Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
November 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on November 17, 2011
National Home Furnishings Association's magazine, Home Furnishings Retailer has won an American Graphic Design award for excellence in publication design.
This is the second time the association's magazine and its design team, East 14th Creative Inc., entered the competition. They won an American Graphic Design award in 2009 with their entry that year.
Graphic Design USA has cited Home Furnishings Retailer as one of the nations best trade publications when it comes to editorial design.
"A publication's readability and retention value is heavily influenced by its editorial design," said Mary Wynn Ryan, editor-in-chief of NHFAs Home Furnishings Retailer. "NHFA' design team fully appreciates how busy our retailing readers are, so we make it a priority to deliver information in a way that lets readers grasp content easily, quickly and enjoyably."
Founded in 1927, seven years after the founding of the association itself, NHFA's magazine has won a variety of awards over the years including the Writer's Hall of Fame award, to the late Barbara Weathers; and the AHFA Home Award for excellence in trade journalism, to Mary Wynn Ryan.
November 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on November 17, 2011
Info Retail has hired Jim Stoklosa as director of digital signage and development, a new position, and Michelle Dorminey as project manager.
We are capitalizing on the knowledge and talent of these two experts to strengthen leadership across our offerings in service design, customer environments, and customer experience, said Ron Bushman, president,
Info Retail.
Stoklosa joins the agency after 15 years developing and marketing digital signage software, hardware, electronics and systems for OEM providers Omnivex, AGN Pro, Richardson Electronics, and Cherry Electrical. He will oversee integration of digital signage into retail strategies for Info Retail clients, advising about equipment and technologies, systems integration, and the analytics and metrics to quantify return on digital investments.
The digital marketplace is complexfrom near field communications like QR codes, through customer smart phones and tablets, to LCD displays and touchscreens, Stoklosa said. But shoppers themselves are pulling the retail supply chain into awareness and implementation, and there is great opportunity. I look forward to helping Info Retail clients build and shape in-store environments to empower customers and increase profit.
Dorminey joins the company after five years as marketing analyst and financial analyst at
Porsche Cars North America, and having served as director of finance and marketing at E.M.G. Contractors, an Atlanta-based company she founded while in college which serves the medical and legal industries. Dorminey earned a degree in finance from Georgia State University. At Info Retail, she will advise clients and client teams about making strategic business decisions based on integrating customer experience metrics with financial metrics.
There are many touchpoints in a customers journey, Dorminey said, and there can be disconnects between manufacturer, retailer and consumerespecially in digital, mobile and social media where everyone has a voice. What I find interesting is helping people see whats going on behind the dollars and finding ways for stakeholders to work together.
Based in Atlanta, Info Retail is a strategy and design agency that helps companies maximize worth in customer environments.
November 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on November 16, 2011
Southern California retailer
Linder's Furniture will be closing its 11 stores, including the higher-end
Legacy Furniture store, once the going-out-of-business sales that start Thursday are wrapped up and the inventory depleted.
Earlier this month, Linder's entered into a general assignment for the benefit of creditors under California law. In press release issued Tuesday, the company said it "made the difficult decision to close its doors."
"Despite our best efforts, these turbulent times have left us with no choice but to wind down our operations," said Eric Foucrier, president of Linder's Furniture. "We believe this decision is in the best interest of our customers, employees and creditors."
The GOB sale is being managed by a joint venture between Gordon Brothers Group http://www.gordonbrothers.com and APJL Consulting, a liquidation company specializing in home furnishings retail stores.
"Sadly, this marks the end of our 31-year history," said Philip Linder, chairman of Linder's Furniture. "We very much appreciate the loyalty our customers have shown us over the years. As a final 'thank you,' we encourage them to take advantage of these incredible values, especially as the holiday season is about to begin."
Founded in 1980 by Linder, the retailer is a former Western Home Furnishings Association "Furniture Retailer of the Year".
November 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on November 16, 2011
Home furnishings retailer Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH) has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share which will be payable to shareholders of record as of Jan. 10, 2012 and will be paid Jan. 25, 2012.
"While the economic environment continues to be challenging, we are gratified that our financial results enable these continued dividend awards to our shareholders," said Farooq Kathwari, chairman and CEO.
November 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on November 16, 2011
Furniture Brands International Chairman and CEO Ralph Scozzafava has been elected 2012 chairman of the American Home Furnishings Alliance board of directors.
Wyatt Bassett, president/CEO of Vaughan-Bassett, Galax, Va., moves to first vice chairman; and George Revington, CEO of Home Meridian International, High Point, was elected second vice chairman.
Bob Duncan, CEO of American Leather, Dallas, now moves to immediate past-chairman of the board of directors. All of the new officers will take their posts on Jan. 1.
Executives newly elected to three-year terms on the board of directors include: Alan Cole, Hooker Furniture, Martinsville, Va.; Richard Magnussen, Magnussen Home Furnishings, Ontario, Canada; Bill Markowitz, The Veneman Group, Garden Grove, Calif.; Kevin Sauder, Sauder Woodworking, Archbold, Ohio; Eric Schenk, Century Furniture, Hickory, N.C.; Ed Teplitz, Thomasville Furniture, Thomasville, N.C.; and Roy Calcagne, Craftmaster Furniture, Taylorsville, N.C.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in High Point, represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, plus about 150 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.