April 21,
2013 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 22, 2013
Rug supplier Nourison and Kathy Ireland have signed a licensing agreement for a floor covering partnership.
This agreement includes the brands kathy ireland Home as well as kathy ireland Designs Jardin by Nicholas Walker, kathy ireland Designs ACafe Society by Chef Andre, and Kathleen Marie. The agreement also specifies that Nourison will be creating decorative accessories.
"It is exciting for everyone at kathy ireland Worldwide to join Alex and the incredible team at Nourison, to develop beautiful flooring and accents for homes, offices and the hospitality communities," Ireland, CEO and chief designer of kathy ireland Worldwide, said. "Nourison enjoys an unequaled level of respect and appreciation from designers and the people who chart the course of fashion. We want the home furnishings industry to know, that our pursuit of this partnership is very important to our strategic plan, of building equity in fashion and growing from good, to better and best at retail."
Alex Peykar, principal of Nourison, said the company is "thrilled to be partnering" with Ireland.
"An award-winning designer, Kathy Ireland heads up the 25th most powerfully licensed brand globally and is one of the 50 most influential women in the United States," Peykar said. "She is a true expert in this field. We are confident that together Nourison and Kathy Ireland will create a dynamic, fashion forward and highly successful duo of home design."
The collection is being shown at the High Point Market.
April 21,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 22, 2013
The home furnishings industry raised more than $1 million for the City of Hope through the Spirit of Life campaign. The total was announced at last night's Spirit of Life dinner held during the High Point Market.
The dinner honored Michael Goldberg, Steven Goldberg and Neil Goldberg, all of Liverpool, N.Y.-based
Raymour & Flanigan and
Michael Amini, founder of Aico.
The dinner culminated the National Home Furnishings Industry's 2012-2013 fundraising campaign for Duarte, Calif.-based
City of Hope. More than $2 million has been raised within the industry over the year through various events, including a West Coast golf and tennis tournament, a Midwest function and a Northeastern region dinner. Funds raised support the hospital that focus on cancer, diabetes and HIV treatment and cures.
April 21,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 22, 2013
Working smarter is the key to the furniture industry's competition for consumer mind share, according to vendor executives speaking on opening day of
High Point Furniture Market.A new generation of presidents how they see the industry shaping up this year during a panel discussion hosted Saturday morning by the
American Home Furnishings Alliance
While consumer spending has been down in recent years, these manufacturers have taken advantage of the opportunity to improve their operational systems in preparation for the economys eventual rebound.
Were focused on working smarter, better, faster, says Nathan Cressman, president of
Magnussen Home. Vanguard Furniture has used the period of economic downturn to embrace lean manufacturing and Toyota-inspired production methods, explained President Andy Bray. These include factory retooling; new equipment acquisition; embracing greener, more energy-efficient processes and reducing post-manufacturing waste.
Were more efficient today and using 18 percent less labor, Bray said.
Business is back on track for popular-priced bedroom furniture maker
Vaughan-Bassett, and operational efficiency has been critical to its success.
We hit capacity about a year ago and have opened a new building (next door to our headquarters) in Galax, Va., which has helped us lower our costs and improve our efficiency, said Doug Bassett, president.
For high-end furniture producer
Century Furniture, the High Point Market showroom exhibition experience has evolved as well. While the goal of the company has always been to write orders for new store samples, the showroom has become a showcase of the companys creativity as well, said President Alex Shuford III.
For us, its about inspiring the retail sales associates and designers for their next project, Shuford said. They look to us to be inspired, and we want them to love us.
Vanguard also recognizes showroom merchandising as critical. When it became evident that they werent writing orders at the level they wanted, the organization shifted its focus to showcasing the variety of product options it offers and inspiring visitors with the possibilities.
Marketing and branding are key strategies for all four of these companies as well. For Vaughan-Bassett, its taking the form of point-of-purchase materials it expects to debut in 2,000 showrooms later this year. Those feature the company's "Made in America" message, which Bassett said has become increasingly important.
Ten years ago, dealers were politely telling us that consumers didnt care about Made in America; today theyre telling us consumers come in asking for it, he said.
Vanguard addresses its branding by partnering with dealers and interior designers to offer the broadest selection of home furnishings products and quality of choices. Historically, the company carried about 1,000 fabrics and today it carries 2,000 options.
We concede that we arent the brand, the store is the brand, says Bray.
These furniture manufacturers are also focused on working with their retail partners to compete against behemoth vertically integrated catalog and internet sources for share of consumers décor spending.
We worry about the shrinking market share of the traditional furniture store, Bassett said. The world is changing as fast at retail in this decade as it did in manufacturing during the last decade.
Shuford stated that while the struggle for business used to be between domestic manufacturers and importers, its now between vertical lifestyle and traditional retail furniture stores.
Retailers are embattled with these vertically integrated catalog and internet suppliers--and they dont see it, he said.
While high-end manufacturers such as Century are using mass customization as a strategy to tackle the changing landscape of furniture retailing, Magnussen Home is addressing the challenge with accessibility, said Cressman. Its focused on providing the looks vertically integrated channels specialize in, at price points that are more affordable and accessible to a broader base of consumers.
April 21,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Upholstery on April 22, 2013
from http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/morning-edition/2013/04/shenandoah-furniture-to-buy-henredon.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search
Shenandoah Furniture Co. will purchase and renovate the former Henredon Furniture plant in Mount Airy, according to media reports.
The Valdese-based company will spend $2 million to do so. The 95,000-square-foot plant sits on 38 acres at 109 Mountainview Road.
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April 21,
2013 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in economic news on April 22, 2013
from http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_3e04be6c-ab8a-11e2-af7e-001a4bcf6878.html
An unusual chilly spring day may have been the best friend of home furnishings exhibitors Monday, as they hoped a captive audience of buyers would lead to brisk orders.
Optimism abounded at the High Point Market, buoyed by a recent rebound in existing home sales in key markets, such as Georgia and Florida.
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