April 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 6, 2012
Nominations are open for the American Society of Furniture Designers' 2012 Pinnacle Awards for furniture design.
The Pinnacle Awards were created to promote design quality and to encourage the recognition of furniture designers within the retail home furnishings industry.
The deadline for submissions is June 1. For entry forms and more information, visit asfd.com, or call 910.576.1273.
Pinnacle Award sponsors include AF Lighting, Continental Hardware, enLIGHTenment, Furniture Design Studios, Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., Hafele America Co., High Point Market Authority, Home Furnishings Business, International Market Centersm Leggett & Platt and The Sherwin-Williams Co.
April 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on April 6, 2012
The Made in America Pavilion at Market Square & Suites is doubling in size for April High Point Furniture Market.
Almost 50 exhibitors will show American-made furniture, lighting, rugs, wall art and decorative accessories in the near-32,000-square-foot space.
"This area was a huge hit at the October market, generating a true 'buzz' among retailers, designers, exhibitors and the media," said Julie Messner, vice president of leasing for International Market Centers(http://www.imcenters.com). "There was more interest than we could have imagined, so this market weve doubled the Pavilions space to provide an opportunity for buyers to see an even greater range of great made-in-the-U.S.A. product. It's a can't-miss destination for anyone interested in domestically produced home furnishings."
The list of furniture and accessory sources participating in the Made in America Pavilion at the April High Point Market includes:
New exhibitors in the pavilion include:
* American Furniture Exporters: a group of U.S. furniture manufacturers working together to create a cost-effective program to promote and export American-made furniture. Companies marketing under the AFE umbrella include Bradington-Young, Capris Furniture, Designmaster Furniture, Fairfield Chair, Gold Bond Mattress, Jasper Cabinet, MacKenzie-Dow, Johnston Casuals, Key City Furniture, McKinley Leather, Sam Moore and Troutman Chair.
* Amish Impressions by Fusion Designs Inc.: wood dining and bedroom furniture, rockers, chairs, benches, barstools and occasional furniture.
* Artisan Weavers/Beljen Mills: textiles of U.S.-grown cotton and wool in designs passed down for generations.
* Artist Guild of America: original works of art produced in studios located in Los Angeles.
* Atomic Playrooms/Funner Than Furniture: lighthearted thematic furniture for kids of all ages produced in the United States.
* Bushline Furniture: upholstery, occasional tables, bedroom and dining room furniture in traditional and transitional styles.
* Cody Road Workshops: handcrafted furniture and accessories in country traditional, lodge, cottage, country sophisticate and Shaker styling designed by Thomas Walker.
* Darrellene Designs: products inspired by vintage French cheese labels, including wall decor, chargers, coasters, ornaments, pillows, decorative stands and side tables.
* Exotic Sands Inc.: moving sand art pictures by the inventor William Tabar.
* Flat Rock Furniture: handcrafted, rustic yet elegant hickory furniture, including dining, bedroom, great room and accent pieces.
* Froggy Bottom Outdoor Furniture: stylish casual furniture.
* Furniture Traditions: bench-made bedroom furniture, including beds, mirrors, dressers, nightstands and TV consoles, in solid Northern red oak.
* Habersham: custom kitchen, bath and other cabinetry in rich, opulent finishes.
* John Michael Originals Furniture: tables, bookshelves, sideboards, chinas, media cabinets and bars and stools made with reclaimed lumber from old houses and buildings, in French country, lodge, cottage and simple country styles.
* John Strauss Furniture Design: case goods and occasional furniture in the Art Deco tradition.
* Lancer Inc.: handcrafted upholstered furniture in styles that range from traditional and country to transitional and contemporary.
* Linda Calvert Jacobson: wildflower art.
* Linwood Furniture: solid-wood case goods and occasional furniture, produced in the U.S. from American hardwoods.
* Loocstudio: custom wood, metal and upholstered furniture made in America by hand.
* LT Moses Willard Inc.: high-quality, handmade Colonial, early American and folk art reproduction lighting, including chandeliers.
* Made in the USA Foundation: The Made in the USA Foundation works to create jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy by promoting products and manufacturers in the United States.
* Oak Design Corp.: home office, TV consoles, occasional, youth and bedroom furniture in oak and American alder.
* Paladin Inds.: wood office furniture components.
* Rustics: custom-made Western or rustic-style items for the home, including lamps, chandeliers, picture frames and wall mirrors.
* S&S Acrylic Inc.: casted acrylic risers, picture frames, displays, sign holders and other products.
* Salmagundi Inc.: collaged furniture, tuffets, throws and pillows.
* Sarahjanes Oilcloth/The Preppy Possum: aprons, beach bags, tablecloths, placemats and other items made of oilcloth.
* Sarkis Studio: decorative arts studio specializing in the manufacturing and finishing of fine drapery hardware.
* Shiner/Home Source International: mdern, eco-friendly furnishings, including seating, lighting, upholstery and tables.
* Solos Glass: high-quality, handmade blown glass products.
* Sugarpost: fun, funky metal art for yards and offices.
* Sweetwater Trading Co.: pillows made of fine European leathers in lodge, Western, Native American, novelty, animal and equestrian themes.
* The Poplar Concept/Bark Clad: furniture made of Timberclad bark siding, an all-natural, kiln-dried product from the tulip poplar tree.
* Trend Manor Furniture: high-quality, solid-oak furniture, including Mission and rustic-styled bedroom and TV consoles.
* Wallflower Art Boutique: gallery wrapped giclee canvas prints for children and adults.
* Whimsies: metal wall art and picture frames as well as a new line of pillows in rustic elegance styling.
* Winchester Woodworks: segmented bowls and urns using woods from around the world.
* Wright Table Co.: furniture based on English, French and American designs of the period between 1690 and 1830.
April 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on April 6, 2012
Women's home furnishings leadership network WithIt has set its High Point Furniture Market event schedule.
The programming, which includes a consumer purchasing panel, social media sharing tools, and a new networking event, seeks to deliver insights about the post-Great Recession home furnishings consumer and her new values.
WithIt's semi-annual Education Breakfast will feature an engaging panel discussion that examines the American lifestyle landscape. It's set for Sunday, April 22, at 7:30 a.m. in the IHFC Green Wing, 11th Floor, International Ballroom A.
Panelists include syndicated writer Elaine Markoutsas, designer and blogger Jason Oliver Nixon and Traditional Home Senior Style Editor Krissa Rossbund. Former WithIt President Kathy Wall, The Media Matters, will moderate. The panelists will share the next big things for 2012, and how these cultural shifts may influence home and furnishings businesses this year and beyond.
Meanwhile, Pinterest, the latest social sharing tool, is quickly becoming a preferred platform among interior designers and home enthusiasts; in January 2012, the site achieved 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, according to comScore.
So, what is the real power of a pin? With "Competitive Intelligence: The Power of Pinterest"--6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, at Natuzzi Americas Theatre, 130 W. Commerce Av.--IMRE and WithIt will examine how designers, media and brands are using Pinterest to build culture and collaboration in the home design space. IMRE Vice President of Social Marketing Crystalyn Stuart will provide insight about how brands can integrate Pinterest as part of a larger "social discovery" strategy. A panel of industry experts will share their Pinterest perspective and discuss how the platform is influencing the design industry.
"WithIt's goals for 2012 include increasing the organization's visibility and engagement via social media channels," said WithIt 2012 President Julia Rosien, SocialNorth.com. "Featuring a speaker well-versed in Pinterest during our Competitive Intelligence segment will help our membership learn the strategies, tactics and skills needed to move forward together as a group."
WithIt members are invited to meet Rosien at a new WithIt High Point Market event, Drinks with the Prez. The informal networking event will be held Friday, April 20, 6-7:30 p.m. in the Seasonal Living showroom, IHFC Interhall, space 306.
Both the Educational Breakfast and Competitive Intelligence are free of charge, but space at each event is limited. To register for the Educational Breakfast, e-mail Holly Allred. To register for Competitive Intelligence, e-mail Sarah Findle.
