Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
January 22,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on January 23, 2012
Home furnishings retailer
Williams-Sonoma (
NYSE: WSM) has named Mary Ann Casati and Lorraine Twohill to its board of directors.
We are excited to have Mary Ann and Lorraine join our Board, said Adrian Bellamy, chairman of the board of directors of Williams-Sonoma. These two individuals each bring a unique perspective and expertise that we believe will help shape the success of our company.
Casati is a co-founding partner of
Circle Financial Group LLC, a private wealth management membership practice, and has served as such since 2003. Prior to that Casati was a partner and managing director of
The Goldman Sachs Group where she was employed for 20 years and developed and ran its Global Retailing Industry Investment Banking business. She served on the board of directors of
J. Crew Group from its initial public offering in July 2006 until the company was sold in March 2011.
Twohill joined
Google in 2003 and is responsible for the company's global marketing function. She has served as head of global marketing for Google since May 2009. Prior to moving to the U.S., Twohill served as vice president of marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa. In October 2011, she was named
Adweek's Grand Brand Genius for her efforts in shaping Google's marketing efforts.
We are delighted to announce the addition of Mary Ann and Lorraine to our Board, said Laura Alber, president and CEO. They are both widely respected leaders in their fields.
January 22,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on January 23, 2012
Dallas Market Center and the Accessories Resource Team have named winners of the 23rd annual ARTS Awards.
Winners in 26 categories were announced during a gala event Saturday night.
Allan H. Palacek, founder/CEO and lead designer of Palacek recieved the Academy of Achievement Award for his significant impact on the home decor and decorative accessories industry.
The ARTS Awards, presented each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, is the premier awards program for the decorative accessory industry; and recognizes excellence from retailers, manufacturers, sales representatives and designers.
This year's winners among manufacturers' categories include:
* Accent Furniture, Phillips Collection.
* Area Rugs, Jaipur Rugs.
* Decorative Accessories, Creative Co-Op.
* Home Textiles, Pom Pom at Home.
* Lighting Fixtures, Corbett Lighting.
* Outdoor Living, Loloi Rugs.
* Permanent Floral, NDI.
* Portable Lamps, Currey & Co.
* Tabletop, Beatriz Ball Collection.
* Wall Decor, Leftbank Art.
* Green Manufacturer, GuildMaster Inc. and TAG Ltd.
Winning sales representatives by region include:
* East/Atlantic, Jennifer Jackson, jdouglas.
* Midwest/Southwest, Derrick Ricketts, CODARUS.
* West, Michelle Korthuis, Elements in Decor.
* National/Key Accounts, Heather Steeley, Taylors on Ten.
Randal Weeks, Aidan Gray Home, took honors for product design.
ARTS and DMC honored the following retailers in special retail categories:
* International Retailer, Spectro Lighting Group, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
* Rising Star Retailer, The Mercantile, Atlanta.
* Furniture Store, Seaside Home, Coronado, Calif.
Winners in the Home Accent Store category by region include:
* East/Atlantic, The French Basket, Florence, Ala.
* Midwest/Southwest, MECOX, Dallas, Texas.
* West, Jak Home, San Francisco.
Winners in the Lighting Showroom category include:
* East/Atlantic, Elements-Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings, Carle Place, N.Y.
* Midwest/Southwest, Southern Lights, Burnsville, Minn.
* West, Valley Light Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz.
January 22,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on January 23, 2012
Ross Furniture Logistics has a new program offering logistical services to e-commerce retailers, and consumers in South Florida.
The new program is customized to accommodate online purchases, catalog sales or custom-ordered furniture. Services include product inspection, secure storage, inventory management, order tracking, customer care, white-glove delivery with full assembly, and returns management.
Ross Furniture Logistics is a family owned and operated company in business since 1991. The Boca Raton, Fla., company provides services to a number of promotion companies in the industry. Experience includes events for retails such as Finger Furniture, Leath Furniture, Robb & Stucky, and Homelife.
The company also provides services for furniture operations in stores and warehouses nationwide, including
Bob's Discount Furniture.
January 22,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on January 23, 2012
Litetronics's lighting solutions take center stage in the Retailer Resource Center's "Launch Pad" at the upcoming Las Vegas Furniture Market.
Each Las Vegas Market, the Launch Pad showcases new and progressive services and products in the industry in the RRC, space C-496 in World Market Center.
Litetronics provides lighting solutions designed to improve a retail showroom's appearance, reduce energy costs by 80 percent, and not have to change a light for more than 10 years. With a patented cooling tower design, the Litetronics LED floodlight is a replacement for standard halogen floodlights, which are not allowed to be manufactured or imported into the country as of July 2012 per Environmental Protection Agency mandates.
In addition to almost 40 business service providers, this Market the RRC, sponsored by the Western Home Furnishings Association and National Home Furnishings Association, will offer a hot waffle bar(Monday-Thursday of Market, 7:30-9 a.m.), sponsored by Surya Rugs; and hot toddies(Monday-Thursday of Market, 3-4 p.m.), sponsored by the California Furniture Manufacturers Association.
Companies available at the Retailer Resource Center include:
* ACA-Advertising Concepts of America
* Bank of America
* Credit Source Insurance & Finance
* CrossCheck
* Custom Design Software
* Diakon Logistics
* DispatchTrack
* DSI Delivery
* Furniture Training Company
* Furniture Wizard
* FurnitureCore by Impact Consulting
* FurnitureDealer.net
* FurnServe
* GE Capital
* Genesis Software Systems
* Guardian Protection Products
* iFurniture.net
* JG Parker Insurance
* JRM Sales & Management
* Litetronics International Inc.
* Mail America
* MatTech
* MicroD
* Myriad Software
* National Home Furnishings Association
* NuGuard Surface Protection
* Profitability Consulting Group
* PROFITsystems Inc.
* RedPrairie
* Speedy Delivery
* STORIS
* Truckskin
* Versatile
* ViewIT Technologies
* Western Home Furnishings Association
* WHFA Warehouse Store
January 19,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on January 20, 2012
Beaumont, Texas-based home furnishings and consumer electronics retailer
Conn's, Inc. (
NASDAQ/NM:CONN) plans to close five stores.
Based on a review of the demographic information and market share opportunities of its current store base, the retailer has identified five underperforming store locations that it will close this month.
The stores had average annual revenues of $5 million per store, and are located in Edmond, Okla.; Houston; San Antonio, and two in Dallas. Conn's is in the process of determining the long-lived asset impairment and lease charges that will be required to be recorded in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 financial statements. Upon completion of all announced store closures the company will have 64 retail locations.
"The closing of the five stores this month is a continuation of our previously communicated plan to evaluate our existing store base and close or relocate underperforming stores," said Theodore Wright, CEO. "Additionally, we are progressing on our plans to open five to seven new stores in fiscal 2013, in areas with compelling demographic characteristics that we believe are favorable to our business model."