Daily News Archive
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October 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 5, 2011
Mattress manufacturer Jamison Bedding has promoted John Steele to director of sales, a new position.
Steele, a 10-year veteran with the Brentwood, Tenn., company, will concentrate on building and supporting current Jamison business, expanding into new markets and directing field sales operations in the southeast. He also is responsible for implementing strategies that support the company's newly established brand direction, "We Make Sleep Different."
Steele reports to Ken Hinman, senior vice president of sales and marketing, who said the promotion is based on Steele's industry knowledge, longtime experience at Jamison and his energy and passion.
"Our business is growing and we're focused on a number of new objectives," Hinman noted. "This is an opportune time for someone with Johns expertise to provide additional support to our sales team."
Based in Nashville, Steele joined Jamison in 2001 as a sales manager in Tennessee and northern Georgia. Before that he spent 15 years with Rhodes Furniture as a regional sales manager in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.
With Steele in place, Hinman said he will direct his own efforts toward developing and growing the company's newly licensed Spring Air brand in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and will concentrate on advancing the company's substantial hotel and resort business.
Jamison Bedding operates two mattress factories in Gallatin, Tenn., and Albany, Ga., serving more than 400 retailers in the southeast U.S. and major hotels and resorts worldwide.
October 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on October 5, 2011
Online interior design software vendor 20-20 Icovia will launch Icovia Tablet Edition with a webinar next week; and at High Point Furniture Market.
The webinar is set for Wednesday, Oct. 12, and at the Oct. 22-27 Market, Londonderry, N.H.-based Icovia will showcase the tablet app in the National Home Furnishings Association's Retailer Resource Center on the first floor of Plaza Suites.
Icovia Tablet Edition software is available initially for the Apple iPad (downloadable from iTunes) featuring the Icovia 2D space planner solution with support for all other tablet platforms immediately afterwards. Icovia Tablet Edition will integrate with retailers' Web-based Icovia Planner allowing consumers and sales associates to access and share designs across the entire Icovia platform. A Tablet version of Icovia's 3D Room Planner as used by La-Z-Boy, Thomasville and others is also currently in development.
"Consumers are driving mobile commerce," said Steve Street, CEO of Icovia. "They've become accustomed to being able to find and purchase just about everything from a mobile device instantaneously. Now, we've extended that capability to the furniture showroom floor. With the Icovia Tablet edition, sales associates can quickly sketch a customers room dimensions, and show them how the prospective new furnishings will fit in their space without leaving the showroom floor or the furniture they are interested in. It's a win-win for both the consumer and sales associate. The customers engagement and satisfaction increase, associates can close more sales, and stores realize savings from decreased returns."
Icovia surveyed 300 furnishings retailers on buying trends before developing Icovia Tablet Edition. The survey revealed that, although consumers often make purchases with their smart phones, this does not translate to furniture, and a tablet has much greater appeal for room planning. Retailers and manufacturers also reported plans to go mobile.
Street went on to say that they were pleasantly surprised to hear that retailers not only wanted a tablet solution but they wanted it from Icovia, integrated with their website planner, and the industry overwhelmingly wanted room planning on a tablet over other capabilities such as catalog browsing or configuring and visualizing furniture also known as fabric draping.
"This has been one of our most comprehensive research and development projects and have been overwhelmed by the support and interest from the industry," he said.
Furniture retailers who served as Beta sites for the tablet app had positive comments.
"Icovia's new Tablet Edition room planner is just what furniture retailers need right now to improve the selling process," said John Disa, president of Ashley Furniture Homestores, Arcadia, Wis. "This iPad companion to their successful web-based product is well thought out and easy to use. It keeps to the core room planning functions retailers need to confirm furniture will fit, speeds up the sales process and helps the customer visualize how their room will be merchandised. This latest introduction from Icovia will help any retailer, from the Nations leader like Ashley HomeStores, to the smallest local Mom & Pop."
"Icovia Table Edition not only empowers our Living Spaces sales team with an in-store sales tool, it also mobile enables our room planner for consumers on iPads," said Living Spaces Chief Technology Officer Larry L. Smith. "Of course it goes without saying that we're thrilled to work with Icovia to introduce the first company-branded furniture retail room planner for the iPad."
October 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in licensing on October 5, 2011
Designer and TV personality Candice Olson will visit Norwalk Furniture this week for a special pre-market event to High Point Furniture Market.
On Thursday and Friday, Olson will visit the company's Norwalk, Ohio, headquarters to unveil her newest upholstery designs to interior designers from across the country with private, invitation-only presentations at the corporate office and plant.
Her licensed collection, Candice Olson for Norwalk Furniture, incorporates Olson's signature blend of traditional design with a hint of the unexpected. Olson is best known on HGTV as the host of "Divine Design" and her new show that launched earlier this year, "Candice Tells All." Her brand of style sets the bar for design shows because her experiences include a diverse array of residential and commercial projects. The Olson brand is considered simultaneously inspirational, aspirational and accessible.
"In the first event at Norwalk, Candice will speak on the business of interior design, sharing her experiences as an interior designer and offering tips about building business and serving clients," said Reyna Moore, director of marketing for Norwalk. "More than 100 designers are coming from Vermont to California, from Texas to Florida, to hear about her vision and inspiration, and to get a sneak preview of her new introductions before the product is shipped to High Point."
The sneak preview will include an unveiling of Lou Lou, a smart, assertive and stylish chair with a strong modern attitude and a nod to tradition. The Lou Lou Limited Edition Chair boasts Calvin linen in aqua, embellished with an elaborate Swarovski crystal design on the inside back with oversized antique brass nail head trim just above its decorative cherry wood base.
The 10-piece Pippa Collection is a petite beauty scaled for smaller spaces with understated confidence that is both comfortable and compelling. Pippa features simple, curved, low track arms with loose welted back pillows. Each piece is available in 850 in-stock fabrics.
The oversized Ceylon Ottoman adds a harmonizing island of classic comfort with its all-over button tufting, available in 850 in-stock fabrics. Optional nail head may replace the buttons for an added punch of personality.
The two-day designer event also will include factory tours and training on Norwalk fabrics and trends.
October 3,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 4, 2011
Whittier Wood Furniture is relocating its High Point Market showroom the IHFC.
Whittier has been showing in High Point since 2008. The Whittier showroom is H1120, in the Hamilton wing.
"We want to make our line more visible to a greater number of buyers," said Conni Barofsky, marketing manager for Whittier. "We expect to have more quality time with buyers due to the convenient location of our new showroom. It also allows us to display a larger assortment of our products in a more suitable environment."
In other moves, Lifestyle California is returning to the Market after a five-year absence.
"We have been showing exclusively in Las Vegas for about the last five years," said John Dekker, the company's vice president of sales and marketing. "But the big customers on the East Coast are basing their merchandising decisions on what they see in High Point which makes it important to be there. And for us, the IHFC is the place to be. We're elated to be back there."
Lifestyle California's showroom is also in the Hamilton wing, space H724.
October 3,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Rugs on October 4, 2011
Sphinx by Oriental Weavers will be showing in 4,000-square-foot showroom in the IHFC for the upcoming High Point Market.
Located on the third floor in the Green Wing, the showroom is at G361.
We are excited about our return to the IHFC and having an expanded permanent showroom in High Point once again," said Pat Muschamp, vice president of sales for Oriental Weavers. "High Point is a premium market for our customers, and our best opportunity to reach furniture retailers and design specialists."
The company will offer its Giftin' with Sphinx promotion during the market that gives customers who place qualifying orders to select gifts that include designer handbags, iPads and special terms base on order amount.