Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 13,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Home Office on March 14, 2012
Variér Furniture, a supplier of contemporary and ergonomically designed seating, will be showing at the upcoming
High Point Market for the first time.
The company's showroom is in space 302 in 220 Elm.
The high end line of task, office, lounge, and dining chairs is designed and manufactured in Norway, where Variér, formerly Stokke, has invested in ergonomy, the applied science of product design for the workplace and other work/life environments.
Variér products give retailers and interior designers highly specialized seating features to sell to their customers and clients, said Ed Miano, president, Variér USA. The health and comfort benefits are real because they positively impact peoples lives and daily activities. Our goal is to help buyers capitalize on the very unique value our products can deliver in a segment of the industry that is growing.
In its 220 Elm showroom, Variér USA will exhibit best-sellers and new items from two collections: Human Design and Human Instruments. The first group, Human Design, includes contemporary and ultra-modern lounge, dining, and bar seats. A special limited edition of the curvaceous lounge chair Planet, designed by Sven Ivar Dysthe and introduced in Europe in 1965, will be shown in its original retro fabrics and seen for the first time in the U.S. at High Point Market. Pause Club is a new lounge chair style worth noting, with its space age-like angles and minimalist frame.
The Human Instruments collection is anchored by Variable balans, the first kneeling chair for natural spine alignment, conceived in the late 1970s by Scandinavian designer Peter Opsvik. The original backless task chair pioneered the entire ergonomic seating movement. The silhouette of new desk chair Active allows the user a full back and chest cavity stretch during periodic work breaks.
Move, another new item, is a task stool that adjusts for seat height and accommodates 360-degree movements while engaging the users core muscles. Move is ideal for standing workstations, which are gaining popularity in both home and work settings, as well as among anyone seeking improvement in mental functions while working. Variér has received recognition and national media coverage for its role in a comprehensive 2011 study of ADD/ADHD children which determined that movement while sitting aids in concentration and cognitive ability.
March 13,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on March 14, 2012
Michelle Rosson has been named vice president of sales for
Bernhardt Furniture's residential upholstery division.
Most recently, Rosson was vice president of North America and Latin America sales and merchandising for leather upholstery source
Kuka Furniture. Prior to that, she served as director of upholstery merchandising and marketing for
Thomasville Furniture. At Bernhardt she will oversee the upholstery sales force and work with key retail customers.
Rosson reports to Harland Dick, executive vice president and general manager for residential upholstery.
"Michelle's extensive experience in sales and merchandising of both fabric and leather upholstery, and her wealth of knowledge of the marketplace will have a tremendous impact on our ability to grow our upholstery business," Dick said.
March 13,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on March 14, 2012
Upholstery specialist
G. Romano will mark its 50th anniversary at the upcoming
High Point Market.
The family-run, Montreal-based business, like many others in the furniture industry, underwent some transition in the early 1990s when its founder Gino Romano passed away. At around the same time, the economy was suffering the impacts of a recession.
At that time, the company started reinventing its brand to create a new identity.
"We took the core quality beliefs that Mr. Romano had installed when he first started this business; quality, originality and pride in craftsmanship and put a new spin on them in a more fashion forward, design driven direction," said Rick Lovegrove, son-in-law of the founder. "Over a relatively short period of time, we changed everything about our business, new designs, new suppliers, new customers and a new production process within our factory."
Today, the second generation husband-and-wife team of Lovegrove and Natalina Romano, along with co-founder Maria Romano and a core group of veteran employee's, have propelled the factory and the brand into the next millennium.
The company is best known for its clean, modern designs and creative fabric offerings. The line is sold by upscale retailers in North America, and internationally in Panama and Thailand.
March 13,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on March 14, 2012
Upholstery and case goods supplier
Flexsteel Inds. (
NASDAQ: FLXS) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share payable April 6 to shareholders of record as of March 23.
Flexsteel has paid cash dividends each year since 1938 on its common stock. This is the 281st consecutive cash dividend. The company has no restrictions on the payment of dividends and believes its cash flow and operating income levels are supportive of the current dividend.
Headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, the company was incorporated in 1929.
March 13,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on March 14, 2012
Protect-A-Bed and retailer
Mattress Firm (
NASDAQ MFRM) have teamed up to encourage sleepy people to recover with a restorative nap.
The companies have created a
Facebook giveaway that started Monday to celebrate the benefits of napping.
Protect-A-Bed and Mattress Firm are encouraging people to visit the Catnap Chronicles sweepstakes and share details about their favorite nap. From the best location to nap, to the benefits of a good nap, to the right amount of time to feel rested, the companies want to know what qualities make the best naps.
Through March 30, people who enter the sweepstakes will be registered for a chance to win the grand prize of a new
Tempur-Pedic mattress set from Mattress Firm and bedding protection products from Protect-A-Bed. Three runner-up winners will also win bedding protection from Protect-A-Bed. All winners, who will be randomly selected, will be announced on Facebook April 6.
"Year after year, scientific studies show us that lack of sleep leads to accidents, increased anxiety and other health risks which can be avoided with proper sleep patterns," said James Bell, CEO of Protect-A-Bed, a provider of mattress protection products. "After the loss of an hour of precious sleep, we encourage everyone to try to fit in a short, healthy nap."
Sleep experts encourage occasional napping, particularly if you've experienced a bad night's sleep.
Karrie Forbes, Mattress Firm executive vice president of merchandising and marketing suggests evaluating your current mattress to ensure quality sleep during those mid-day naps and at night.
"We recommend that people replace their mattress every eight years," Forbes said. "Our bodies change over time and it is important that your sleep environment is not only sanitary, but provides the proper comfort and support. The right mattress eliminates tossing and turning to help you sleep happy and wake up feeling refreshed from a short catnap or full night's sleep."
To kick off the sweepstakes, Protect-A-Bed (@Protect_A_Bed) and Mattress Firm (@MattressFirm) hosted a
Twitter party on the topic of napping Monday, March 12. Representatives from Protect-A-Bed and Mattress Firm offered tips on choosing the right mattress and mattress protection for naps. In addition, Lauri Loewenberg (@thedreamexpert), a dream expert, was available to discuss dreaming during naps.