Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
November 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on November 15, 2011
Ohio Wholesale and Kennedy's Country Collection plans to open a permanent showroom in time for the
Gift+Home at Las Vegas Market Jan. 30-Feb. 3.
Ohio Wholesale and Kennedys Country Collection are very excited to obtain this permanent showroom space at
World Market Center Las Vegas, said Jeffrey Koncz, president of Ohio Wholesale, Inc. Las Vegas has always been a major contender when it comes to tradeshows and it is also widely known as a destination location, which makes Las Vegas Market attractive to buyers from all over the world. We have seen significant increases in both traffic and revenue at Las Vegas Market and we anticipate continuing that trend in our new permanent space.
Ohio Wholesale began more than 35 years ago as a retail store in Wadsworth, Ohio. After realizing the high level of sales of home decorative accessories in their retail store, the owners started a new wholesale business under the current Ohio Wholesale name. Initially distributing giftware for retailers across the nation, the company became one the largest wholesalers in the industry. It develops its own unique line of decorative items with in-house and licensed artists allowing them to provide high quality and trend-setting giftware and home décor items at affordable prices.
Ohio Wholesale is a great permanent addition to the Gift+Home at Las Vegas Market lineup, said Robert Maricich, chief executive officer for International Market Centers, parent company of World Market Center Las Vegas. Its always exciting to have a temporary exhibitor see so much success from their space at Las Vegas Market, that they transition to a permanent showroom location. Were confident this strategic shift will lead to even more successes for Ohio Wholesale and look forward to their continued partnership.
Our brand new showroom is in a great front row location and will provide us with a strong West Coast presence, added Koncz. We look forward to utilizing our new showroom to proudly showcase more than 1,500 unique designs that our talented artists have created for 2012.
Registration for Winter 2012 Gift+Home at Las Vegas Market is now open. Attendees are able to register online at GiftandHomelv.comand take advantage of discounted hotel rates at some of Las Vegas best hotels, both on and off the Strip, through the Gift+Home website.
November 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on November 15, 2011
Hooker Furniture and Furnitureland South presented a check for $1,100 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure at the retailer's Jamestown campus.
The contribution was collected through Hooker's and Furnitureland South's month-long charity contest for furniture shoppers, designers and retailers, and a fall High Point Furniture Market sweepstakes in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As a centerpiece of the event, Hooker's Bedford, Va.-based Sam Moore division custom-produced two chic, modern club chairs covered in a fuchsia pink and green fabric accented with an ikat kidney pillow. The chair, called "Hope," was offered as the prize in an online sweepstakes in which both companies jointly made a donation to "Susan G. Komen for the Cure" for each person who became a fan or follower of the two brands via their respective social media channels.
A duplicate chair also was displayed in front of the Sam Moore showroom during the international High Point Market in October, giving retailers and designers the opportunity to contribute to breast cancer research and enter to win Hope. The winner of the chair on display at High Point Market was interior designer Anne Aulbert of Anne Aulbert Designs in Hillsborough, N.C.
In accepting the check, Anna Eichhorn, Executive Director of the NC Triad Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said that 25 percent of the contribution will go directly to finding a cure through breast cancer research, "while the balance will be used for breast cancer screening, prevention, education and treatment."
The winner of the Hope chair in the online sweepstakes is Mickey Maggiano of Philadelphia, Pa.
"As an operating room nurse, I'm seeing more and more cases of breast cancer in young women and am thrilled that you are donating to Susan G. Komen," she said. "I love the chair and am going to build the décor of my room around it."
November 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on November 15, 2011
Gates Home Furnishings has furnished a house in Medford, Ore., for the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build in Medford, Oregon.
Before the identity of the winning family was even released, Gates Home Furnishings President Giff Gates committed to donating $18,000 worth of furniture for the new home. He also donated patio furniture including eight chairs and two chaises for use in the V.I.P. tent at the home build site, which could then be auctioned to help raise money for the Family/Build fund.
Though Gates was not familiar with the chosen family--C.J. and Lindsay McPhail and their three sons--or their tremendous charitable efforts through the Sparrow Clubs, he continued to work with his key suppliers to increase the amount of furniture he could donate to the project. Through his continued efforts, Gates' suppliers helped him boost his original $18,000 value contribution to more than $50,000 in new furniture for the McPhail's. Gates and his team ended up working directly with the show's designers to determine the best use of that $50,000 value. Many of Gates' employees also volunteered on the build--taking a variety of shifts throughout the seven-day project.
Giff Gates also arranged for the home designers to take a private Hellgate Jetboat tour up the renowned Rogue River.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime, inspiring experience in the furniture industry," said Gates, whose Grants Pass store has served Southern Oregon residents since 1946. "It's a chance to help a deserving family in need to receive a home that will better their lives. And it's also the opportunity to join a very caring community as we all came together to help out one of our own."
Gates Home Furnishings and its family ownership have become well-known for charitable contributions. Father and son, Giff and Nick Gates, have worked with and supported the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life campaign, the Fourway Family Foundation, Rotary and a number of other altruistic organizations.
