December 29,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in on December 30, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5680453832&z=1250249027
The Charleston-area furniture chain which owned a store where nine firefighters died four years ago is going out of business.
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December 29,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Acquisition on December 30, 2011
Lowe's Cos. Inc. has acquired online home improvement and furnishings retailer ATG Stores.
The deal gives Lowe's, a $48.8 billion home improvement retailer, an extended array of products including furniture. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
Lowe's and ATG Stores will share best practices for online marketing and merchandising.
"The addition of ATG Stores is a strategic fit, providing more opportunities for Lowe's to be a relevant partner at every stage of the home improvement process and deliver better customer experiences from inspiration to planning to enjoyment," said Robert A. Niblock, Lowe's chairman, president and CEO of Lowe's, Mooresville, N.C. "ATG Stores is an extension of Lowe's commitment to providing consumers with flexibility, simplicity and value, whenever and wherever they choose to shop."
ATG Stores will remain an independent, wholly-owned subsidiary of Lowe's Cos. Inc. The two organizations will maintain separate branding and independent assortment planning and merchandising. All ATG jobs will remain in Kirkland, and no jobs will be lost as a result of the acquisition.
"Lowe's commitment to consumers, innovation and long-term strategy, combined with our unique online product offering, presents a long-term opportunity for ATG Stores and Lowe's to grow in the multichannel space," said Gary Rubens, CEO of ATG Stores.
Since the launch in 1999 of its first Web site, LightingUniverse.com, ATG has grown to more than 500 Web sites, featuring 18 category divisions, offering 3.5 million products from more than 3,300 name-brand manufacturers.
December 29,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 30, 2011
HFBusiness Now!, the daily e-newsletter of Home Furnishings Business won't publish on Monday, Jan. 2.
We'll resume publishing on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
We at Home Furnishings Business wish you and yours a safe and happy New Year.
December 29,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 30, 2011
Darvin Furniture and Jordan's Furniture have renewed private label credit card agreements with HSBC Card & Retail Services.
HSBC, Mettawa, Ill., also renewed agreements with Saks Inc. and Big Lots.
All four companies have agreed to the assignment of their program agreements to Capital One upon closing of its planned acquisition of HSBC's card and retail services business, which was announced in August.
"We are very proud of our long-term, productive relationships with these partners," said Steven Mattics, head of retail services for HSBC. "Our customized financing products have made it easier than ever for our merchant partners to meet the credit needs of their customers, deepen loyalty for their brand and increase their sales. These renewals demonstrate the strength of our long term partnerships and the value of our industry leading private label capabilities."
Darvin Furniture, Orland Park, Ill., and HSBC have a relationship of more than 30 years. Jordan's Furniture, Avon, Mass., has been an HSBC private label partner since 1991.
December 28,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 29, 2011
Mark Pardini has been re-elected for a three-year term as national officer of the 4,000-member retail merchandising group Brandsource.
Pardini, who has been a Brandsource member for more than 25 years, owns and operates Pardini Appliance in Ukiah, Calif., servicing Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma Counties in Northern California.
"Mark is an outstanding leader, has tremendous business acumen and understands and appreciates the power of the Brandsource organization," said Bob Lawrence, CEO of Brandsource. "His input as a seasoned retailer will help us continue to move the organization forward."
Pardini has served the Brandsource organization in various capacities over the past 25 years and is a member of the General Electric Customer Care Service council. He and his wife, Adriane, own and operate Damiano Vineyards in Mendocino County, where they grow organic merlot for local wineries.
Based in Anaheim, Calif., and founded in 1969, BrandSource is a member-owned merchandising group with nearly 4,500 independent dealer members in North America, and close to 3,000 "branded" stores in the United States.