Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
October 19,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Mattresses on October 20, 2011
Furniture components manufacturer Hickory Springs will open four new service centers to support growth of its consumer retail products division, Hickory At Home.
Tapping facilities owned by the company, Hickory Springs, Hickory, N.C., will add service centers in Americus, Ga.; New Albany, Miss.; Pinetops, N.C.; and Commerce, Calif., opening this fall. Several additional locations will open coast to coast next year.
The service centers provide regional warehousing, distribution and servicing of all Hickory At Home products, including its latest adjustable bed offering, icare Adjustables FLX.
The company will debut the new adjustable bed program, along with an expanded line of convertible furniture, Panama Jack Convertibles, at the upcoming High Point Furniture Market.
"We are very excited to be growing our Hickory At Home division. With our product lines continuing to expand, we saw the need to open additional service centers to better position us geographically and serve our customers' needs," said Hickory Springs Executive Vice President Dwayne Welch. "Following this initial expansion, we will be announcing several more service centers strategically located across the country in the coming months."
October 19,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in licensing on October 20, 2011
Kathy Ireland Worldwide has announced upholstery licensing partnerships with Albany Inds., Jonathan Louis, Bauhaus and Lloyd's of Chatham.
Albany Inds., New Albany, Miss., will produce a line of casual and home entertainment seating for KIWW. The initial introduction will feature four upholstery collections and four reclining collections debuting at the upcoming High Point Furniture Market. Raymour & Flanigan, Liverpool, N.Y., is the initial retail partner for the collections.
"We expect great success, with the kathy ireland Home by Albany Industries collections going into the future," said Brian Einhorn, vice president of global sales and marketing. "We're very excited to have the opportunity to work with Kathy Ireland and her team in an effort to design and build affordable, stylish furnishings for the home."
Jonathan Louis, Gardena, Calif., will provide a new line of luxury boutique furniture. The initial five collections launch this month and are based on color palettes that soothe yet create a striking balance. The collections will include sofas, love seats, chairs and sectionals.
"We're extremely excited about this new collaboration with Kathy Ireland Home," said Javier Sanchez, executive vice president and co-owner at Jonathan Louis International. "Our ability to join with Kathy and design fashion-forward upholstery has resulted in a winning collection for our customers. Kathy's extraordinary knowledge and talent in the home industry is successful because she has an unusual sense of what today's busy families need and desire."
Bauhaus USA, Saltillo, Miss., will introduce a line of contemporary, transitional, and traditional upholstery to fit the model of fashion, quality, value, and safety.
"We are truly excited about the unveiling of these designs and feel strongly that this relationship between our two companies will bring much success to our retail partners," said Britt Allred, senior vice president of sales and Marketing, Bauhaus USA. "At Bauhaus, we are constantly looking at staying up to date with the needs and wants of the consumer. Now, with the partnership with Kathy Ireland, we will only become better in that endeavor."
Upscale upholstered furniture maker, Lloyds of Chatham, Siler City, N.C., will debut KIWW contemporary and transitional seating at October Market. The collections offer alternate fabric choices for a wide range of color schemes.
"The opportunity to work with Kathy and her team has created a great deal of excitement within our company," said Jim Lloyd, president and CEO. :With their vast experience of consumer trends and styling preferences, we believe this to be a perfect match up with our commitment for fashionable, high quality, well tailored furniture that provides a welcome haven at the end of a busy day."
October 19,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 20, 2011
The International Sleep Products Association says that almost 90 percent of floor space has been sold for the ISPA Expo 2012 mattress marketplace trade show.
The event, slated for March 14-17 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, allows exhibitors to showcase the latest innovations in machinery, equipment, components, materials, supplies and services for the mattress industry.
"Now, more than ever, mattress manufacturers and component suppliers want new ideas and contacts to help them improve their sales and profitability," said ISPA President Ryan Trainer. "Exhibiting at Expo is an effective way for suppliers to position themselves for new business opportunities and to reach hundreds of customers in a few short days."
Sales of exhibitor space are up 20 percent compared to the same time period at the previous event. Nearly 100,000 square feet of show floor space has been filled, with 120 exhibitors from 34 countries currently represented.
"ISPA Expo provides an excellent opportunity for our company to cost effectively showcase our products to a large pool of targeted and qualified industry buyers," said Bart Dehaerne, president of Deslee Textiles USA. "We feel the event provides a great return for our investment."
More than 3,000 attendees from all over the world are expected to attend ISPA Expo 2012. The agenda includes educational and networking opportunities for attendees. Registration, exhibit space and additional information about the ISPA Expo 2012 can be found here.
October 19,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 20, 2011
Home Meridian International has renovated its High Point Furniture Market showroom to enhance buyer experience and reflect a "fresh, purposeful attitude."
"We wanted to create an environment that offered the best hospitality and the most effective use of space," said Home Meridian CEO George Revington of the HMI showroom at 220 S. Elm. "We sell to the busiest retailers in the industry. They want to get in and out efficiently and see furniture in simple functional settings so they can quickly determine what is and isn't right for their stores. In the meantime, they need a comfortable place to relax, refuel, recharge and reconnect with the stores back home. We created a space around their needs at market."
The new space is smaller but more efficient. The street level entrance provides visibility, easy access and outdoor seating.
"Branding the building is an integral part of our marketing strategy," added Revington. "Our showroom is our most visible branding touchpoint. This fresh architectural design and straightforward approach to display helps us to communicate our positioning as the future of furniture.:
Three of HMI's five divisions will show at 220 S. Elm, including Pulaski Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture and Prime Resources International.
HMI partnered with Martin Roberts Design to create an exceptional customer experience by creating a space that was not only architecturally resplendent, but practical and efficient. MRD specializes in retail environments including Tumi and Barnes and Noble.
HMI is a global design and marketing company that ranks among the top fice case goods suppliers to U.S. furniture retailers. It has offices in Dongguan and Shanghai, China; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and is the parent company of Pulaski Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality, Creations baby furniture and Prime Resources International.
October 18,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Business Strategy on October 19, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5351283244&f=10761
Norris Home Furnishings and its owner Larry Norris are featured in a business report about Southwest Florida companies that have reopened and been reinvented.
The article delves into the pros and cons of getting back into a business one owned previously, and it tells the story of Norris and his thinking in jumping back into the furniture retail business.
Read Full Article...