Giff's wife, Chris, and their family dog, Snoopy, have connections with Canine Angels, a local canine group that trains service dogs. Chris Gates arranged for the McPhail family, who have two sons on the autism spectrum, to meet several local dogs trained to work with special needs children.
"We didn't know before anyone else that Extreme Makeover was coming here," Giff Gates said. "But having participated, I whole-heartedly recommend making that spontaneous decision to any furniture store or business owner. All of our charitable efforts are rewarding, but through Extreme, we got the chance to meet the people designing the home as well as the very deserving family benefitting from the show. This was a one-of-a-kind experience, and all I can say is youd be crazy not to get involved."
November 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Customer Service on November 15, 2011
HomeDirectUSA, a provider of white-glove home deliveries for large consumer goods, has launched Direct Liquidation, a new service option for returned items.
The service efficiently manages the e-commerce sale of returned items, and is an enhancement of the company's Direct Recovery reverse logistics service.
"Retailers of large consumer goods haven't had many good options for dealing with product returns, which are a significant expense for home delivery services," said Ben Say, director of sales, HomeDirectUSA, Hillside, Ill. "We have been able to leverage our transportation and distribution center network to help our customers generate new revenue on--or efficiently dispose of--returned items that previously have been a costly liability."
This is the latest enhancement of the company's Direct Recovery reverse logistics service, designed for the special needs of large consumer goods retailers, including consolidation and repair/restoration services. With Direct Liquidation, retailers are relieved of complex and expensive returns management. Instead, HomeDirectUSA takes responsibility for items the moment they are rejected at the home delivery site. Products are returned via the company's nationwide transportation network to its central Indianapolis returns processing center.
Once received at the center, returns enter a process designed to maximize revenue. Returned goods are inspected and their condition is reported to customers who then decide whether to refurbish and return to inventory; consolidate with other returns for liquidation; or offer for e-commerce sale--the new Direct Liquidation option. Under any of these scenarios, HomeDirectUSA manages the entire process for its customers. The new e-commerce option allows the owners of the goods to either set a fixed price, or offer items for sale in online auctions. HomeDirectUSA then ensures that the items sell at the best possible price, and handles all the necessary activity including delivery to buyers and processing of payments.
"Our Indianapolis facility has the necessary infrastructure and people who have the skills to make this work," Say said. "It just doesn't make sense for many retailers to perform these tasks. At the scale we can achieve we are able to economically put many of their returned items back into the market."
November 14,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on November 15, 2011
The Seena Magowitz Foundation has released videos in support of November's Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
The professionally produced video series is designed to raise awareness of the disease. Foundation President and Founder Roger Magowitz is calling upon the home furnishings industry to distribute the videos in effort to educate and inform consumers about pancreatic cancer and what they can do to help.
"Over the past several months we were fortunate to work with a wonderful production team to make four compelling and informative videos available to the public," Magowitz said. "Pancreatic cancer is a silent killer with no effective early detection methods. We hope the videos connect with social media users and educate them about this devastating disease. If they help at least one person understand they are not alone or that there is hope, we know we have accomplished something."
The Seena Magowitz Foundation is best known for its annual celebrity golf classic fundraiser held the first Saturday every year in December. Started as a small charity by executives of the home furnishings industry, the organization has collected more than $3 million since 2003 for pancreatic cancer research. The industry has rallied around the cause, and today, its annual golf event is one of the nation's top fundraisers in pursuit of treatments and a cure for the cancer with the highest mortality rate.
Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal type of cancer, with a mortality rate of 95 percent. Yet, less than 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute's federal research funding is dedicated to pancreatic cancer research. Because spreading the word is just as important as financially supporting research for a cure, the Foundation is calling on the home furnishings industry to join them in raising awareness of the disease by sharing with their social media audiences new informative videos now available for download.
Topics covered in the videos include:
* "Survivors and the Uphill Battle Against Pancreatic Cancer" shares the stories of survivors and the medical researchers working to make a difference in the lives currently at risk.
* "Know the Risk Factors" teaches viewers about the risk factors of developing pancreatic cancer and which are controllable versus uncontrollable.
* "A Patient's Last Days" imparts a greater understanding of what a person who is dying from pancreatic cancer may feel during his or her final days, physically and emotionally.
* "The Best Gift to our Lost Heroes: A Cure" pays tribute to personal heroes who lost their lives to pancreatic cancer, and gives hope for a cure.
The videos are now available for download here and were made possible by sponsor, Donovan's Steakhouse in Phoenix. Tony Subia, a graphic arts professional and partner of Donovan's, volunteered his expertise to help build, maintain and enhance the Foundation's Web presence.
This year's golf event takes place Dec. 2-4 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. Past participants include senior management from such companies as Sealy, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster and Protect-A-Bed. The event has brought together many industry executives who have lost colleagues or family members to the disease.
Funds raised by the foundation help to advance the cutting-edge research of TGen Foundation, a biomedical research organization focused on moving emerging treatments from the laboratory to clinical applications, to benefit families currently afflicted by the disease. More than 37,000 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and nearly 33,000 will die.