Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 29,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on March 30, 2012
Chris Rayle has joined Home Meridian International division Samuel Lawrence Furniture as vice president of product development.
He replaces Guy Walters, who is creating an independent design firm, Walters & Cochran.
Rayle joins HMI from Legacy Classic and is responsible for the positioning and execution of the company's new product. He reports to Samuel Lawrence President Lee Boone, who also worked previously at Legacy Classic.
"Chris and I are looking forward to engaging with our customers and our sales force to develop exciting and innovative product," Boone said.
In addition, HMI has made changes to the sales organization at Samuel Lawrence and Pulaski Furniture. Roland Maddrey joins Boone at Samuel Lawrence as vice president of sales. Maddrey was formerly vice president of sales, Eastern United States for Pulaski Furniture. Dallas George assumes national sales responsibilities at Pulaski Furniture as vice president of sales. George was formerly vice president sales, Western United States.
"Our business has grown substantially and we need to adapt to these business opportunities," said HMI CEO George Revington.
As an independent designer, Walters will continue to support HMI companies, including Samuel Lawrence, Pulaski Furniture, Sourcing Solutions Group and Creations Baby.
"This is something I have wanted to do all my life, and now is the perfect time," he said. "Although my role is changing, I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with the Home Meridian family of companies."
March 29,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 30, 2012
Southern Home Furnishings Association will meet June 10-12, at the Pawleys Plantation in Pawleys Plantation, S.C. for its 2012 Annual Conference.
"Conference is an excellent opportunity for retailers to come together, learn together and share best ideas while networking with industry peers," said SHFA President Robert Dossenbach of
Dossenbach's Finer Furniture in Sanford, N.C.
Britt Beemer will lead Monday's opening workshop, "The Ten Building Blocks to Grow Sales." Beemer, a nationally recognized marketing strategist, is chairman of Charleston, S.C.-based
America's Research Group. This focused workshop will help retailers plan a strategy to better their consumer's needs and improve profitability.
Tuesday morning will feature a second workshop, "Getting Your Business Listed with Google," led by Brian Shealy from
Economy Furniture Company in Leesville, S.C. Shealy will share his story on how he increased his stores' visibility to consumers by improving search engine optimization by use of Google Ad words and other Google tools.
The conference registration fee is $69 for each SHFA member and guest. If your company has never attended a SHFA Conference before, call 800.888.9590, extension 6116, and ask about the new attendee discount.
Call 800.888.9590 or
e-mail for details.
SHFA is a regional affiliate of the
National Home Furnishings Association serving furniture retailers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
March 29,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on March 30, 2012
The Southeastern Home Furnishings Association will hold its 2012 Convention June 10-12 at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Fla.
This year's convention will be "funky with fresh ideas and grooving with opportunities to keep your business staying alive," according to a release.
The extensive educational portion will be devoted to finding solutions that will assist retailers in making the most of good times and weathering the bad.
One Monday, David Fass of JRM Sales & Management will lead "Anatomy of a Salesperson"; and "The Mystery to the Budgeting Process" on Tuesday. Fass has a 36-year background in the home furnishings, appliance, electronics, fire, patio and barbecue industries. His experience runs the gamut from ownership of a leading chain of stores, to sales, management, operations and training positions. His experience has made him a respected business analyst, consultant, and roundtable group facilitator in the industry.
Youngsters will be entertained at a the Kids Club while grownups participate in social events that include a golf tournament and a "Disco Fever" dinner party where members will wear leisure suites, bellbottoms and platform shoes.
Visit here for registration and sponsorship information; or call 800.888.9590, extension 6116; or e-mail for more details.
SEHFA is a regional affiliate of the National Home Furnishings Association. SEHFA serves furniture retailers in the Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle.
March 29,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on March 30, 2012
Schnadig International Corp. is expanding its design-oriented Caracole portfolio with the addition of a custom upholstery program.
The Caracole Custom Upholstery program, with 218 fabrics planned for 2012, will be introduced during the April High Point Furniture Market.
"Were excited about the program and what it means for our company's continued growth," said Kristine Capra, director of upholstery merchandising. "Since the introduction of the Caracole portfolio our dealers have been requesting us to fill this obvious void. We will be featuring five beautifully upholstered silhouettes built by our domestic manufacturing upholstery plant, Key City, to display the company's reputation for superb quality and tailoring and seating capabilities. All five frames will be covered in the new Caracole custom fabrics."
This collection will offer 218 initial covers inspired by the Caracole existing range of popular fabric marriages. New upholstery fabrics will include an array of solids in linen blends, cotton velvets, textured wovens and leathers. Accent fabrics will touch on all of the latest trends including retro and modern. For traditional offerings, the program will emphasize geometric patterns, embroidery, flower motifs, and ikats, as well as traditional damasks.
As is normal for Schnadig, an inventory of these fabrics will be maintainted for a timely delivery of four to six weeks.
Jeff Young, Schnadig chairman and CEO, considers their upholstery partner, Key City Furniture, to be a vital part of the custom formula.
"We're seeing excellent volume in our Lauren Ralph Lauren custom line that we launched last October," said Young. "And while any new custom program takes a while to gain momentum, demand for additional Caracole fabrics is already high. We expect an enthusiastic kick-off followed by rapid growth in the summer and fall seasons ahead."
"With a domestic manufacturing resource, we can now go season-to-season and stay fresh," Capra said. "We can give our customers trending looks with a wide selection of quality fabrics at a great value."
The Caracole Custom Upholstery program is designed to be easy to work with at a retail level.
"We will be refining the fabric mix as we go, adding and editing," said Capra. "The total selection will always remain manageable and up-to-date. The assortment will cap out at a solid three hundred fabrics with all bases and current fashion trends covered."
For Capra, offering a custom upholstery collection allows Caracole to live up to its true potential.
"It's challenging for an upholstery designer to be locked into one fabric per frame, knowing there is so much more creativity that could be unlocked and expressed with trend-setting fabrics to accompany our trend-setting frames," she said. "Caracole Custom Upholstery will open up beautiful new worlds for our dealers, designers, and customers."
The program features a straightforward pricing structure, strategically edited fabric selection, and quick delivery. Those dealers with Caracole already on their floors can be up and running with Caracole custom upholstery quickly with no additional investment. Once a dealer is signed up, fabric swatches will arrive for them within weeks.
An online component also supports the programs simplicity. In the store, designers can click on the Caracole Web site, select a frame and fabric and see the fabric wrap onto the sofa, chair or pillow, adding speed to the process and confidence to the customer's decision.
March 29,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on March 30, 2012
Case goods, upholstery and home accents source World Imports Ltd. is moving to a new showroom in the National Furniture Mart for the High Point Furniture Market.
The company, which had been exhibiting in two showrooms on two different floors of the NFM, will expand its space from about 20,000 square feet to 32,830 square feet with the new location in Space 301.
"We have always loved the National Furniture Mart," said Marc Luber, president. "It attracts the right type of retailers for our line, and management has always treated us very well."
Luber added that the buildings mix of exhibitors--many of whom, like World Imports, focus on servicing Top 100 retailers--also is a good fit.
World Imports started showing in a single showroom on the fourth floor of the NFM about five years ago, then expanded that showroom and took an additional space on the fifth floor as the company grew. Now, with the new single showroom, the company will have room to show its entire line "without having to drag our customers from floor to floor," said Luber.
At market, World Imports will introduce about 80 new products across all of its core categories--bedroom, dining room, dinettes, occasional tables, upholstery, bedding and home accents. An important emphasis this market is an offering of sharply priced promotional items that "will help our retailers drive traffic during the slow summer months," said Luber.
The new space is being completely remodeled by World Imports' showroom designer, Dawn Thompson, with an emphasis on providing retailers with design ideas they can use at their own stores.
Based in Philadelphia, World Imports sources its line from China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brazil. All products can be shipped on a direct-container basis, with domestic availability from warehouses in Chicago, Mississippi, New Jersey and Philadelphia.