Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
January 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Legal on January 6, 2012
Furniture Brands International (NYSE: FBN) has settled a design patent infringement lawsuit against Pulaski Furniture.
The lawsuit was brought by Thomasville Furniture Inds., a Furniture Brands company.
Thomasville brought the lawsuit against Pulaski, a division of Home Meridian International, based upon the infringement of Thomasville's The Hills of Tuscany Collection. With regard to the settlement, Thomasville President Ed Teplitz said,
"We are pleased to have resolved this matter and once again, reinforce Thomasville's steadfast commitment to its unique designs," said Thomasville President Ed Teplitz.
"Protecting our product innovation is critical to maintain our design leadership in the industry," added St. Louis-based Furniture Brands Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ralph P. Scozzafava. "We will enforce our design patents and protect our brands in the marketplace."
As part of the settlement, Pulaski has agreed to immediately stop manufacturing and selling the furniture in dispute other than fulfilling existing orders and a limited phase-out of existing inventory. Further details, including the financial terms of the settlement are not available.
January 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in sourcing/importing on January 6, 2012
The American Home Furnishings Alliance has released the "Responsible Sourcing Manual," a guide to help home furnishings companies establish comprehensive corporate social responsibility programs.
Many of the home furnishings industry's leading companies source from hundreds of factories around the globe. Even smaller companies may be doing business with a dozen or more overseas resources. Managing these supply chains--and ensuring that they comply with current and emerging labor and environmental standards--has fueled a growing interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
AHFA's 28-page Responsible Sourcing Manual outlines the benefits of CSR programs in today's global marketplace, defines key program components, provides tips on implementation and governance, and outlines a process for assessing and monitoring suppliers.
A "resources" section provides sample supplier codes of conduct as well as an overview of key regulations helping to define the role of social responsibility in corporate America today, including the Lacey Act and the new California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1.
The new manual is available in a downloadable PDF format for $249. AHFA member companies receive a significant discount. Orders can be placed online at ahfa.us.
The Responsible Sourcing Manual is available at no charge to participants in AHFA's Sustainable by Design(http://sustainablebydesign.us/) program, which helps home furnishings companies extend sustainable business practices throughout their supply chain. The SBD program includes social responsibility as one of four key areas for improving global environmental performance. Companies are required to develop policies that define the corporate commitment to human rights and internationally-recognized labor standards; facilitate compliance with existing and emerging legal requirements related to social responsibility (including the Lacey Act and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act); identify the company's potential impact on communities and manage any potential risk; and address the impact of the company's products on health and/or safety.
The Responsible Sourcing Manual provides a step-by-step guide to establishing a corporate social responsibility program that meets all four of the above requirements.
AHFA produced the Responsible Sourcing Manual in conjunction with UL Responsible Sourcing, a company formed in August 2011 when Underwriters Laboratories acquired the quality assurance business of STR Holdings, a global leader in providing consumer product quality assurance testing, auditing, inspection and responsible sourcing services. STR Quality Assurance has developed and implemented supplier monitoring programs for over 60 major brands and retailers, as well as over 500 manufacturers in a wide variety of sectors, including home furnishings, apparel, cosmetics, agriculture/food processing and production, electronics, jewelry and toys.
AHFA also established a member task force to assist in developing and reviewing the manual. Participants included Ann Clepper, marketing manager for Legacy Classic; Roger Jones, vice president of global logistics for Century Furniture; Rod Miller, director of environmental affairs for La-Z-Boy; Leanne Teasdale, sourced products manager for Flexsteel Inds.; and Grace Weaver, manager of international trade/regulatory compliance for FBN Logistics.
January 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on January 6, 2012
CityCenter, the 67-acre urban core on the Las Vegas Strip, has teamed with Tui Lifestyle to offer uxury furniture to prospective buyers of Veer Towers and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental.
Buyers may choose from a variety of luxury collections with guaranteed white-glove delivery within 14 days of order. Four new model residences and a redesigned sales gallery--designed exclusively for Veer Towers and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental by Tui Lifestyle--demonstrate the range of designer collections available for each room in the home, replete with furniture, decorative accessories and lifestyle amenities.
"We are pleased to partner with a design and furnishings company that captures the aesthetic and luxury lifestyle of CityCenter so completely," said Tony Dennis, executive vice president, CityCenter Residential Division. "Tui Lifestyle has a demonstrated track record in luxury high-rise furnishings and shares in our understanding that today's condominium buyer is looking for value-added products which are delivered and installed at the highest level of service with little or no effort on behalf of the buyer. We anticipate the ease and convenience of Tui Lifestyle's turnkey collections to be a great success with buyers who wish to immediately embrace all that living at CityCenter has to offer."
Miami-based Tui Lifestyle designs, manufactures, and markets high-end furniture collections. Founded by entrepreneur Jason Atkins and spearheaded by interior designer Noranit "Tui" Pranich, the firm custom outfits and installs units within 14 days with pricing starting at $12,995 for a one-bedroom residence. In larger residences, this collection can be complemented with second/third bedroom, den and office collections. Collections range in style from contemporary to modern to traditional with mix and match options available a la carte. A full turnkey collection comprising Frette luxury bed linens and towels, dishes, glassware, flatware designed specifically for Tui Lifestyle, and other necessary household accessories can be added.
"We are very excited to enter the Las Vegas market and showcase our collections at Veer Towers and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental," Atkins said. :With a business model focused on designer furnishings for luxury high rise living, CityCenter Residential was a perfect fit. We believe Las Vegas buyers will benefit from the ease of design, availability, and flexibility offered by our collections."
January 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on January 6, 2012
The Sustainable Furniture Council will host a free sustainability essentials webinar on Monday, Jan. 16 at noon, eastern time.
The one-hour webinar provides a grounding in the environmental issues related to home furnishings, including the factual basis for climate change, problems with indoor air quality, toxic waste, and water conservation. Source documents are public records such as the U.N. IPCC 4th Assessment Report and the U.S. EPA, translated from technical jargon into easily understood concepts with common references all explicitly linked to the home furnishings industry.
Content also includes a synopsis of GREENleaders, the industry first certified sustainability training course.
Follow this link to reserve your seat at the webinar.
January 5,
2012 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 6, 2012
Long-time industry veteran Thomas Woller has been named president of the Theodore Alexander Upholstery division, a new position as the company moves into the upscale upholstery arena.
Woller is responsible for all upholstery operations, including the expansion of the company's fabric upholstery lines for
Theodore Alexander, Althorp Living History and Keno Bros. lines. Based in Theodore Alexander's High Point headquarters, Woller reports to Harvey Dondero, CEO.
Prior to joining Theodore Alexander, Woller was the upholstery business unit manager with the
Kohler Interiors Group responsible for the
Baker and Dapha upholstery lines. He has held key management positions with Baker Furniture and
Sherrill Furniture throughout his career.
In his new position, Woller will be responsible for and manage all upholstery product development, marketing and manufacturing, including technical oversight for the upholstery operations at Theodore Alexanders facility in Vietnam. All upholstery products will be sold globally through the existing Theodore Alexander sales force and distribution network.
Consolidating the management of our upholstery business meets the next phase of our strategic growth initiative, Dondero said. Having Thom lead the division provides us with an enormous amount of expertise and creativity moving forward.
Dondero said the companys specific plans for the upholstery division will be determined once Woller evaluates options and presents his recommendations. He said the company plans to create a "world-class upholstery operation from the ground up."
It is both a thrill and a challenge to be able to guide this new division for Theodore Alexander, Woller said. The company is already established as a leader in the global luxury products community, and we have the opportunity to further enhance that
position with a premier upholstery operation.