the most impact for the individual children. Monetary donations will also be accepted. Checks can be made payable to Little Smiles.
Details for the WithIt "Little Smiles" party, Dec. 12, 6 p.m., Chop House, 4001 Meeting Way, High Point. Members and friends are welcome. Please RSVP to Sara Lyke if you plan to stay for dinner.
November 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 2012
As we put the final touches on HFB for 2012, I cant help but hear the song Auld Lang Syne in my head. For me this indicates the end of one chapter and the exciting beginnings of a fresh start in a new year.
Many will sit around and vent on how difficult a year our industry may have had in 2012, but now is the time to plan and focus on the changes you will make in the New Year. As you reflect on what you have done, or not done, in these last few days of the year, scratch a couple of things off your list.
We all had a challenging year; we all did it with less people; we all worked harder than ever before; and we all will be expected to do it again in 2013, but with even better results. Just look around you, ask a friend, they are in the same boat, so you get no bonus points for these items. If you didnt hear it from your boss, let me say it for them, Atta boy or Atta girl.
As the New Year rolls in, a new question will be asked, What have you done for me lately? All quotas, goals and benchmarks have now been set back to zero. So, have you structured a new marketing plan that will help drive traffic to your retail location? Have a few fresh ideas that you are excited about implementing? Maybe this is the year when you finally decide to tackle the Internet and social media thing you have been hearing so much about.
Whatever you do, be sure to try something different. You cannot expect any changes if you arent trying some sort of new approach. We are not the same industry we were just a few short years ago.
In this issue of Home Furnishings Business, we discuss the state of our industry with input from experts and various retailers. They take a peek into the crystal ball and predict what we may expect in the New Year. We also include our 2nd Annual Power 50. The Power 50 is our ranking of home furnishings retailers.
We take into account more than just revenue generated. We put our spin on it by included a popular vote, industry involvement, Klout scores and the editorial teams input. We have been asking you for the past three months for your nominations; then, we opened up the voting polls. Throughout this issue, youll see how the list shakes out.
As you read through the issue, take note of the retailers that made our Power 50 rankings. These retailers are good resources for borrowing an idea or two from for 2013. They made our Power 50 list, so they must be doing something a bit different from the masses, giving them a leg up. Use them as sources for ideas that will help you gain an advantage in 2013.
Thank you all for being a part of our conversations this year. We encourage each of you to continue to send in your e-mails and comments about our coverage of the furniture industry. Its you, the retailers, who help us deliver the best product possible so that we can continue to be the Retailers Choice for Relevant Content.
Happy holidays to you and your families. Heres to a prosperous 2013 for all!
Cheers!
November 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 2012
Theres something rejuvenating and energizing about hanging out in a roomful of smart, creative, excited home furnishings retailers. Typically, with our industry, you can plop a handful of retail thinkers in one room and just watch the powerful electricity bounce around.
Add more than five to the mix, and pure magic can happen; and thats what happened during the first weekend of this month in San Diego. There, tucked away in the Palomar Hotel snug in the citys Gaslamp district, is where the members the Contemporary Design Group and their vendor partners gathered for the annual summit.
If you dont know, CDG is a group of eager, creative retailers with a strong slant toward contemporary home furnishings. Everyone in the industry should be aware of the groupits filled with passionate, independent retailers who put every ounce of themselves into their individual businesses.
Retailers like Lawrence Contemporary in San Diego; Circle Furniture in Acton, Mass.; PerLora in Pittsburgh; La Différence in Richmond, Va.; Contents Interiors in Phoenix; Forma Furniture in Ft. Collins, Colo.; and Hillside Furniture in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
The list goes on and on.
A couple dozen of their vendor partners joined the retailers in the room for an open discussion that spanned a number of topics, including protecting distribution integrity, protecting the turf of brick-and-mortar retailers, setting MSP guidelines and on and on.
I love a good, open healthy debate; especially one that advances issues toward a solution.
Every year, the first part of December, this dedicated group, convenes to do just that. Sit down, brainstorm ideas, solutions and ways in which the group can create better synergies within the group. The conversations remain civil, but they do get a little loud at times as every one is eager to participate and serve up great ideas.
The meeting is a great way to wrap up a year, and set goals and agendas for a new one. And here we are, at the end of 2012 staring at 2013, which whether were ready for it or not, is coming our wayquickly.
Are you ready? Have strategy meetings been held, and plans for competing in 2013 been mapped? True, December is a busy, busy time for retail, but laying the groundwork for a successful year ahead is imperative. Heres hoping the planners out there managed their meetings last month, and the procrastinators among usme includedhave inked a day on the calendar for big thinking.
As we close the book on this year, weve brought you our annual state of the furniture industry and year-ahead outlook. I wish I could say things are going to be gangbusters and super-fantastic; sit back and enjoy the ride. If I did, my inbox would surely hit overload, and my phone would ring non-stop.
Its still tricky out there and will remain so for some time. The key is to get creative in your approach to your business.
Rely on shared ideas from a smart group of peers. Other retailers have similar experiences to what youre facing; theres no need to recreate the wheel all the time.
Create a network or join onesimilar to the CDGand be willing to share and exchange successful ideas and even the ones that werent successful. We all learn from our mistakes!
Heres to a bright, shining holiday season and a fantastic 2013. I look forward to sharing the new year with each of you.
Enjoy!