April 4,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on April 5, 2012
IBM has released an analytics-based forecast that predicts home U.S. home furnishings sales will grow 16.6 percent in the second quarter.
The forecast expects second-quarter in-store sales to increase almost 8 percent to $23.222 billion; and online sales to jump 28.4 percent.
IBM experts cite a number of important factors that could be driving purchases, including "Year of the Dragon" weddings and the trend toward accessorizing living spaces.
"Consumers are opting to give their home a new-look by remodeling and accessorizing. New towels, bedding or even a picture can really spruce up a room," said Jill Puleri, global retail leader for IBM Global Business Services. "Retailers can benefit from this behavioral shift by considering their product mix, promotion and presentation and by marketing home accessories aggressively. For example, for those customer who recently remodeled their kitchen--now might be the right time to target them with new dishes, hand towels, rugs, etc.--all of which complete the look."
Puleri noted that the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which began on Feb. 4, is shaping up to be especially popular year for weddings, which could also be boosting home furnishing sales.
Dr. Michael Haydock, chief scientist and retail analytics leader for IBM Global Business Services, reported the month-to-month breakout as follows: April in-store sales of $7.6 billion, a 7.3 percent increase over April 2011; $7.2 billion in May, up 8 percent; and $7.8 billion in June, up 8.7 percent.
Online sales of home furnishings are expected to post a year-over-year increase of 30.7 percent in April, 25.9 percent in May and 29.1 percent in June, with sales for the quarter up 28.4 percent. This forecast of online sales is based on real-time sales data from the web sites of more than 500 leading U.S. retailers.
IBM retail and analytics experts said a number of trends will boost home furnishing sales:
* The concept of "accessorizing" is moving from the apparel market to home furnishings as many homeowners during the past few years have decided to stay put rather than move.
* Homes are getting smaller, compelling consumers to "resize" their furnishings to accommodate smaller spaces.
* Disposable income is rising as more people go back to work.
* Rental activity is increasing.
The IBM forecast is produced using statistical and analytical software to evaluate both the long-term sales trend and seasonal peaks. In producing the forecast of store sales, IBM uses economic data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data is derived from a survey of store establishments primarily engaged in retailing home furnishings. These store establishments are a representative sample and are not inclusive of all industry activity in this category.
The online forecast is based on data from IBM Benchmark, an analytics-based, peer-level benchmarking solution that measures online marketing results, including real-time sales data from the Web sites of more than 500 leading U.S. retailers. All of the data is aggregated and anonymous. IBM Benchmark is part of IBM Smarter Commerce, an initiative designed to help businesses adapt to digital trends such as online, mobile and social buying and meet the demands of todays empowered customer.
For more information, please visit here and here.
April 4,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on April 5, 2012
Bassett Furniture Industries reported first-quarter 2012 sales of $61 million, off 5.1 percent from the same period last year.
Bassett attributed the drop to strategic store closings during and subsequent to first-quarter 2011.
Company-owned store delivered sales for the second quarter, which ended Feb. 25, increased 5 percent to $38.8 million.
Operating profit for first quarter 2012 was $0.2 million versus a $7.2 million loss for first quarter last year. Bad debt and notes receivable charges, restructuring and asset impairment charges and lease exit costs were $0.5 million in first quarter 2012 versus $8.5 million in first quarter 2011.
"The Company's underlying performance improved in the first quarter despite our overall decline in sales and three distinct items that adversely affected our financial results," said Robert H. Spilman Jr., president and chief executive officer. "As previously noted, we will experience difficult consolidated top line comparisons year over year until we can make up the volume we lost from closing 13 underperforming stores in 2011. Our remaining network of Bassett Home Furnishings (BHF) corporate stores, however, turned in a strong 5 percent overall sales increase that included a 6.5 percent increase by comparable stores. We believe that continued improvement in our store sales coupled with the execution of several growth initiatives currently underway will allow us to recapture the sales that were lost in last year's store closings and begin to generate sales growth as a result."
Click here for Bassett's entire press release.