August 9,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in Customer Service on August 10, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5056195966&z=1250249030
New owners planning to reopen an Ashley Furniture Homestore in Abilene say they have made good on all customer orders made under the store's prior owners.
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August 9,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Furniture Retailing on August 10, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5056161017&z=1250249027
Wisconsin furniture retailer Steinhafels will open a new 101,000-square-foot furniture store in Vernon Hills.
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August 8,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Markets on August 9, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z5055076905&z=1250249030
The All-American Furniture Expo to be held at the Lancaster (Pa.) County Convention Center will not allow exhibit of imported furniture.
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August 8,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on August 9, 2011
Sometimes a graphic is the best way to communicate performance, so
FurnitureCore has added a new graphics section to its market share reports for each sales representative.
Now, sales managers can access customized market share information 24-7, drill down to specific cities, view the report in percentages or dollars, and even email the report in a Word document to each sales rep.
These reports translate a complicated spread sheet of numbers into a visual of gains and losses in market share, said Bob George, managing partner of
Impact Consulting which owns FurnitureCore. Its convenient, reliable and affordable, but its most important function is that it is a highly effective management tool with the reps.
The most basic question is, How are we performing in the marketplace? For sales management, the question is, How is each individual sales representative performing in each city of their territories?, he said. Graphs communicate ongoing performance in an instant.
In addition, if a manufacturer is focused on expanding into new markets, FurnitureCore identifies which companies are doing business and in what categories, so sales management and representatives alike can better plan and understand the marketplace. The result is greater productivity and accountability.
A.R.T. Furniture is in the process of planning for significant growth over the next five years, said Jeff Cook, CEO of A.R.T. and a FurnitureCore subscriber for nearly two years. Central to this is an accurate benchmark of how we perform compared with the marketplace, both in our product categories as well as in individual markets. Its also important to us to understand our customers so we can, in turn, help them with their decisions as an extension of our philosophy that we are even more valuable as strategic partners. We can help them make decisions based on facts, not opinion.
As a dynamic web portal to vital research designed expressly for the home furnishings industry, FurnitureCore provides comprehensive market intelligence by integrating dozens of databases with extensive, proprietary FurnitureCore research, creating information that is relevant to each client, and making it easy for retailers and manufacturers alike to apply it to their specific business model.
At A.R.T. Furniture, the significance of FurnitureCore is that the information helps us navigate through each market clearly, Cook said. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but they are not entitled to their own facts. FurnitureCore makes it easy and affordable to sort out the facts.
August 8,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on August 9, 2011
Kathy Ireland, CEO and chief designer of
kathy ireland Worldwide, will host the 23rd American Furniture Hall of Fame induction banquet Oct. 23 during the
High Point Market.
Kathy is a leading home furnishings designer with over 25 different home furnishings product categories to her credit. She is very passionate about design and home furnishings, said Kurt Darrow,
American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation president. Her knowledge and genuine love of the home furnishings industry and the hundreds of thousands of people who have made the furniture industry great will make the evening memorable as we honor our new Industry Fellows and celebrate the accomplishments of these visionary leaders of our industry.
It is a true privilege to be a part of this wonderful event, Ireland said. Many of the industry leaders to be honored at the American Furniture Hall of Fame banquet share my companys philosophy of ...finding solutions for families, especially busy moms and of ...finding solutions for people in business. I am proud to share in honoring those who have made the home furnishings industry what it is today.
Industry Fellows who will be recognized for their exceptional leadership, accomplishments and contributions to the furniture industry are Donald A. Belgrad, George Alexander Bernhardt, Donald G. Flanders, Sr., John C. Portman, Jr., Gordon Segal and Roy B. Unger. Inductees into the Hall of Fame also will be announced at the banquet.
The new slate of Industry Fellows was selected based on their contributions to the growth and development of the furniture industry in America including these standards: enduring excellence, superior accomplishments, innovation and creativity, and philanthropic generosity. The voting period began July 8 and ended on Aug. 5.
The deadline for reservations is Oct. 3. Tickets are $125 each and can be purchased online http://furniturehalloffame.com/banquet_tickets.aspx. Reservations may also be made by sending an e-mail to banquet@furniturehalloffame.com or by contacting the Foundation office at 336.882.5900.
The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is an international, industrywide organization founded to honor those individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to the continued growth and development of the U.S. furniture industry, as well as to research, collect and preserve our cultural, economic and artistic history. Membership includes eligibility to vote for inductees into the American Furniture Hall of Fame, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry.