Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in Acquisition on December 15, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5614489979&z=1250249032
Furniture retailer The RoomPlace said Wednesday that a former chief executive of the company is in line to regain control of it. Bruce Berman, former RoomPlace CEO, was the winning bidder in an auction of company assets, said Brian Wiborg, the vice president of marketing.
Nothing is 100 percent done. Nothing has been closed yet, Wiborg said.
The Berman family founded The RoomPlace, formerly known as Harlem Furniture, in 1950.
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December 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Furniture Retailing on December 15, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5616725257&z=1250249030
Home Furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports (NYSE:PIR) was once on bankruptcy's doorstep during the recession, but has bounced back on more traffic and higher average receipts per customer.
The company also unveiled a three-year growth plan this year that involves spending $200 million to build new stores, renovate current locations and boost online sales.
"Our strong product assortments, the right balance of regular and promotional pricing and a great store experience are driving robust sales and merchandise margin growth," said Chief Executive Alex W. Smith.
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December 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Furniture Retailing on December 15, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5618349136&z=1250249030
This holiday season, Slumberland Furniture in Davenport, Iowa, is working to provide families in need with a comfortable bed in which to sleep at night.
Through its annual Making Homes for the Holidays Program, Slumberland is donating 20 mattress and box spring sets to Bethany for Children & Families, who will distribute them to families awaiting beds through their Family Furniture Assistance Program.
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December 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in economic news on December 14, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5610766743&z=1250249032
U.S. retail sales rose less than expected in November as a drop in receipts for food and beverages weighed against stronger sales of motor vehicles, tempering some of the expectations of a strong holiday shopping season.
Total retail sales increased 0.2 percent after rising by an upwardly revised 0.6 percent in October, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales climbing 0.6 percent last month.
"It's fairly disappointing given that all the evidence was pointing to fairly strong gains during the month," said Millan Mulraine a macro strategist at TD Securities.
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December 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on December 14, 2011
Import volume at major U.S. container ports rise 0.3 percent in December compared with the same month last year, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report.
Port Tracker is released monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
"The uptick we're expecting for December isn't large at all but it comes after several months where retailers had reduced their imports from last year, so it's a positive sign by comparison," said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold. "Retailers are placing a cautious bet that consumer demand is increasing."
U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.28 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in October, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 3.5 percent from the peak for the year hit in September, and down 5 percent from October 2010.
November was estimated at 1.18 million TEU, down 4.4 percent from a year ago, while December is forecast at 1.15 million TEU, up 0.3 percent from last year. After the holidays, January 2012 is forecast at 1.15 million TEU, down 4.8 percent from January 2011. February, traditionally the slowest month of the year, is forecast at 1.04 million TEU, down 5.7 percent; March is expected to see 1.17 million TEU, an increase of 7 percent; and April is forecast at 1.22 million TEU, the same as last year.
The total for 2011 is forecast at 14.73 million TEU, down one-tenth of 1 percent from last year's 14.75 million TEU.
Global Port Tracker counts only the number of cargo containers imported, not the value of their contents, so cargo volume does not directly correlate with retail sales. NRF is forecasting 2.8 percent growth in holiday sales during November and December over last year, for a total of $465.6 billion.
"We expect to see a mini-resurgence in December," said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett. "With consumer spending on the rise, it would seem that the pace of retail sales will continue through to the New Year's sales at least."