June 20,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on June 21, 2011
Media, Pa.-based foam manufacturer FXI has named John Cowles president, CEO and board member.
He succeeds Jack Johnson, who is retiring after six years but will remain on FXI's board as non-executive chairman.
Most recently, Cowles was CEO of Touchstone Wireless, where he led the company to become a fast growing organization with strong profitability through supply chain transformation and strong customer focus. Prior to his time at Touchstone, he was president of George Weston Bakeries, where he transformed the supply chain, accelerated innovation and improved communication leveraging icon brands of Arnold Natural and Thomas. Cowles also served as executive vice president and general manager for Kraft Foods where he ran the Beverage, Cookies, Confections and Condiments businesses; and worked for nine years at Campbell Soup Co. where he led organizations in Asia Pacific and the U.S. Cowles began his career at Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Cowles received an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Cornell University.
"On behalf of the board, I would like to welcome John to FXI," said Jack Johnson, outgoing FXI president & CEO. "John is a proven leader who brings to FXI an ideal combination of skills and experience. We are confident that FXI will greatly benefit from his supply chain, innovation and general industry experience as we continue to focus on driving enterprise value through growth and new business development."
"FXI is an established leader in the polyurethane foam manufacturing industry, and I am very pleased to be joining the company," Cowles said. "I look forward to leading FXI through its next phase of growth and driving its strategic vision of being a market-focused provider of polyurethane foam-based solutions, healthcare foams and specialty comfort products. I am extremely excited by this opportunity and look forward to working with the entire FXI team to realize the enormous potential that exists at FXI."
June 20,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on June 21, 2011
The International Sleep Products Association sponsored the ISPA Bedding Centre at last month's 2011 Interzum in Cologne, Germany.
As the mattress industry continues to become more internationally focused, events such as Interzum provide unique opportunities for ISPA supplier members to show their products, and for manufacturers to learn about innovative materials and collaborate with business contacts from all over the world. The May Interzum show also was an opportunity for ISPA staff to showcase important association benefits, promote ISPA's 2012 Expo, and acquaint visitors with the Better Sleep Council's latest pop culture communications campaign, Stop Zombieitis.
"We are focusing on what we can offer to our international members and working on collaborating with our international partners," said ISPA Director of Communications, Karin Mahoney. "During our discussions at Interzum, a number of non-U.S. companies expressed a lot of interest in the Better Sleep Council's current PR campaign and other initiatives, and brainstormed how they can use these ideas to market mattresses in their markets."
"ISPA's Bedding Centre continues to be an integral part of ISPA's on-going commitment to its members worldwide. It helps companies meet customers that might not regularly attend industry events in the United States," said ISPA President Ryan Trainer. "I was extremely happy with all of the old friends we saw, the number of new connections we made, and the strong customer traffic so many ISPA members had at this year's Interzum."
For photos from the 2011 Interzum, visit ISPA's Facebook page.
June 20,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on June 21, 2011
The International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market will bring back the Garden Accessories Courtyard, a 10,000-square-foot area for outdoor accessories.
This dedicated area will be located on the Northwest side of the 8th Floor Market Suites during the Sept. 12-14 show at Chicago's Merchandise Mart. Buyers can find exhibitors featuring decorative accessories, outdoor lighting, hearth products, tabletop, rugs, pottery, statuary and much more.
Accessories have become an integral way for retailers to increase their stores profits. As an easy last-minute purchasing option, accessories not only add to a store's merchandising mix, they also add to their bottom line. Accessories are the go-to-component to update and complete an outdoor room.
Exhibitors in the Courtyard include:
* Bentintoshape fire pits, planter boxes, and outdoor luminaries manufactured from eco-friendly materials and recycled metals.
* Berlin Gardens, showcasing the Comfo-Back Adirondack Chair in tropical colors that are made from (HDPE) poly-lumber; and chairs are made from recycled plastics including milk jugs and feature an impressive 20-year residential warranty.
