Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
October 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on October 2, 2012
John Clapham has joined luxury furniture vendor Theodore Alexander in the newly created post of customer experience executive.
Clapham is be based at the companys new 10,000-square-foot factory showroom located outside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is responsible for the companys dedicated customer service team and reports to David Parker, vice president of international sales; and Ed Carey, president of the companys Vietnam operations.
Clapham has responsibility for showcasing the diversity, quality and heritage of Theodore Alexander furniture, lighting and upholstery at the new facility. He also will undertake sales and training missions in the companys key South East Asia territories.
Johns appointment is an integral part of our strategic growth initiative, said Theodore Alexander CEO Harvey Dondero. We have developed a world-class showroom and welcome our exclusive customers to experience the craftsmanship, design and painstaking detail that we employ in our renowned range of products.
A newcomer to the furniture industry, Clapham brings twenty years of public relations and sales experience to the company. Most recently he was managing director for television content distributor McCartney Communications; and is former journalist who has reported extensively from Asia over many years.
I am impressed by their vision and confidence," Clapham said. "The company is proactively pursuing opportunities for continued growth and world-class customer engagement when many others are trying to re-establish their economic footing.
October 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 2, 2012
Wright Furniture & Flooring has joined Furniture First buying group.
The three-store, Hannibal, Mo.-based retailer is a full-line furniture store. Like other Furniture first members, Wright is a family-owned business.
The addition of Wright Furniture brings the group's membership to 193 stockholders, with 413 furniture stores in 47 states.
"Furniture First offers a competitive advantage to independents in a difficult economy," said Bill Hartman, Furniture First president. "Our programs add to their bottom line with rebates, discounts and operational efficiencies. But the other benefits we offer, like our exclusive merchandise and private labels, also help them improve their margins and stand out from the competition in their local markets."
Furniture First takes on only stores that are full-line independents that have been in business for more than five years, though the average age of member businesses is more than 45 years. Stores are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements.
This October, at the High Point Market, Furniture First will present a new private label Mattress 1st lineup in the buying group's showroom on the second floor of the Radio Building at 164 S. Main Street.
The exclusive, private label bedding line focuses on the promotional end of the mattress market, which is manufactured by Serta.
In addition to the bedding review, Furniture First plans a series of members-only group shops to introduce new lines and highlight exclusive private labels. Furniture First's showroom will display select products from several of their suppliers, but the space also serves as a resource for members attending Market where computers, fax machines and printers are available for use.
October 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on October 2, 2012
Case goods furniture vendor Cambridge Mills has signed a five-year lease on its International Home Furnishings Center showroom space.
Cambridge Mills also announced a new fabric and leather program, which launches at the upcoming High Point Furniture Market. The company has occupied the Green wing's space G582 space for the last two High Point Markets and looks forward to growing its business in this location for years to come.
The space is the perfect size and configuration to display our solid wood bedroom assortment," said Cambridge Mills Director of Marketing and Sales Michael Scarsella. "We have enjoyed working with IMC the past two markets and feel the location and partnership is a good fit for our model and growth plans."
In addition to the new lease at IHFC, Cambridge Mills also committed to the Winter Las Vegas Furniture Market as part of International Market Centers Made in USA pavilion.
IMC did an excellent job with the Made in the USA pavilion and we had an excellent show last winter," Scarsella said. "We expect even better results come January."
Cambridge Mills was launched in October 2010 in partnership with Harden Furniture. The company specializes in solid wood bedroom products that target the middle to upper middle price point segments of the market. All Cambridge Mills product is 100 percent American-made and manufactured in Hardens 500,000-square-foot facility in McConnellsville, N.Y.
Cambridge Mills benefits greatly from our partnership with Harden," Scarsella said. "We have the luxury of tapping into Hardens vast experience of producing some of the most beautiful furniture in the world. The result is we can offer a level of style separates us from our closest competitors in our segment, especially when you consider Hardens finish capabilities."
Scarsella added that in its first 20 months, Cambridge Mills has partnered with nearly 200 retailers and expects projected to double that number in the next 12 months.
