May 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in on May 31, 2012
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z6577250814&z=1250249030
DwellStudio, a furniture and accessories company known for its boldly patterned textiles, is opening its first store, in SoHo.
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May 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in on May 31, 2012
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z6577232945&z=1250249029
Whitehall (WQOW)- "2011 was a very good year for Ashley Furniture," says Ashley Furniture CEO Todd Wanek. "We were rated the number one furniture manufacturer in the United States and the number one furniture retailer in the United States. We were able to grow in excess of 10% during that period of time." Ashley Furniture announced on Tuesday that it would be doubling the size of it's facility in Whitehall. "We're investing back in the manufacturing facility," Wanek explains. "This year we will be investing $6 million in an expansion of a physical plant and equipment. Then over the
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May 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in on May 31, 2012
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z6578205924&z=1250249027
The beleaguered RoomStore Inc. chain is trying to sell its 65 percent stake in Mattress Discounters Group LLC. The Goochland County-based home furnishings retailer, which filed for bankruptcy protection in December, wants to hire an investment banking firm to help market and provide financial advice in its effort to sell its interest in the 80-store mattress and bedding chain, according to documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond. Retaining Northeast Securities Inc. needs approval from a bankruptcy judge. RoomStore "believes the services Northeast will provide to it will benefit its estate and creditors by helping the debtor
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May 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on May 31, 2012
New retailer orders for furniture slowed in March but remained positive according to the latest Furniture Insights survey of residential furniture vendors.
March orders were up 2 percent compared with March 2011, but increased just 1 percent from February according to the monthly survey conducted by High Point accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard. March 2012 was gauged against a strong March last year, when orders were up 11 percent.
Year-to-date, new orders were up 8 percent over the first 3 months of 2011. Through March of 2011, orders were up 4 percent over the first 3 months of 2010.
Shipments rose 7 percent in March compared with the same month last year as a result of strong orders in the last several months. Shipments in March 2011 were also 7 percent higher than March 2010.
Year-to-date, shipments were up 11 percent over the first quarter of 2011 when they were 3 percent higher than the first quarter of 2010.
Shipments in dollars were slightly ahead of orders, so backlogs were basically flat with February. March backlogs were 18 percent higher compared with March 2011, down slightly from February levels.
March receivable were flat with both March 2011 and February 2012, in spite of
increased shipments in both comparisons.
"We have continued to be impressed with how receivables appear to be controlled," said Smith Leonard Managing Partner Ken Smith in the survey report. "This obviously is helping with cash flows."
Factory and warehouse employment rose 6 percent over March 2011 and stayed even with February, compared with a 6 percent increase for February over January--in line with orders and shipments up 8 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
Factory and warehouse payrolls rose 7 percent over March 2011 and 12 percent compared with February, since March has more days than February. Year-to-date payrolls were up 10 percent over the first quarter a year ago.
"New orders cooled a bit in March compared to double digit increases since September 2011,
when comparing the current month to the same month a year ago," Smith said in summary. "From much of what we had heard in March and at market, it seemed that many reported some softness in orders in late March and going into April.
"Much of the market talk was that retail had performed pretty well until late March and had cooled quite a bit in early April. Still retailers for the most part were not down in the dumps but instead seemed to be ok with business. It will be interesting to see how Memorial Day sales went."
Smith noted conflicting news about consumers: "The Conference Board reported a decline in consumer confidence with negative feelings toward employment and the economic outlook. On the other hand, the University of Michigan/Thompson Reuters report was totally opposite reporting the consumers were feeling good about job and economic outlooks.
"The really good news from the University of Michigan report was the 63 percent of those surveyed said that buying conditions for household durables was very good. Lets hope the Michigan survey was better than the Conference Boards, although Richard Curtin with the Michigan survey indicated that consumers may be a little too optimistic."
May 30,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on May 31, 2012
Reclaimed teak furniture vendor Groovystuff has taken its By Design: Connecting Education to Industry and "Design Challenge" international.
Dallas-based Groovystuff announced that Thailands King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) will provide the next class of undergraduates to participate in the Groovystuff Design Challenge. The newly expanded international cooperative offers foreign market exposure and permanent royalties to the students participating, and introduces retailers carrying the Groovystuff line to the cutting edge design trends happening in Asia.
KMITL is the ninth university to collaborate with Groovystuff since the cooperative's inception in 2010. Other design program participants include Appalachian State University, The Art Institute of Las Vegas, Auburn University, University of Georgia, University of North Carolina, University of Idaho, and Purdue University.
Founded in 1960, KMITL is known as the top ranking engineering institute in Thailand. Its School of Architecture and Design has a philosophy of producing graduates with a well-grounded knowledge in design and the capability of blending art and technology with environmental concerns, making them ideal candidates to work with the sustainable and reclaimed materials found in the Groovystuff line of furniture, lighting, and home decor.
Under the leadership of Professor Torvong Puipanthavong, 22 industrial design students from the Faculty of Architecture will get first-hand exposure to the U.S. residential home furnishings market this summer by designing a product competitive enough to be included in the exclusive and celebrity endorsed Dick Idol Gallery of home furnishings.
The class of undergraduates received a pallet of reclaimed materials from Groovystuff this past week and are tasked with researching the ergo-dynamic considerations of the U.S. consumer and conclude with a 20-by-30-inch Final Product Board, a one-quarter Scale Miniature Model, and a product pedestal that will be voted on by trade show participants at the High Point Market this Fall. The winner of the Popular Vote at Market will receive a cash prize. The products will then move into the production stage for release in the U.S. market, and the student design with the Most in Written Orders will ultimately be the product design inducted into the Dick Idol Gallery.
This new cooperative with the industrial design students in Thailand offers dealers carrying the Groovystuff line a whole new round of products designed from an entirely new perspective, untarnished by the pressures of US trends and product saturation, said Groovystuff CEO Chris Bruning. "He goes on to add, Professor Tor is helping us get our message of sustainability out to a more global audience, and his instructional platform is based on energy conservation, quality of life, and the responsible use of resources when teaching design and we couldnt be more pleased by our partnership with him and the students.