Cambridge Mills has a major market planned with the introduction of Fairmount Park, a new 12-piece solid cherry collection, rooted in traditional and blended with transitional elements, and the company's seventh full bedroom collection.
In addition to Fairmount Park, Cambridge Mills is rolling out its Personal Choices Fabric & Leather Program. The program offers a choice of 24 fabrics and leathers that can be applied to the companys growing family of upholstered beds.
The new Fabric program is another example of how we benefit from our partnership with Harden," Scarsella said. "We can take advantage of their incredible resources to offer a better looking and higher quality product. In this case, we are tapping into their extensive upholstery expertise to enhance our upholstered bed lineup."
The Personal Choices Fabric & Leather program is an extension of the companys Color Choices program introduced last winter which provides consumers with an array of wood finish choices for any item in the line.
October 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 2, 2012
Organizers reported more than 400 delegates at the first World Healthy Sleep Industry Conference, held Sept. 12 in Shanghai.
They included representatives from mattress manufacturers, mattress machinery companies, upholstered furniture suppliers, distributors, industry associations and the international trade press. The conference was held in conjunction with the China International Furniture Expo in Shanghai.
Joe Carroll, former publisher of Furniture/Today and now a marketing consultant, was the keynote speaker. He discussed successful marketing strategies and technological innovations that have made bedding the number one profit center at retail.
Other speakers included Mauro Spinelli, international researcher with CSIL (Center for Industrial Studies in Milan) who presented a 2013 forecast for the global mattress industry' and Dr. Manfred Hohenhorst, managing director with Germanys Metzeler Mattress, who spoke on new materials being developed to capture a larger share of the international market.
Guangliang Wang, general secretary of the Chinese Sleep Medicine Assn., presented a new survey on sleep quality and mattress design. Ayu Chen, chairman and senior economist with Chinas Xilinmen Group, discussed how his company has used the sleep survey to examine the changes in peoples lifestyles and sleep habits from the perspective of opportunities for business growth.
Future plans are to make the conference a biennial event.
October 1,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 2, 2012
The International Home Furnishings Center's fashion-forward InterHall showcase features seven new exhibitors for the Oct. 13-18 High Point Furniture Market.
A total of 67 furniture, lighting and accessory exhibitors will show in the space, which covers 80,000 square feet on the first floor of the IHFC. Companies earn their place to show in InterHall after a rigorous juried selection process.
InterHall is the launching pad for the industrys most talked-about new products and ideas, said Julie Messner, vice president of leasing for International Market Centers. This area always provides a view into product trends and fashion-forward merchandising concepts.
New companies showing in InterHall this market include:
* Amy Howard Home: A fresh, au courant, limited edition brand featuring a range of sophisticated designs, American-made construction, luxe finishes and affordable pricing.
* City Collection: Fine, hand-rubbed leather furniture combining contemporary and modern European styling with an American sensibility and proportions.
* Pacific Green: Contemporary styled seating, dining, bedroom, occasional furniture and lighting made of eco-friendly palmwood, with leather, grass, wool, bronze and other natural accent materials.
* REEVESdesign: Designer John Reeves draws on eight years of development and production experience in the workshops of Vietnam to create a new line of contemporary styled furnishings featuring green, recycled and sustainable sourced materials and a fresh design aesthetic.
* Summer Classics Inc.: A full line of outdoor furniture in a wide range of styles featuring wrought iron, cast aluminum and N-Dura resin wicker. Offerings include sofas and lounge chairs, motion seating, dining tables and chairs, chaises, occasional tables and benches.
* Urbannista: Tables, consoles, buffets, bookshelves, barstools, beds, office and entertainment furniture in transitional, industrial/vintage and contemporary styling, featuring an innovative use of sustainable materials.
* Venier Mobilifico: Italian case goods line featuring fresh designs, quality finishes and ecologically sound materials.
InterHall also hosts two martini parties during market. The parties are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13 and Monday, Oct. 15, 4-6 p.m.