* Black and Stone round and square patio burners that may be installed in any non-combustible surface and decorated with fire glass, featuring yellow flames that last for four hours and burn with clean-burning bio-ethanol.
* Caframo Limited, offering a revolutionary new lighting centerpiece for the outdoor living environment, transforming the energy of a simple tea light into enough light to illuminate the entire outdoor dining table.
* Couristan Inc. outdoor/indoor floor fashions, with an assortment of more than 100 stylish weather-resistant area rugs for any outdoor setting, including the new Sundial and Fresh Citrus rugs.
* Dayva International market umbrellas, umbrella lighting, protective outdoor furniture covers, patio heaters, indoor/outdoor wood furniture and decorative outdoor accessories.
* Dimension One Spas Elemental Patio Tubs that are designed to show how hot tubs can be beautiful and artistic.
* Direct Pacific Advantage Company factory direct planters, containers, garden tools and custom-built seasonal decor from Vietnam.
* Elaine Smith Pillows designer throw pillows made exclusively of outdoor-safe performance fabrics.
* Fishtales wooden outdoor furniture and wooden two-dimensional fish art for the outdoors.
* Hearthland Products Memphis Wood Fired Grill, which features a high temperature grill smoker, convection oven and pizza oven all-in-one, made in the USA.
* Maremar Hammocks, including handmade Nicaraguan Hammocks, cotton hammocks and hammock swings, hammock accessories and hammock stands.
* Merritt International decorative melamine, acrylic and tritan tableware and drinkware.
* Seasonal Living high-quality indoor/outdoor furnishings and decorative accessories, known for use of inventive materials and the resulting bold works of functional art.
* TAG casual furnishings, including folding tables and chairs, garden, patio and deck accessories, and outdoor candles, lighting and entertaining offerings.
* Tervis drinkware products.
* The Outdoor GreatRoom Company, outdoor products for residential and commercial applications including Pergolas, Fire Pits & Fireplaces, Grills Gas & Electric Cart & Built-In Models, Outdoor Kitchens, Gel-Fueled Fireplaces for Indoor & Outdoor applications, Wicker Furniture, Gas & Solar Lights and Infrared Heaters.
* Trans-Ocean Import Co. indoor/outdoor accessories such as rugs, decorative pillows, floor mats and placemats.
* Unique Arts, a vast selection of outdoor living products, including fire pits, outdoor wood furniture, solar lights, fountains, and other garden accessories.
AkzoNobel Coatings Inc., California Outdoor Concepts, Classic Cushions & Umbrellas by Roger's Cushions, Commonwealth Home Fashions, Hangzhou Classic Maxim, Magnolia Casual,, Napoleon Products, Patio Living Concepts, Seaside Casual Furniture and Wanda Technology also will be located in the Garden Accessories Courtyard.
June 20,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 21, 2011
Online home furnishings retailer CSN Stores on Monday received a cash infusion of $165 million from four private equity and venture capital firms.
This is the first institutional money Boston-based CSN has raised in its nine-year history. The funding will expedite CSN's expansion efforts and bolster the company's new plan to consolidate its catalog under a fresh and memorable brand, Wayfair.com.
The new investors, selected by CSN founders Niraj Shah and Steven Conine, will join CSN's board and will be active advisors in growing the company; and looking four or five years into the future, the investors also will help the company when it considers an intitial public offering. The investors are Battery Ventures, Spark Capital, HarbourVest Partners and Great Hill Partners.
According to the company CSN has been profitable every year since its 2002 inception; and grew more than 50 percent from 2009 to 2010, with sales of $380 million. CSN reports 56 percent growth in first-quarter 2011, compared with the prior-year period; and at that rate is on track to well surpass the half-billion dollar mark by year's end. Part of the $165 million round will go toward expanding international opportunities, as well as CSN's catalog of 3 million-plus products. Also, the funding will support appropriate acquisitions of other Internet companies specializing in categories that would benefit CSN.
In July and August, CSN Stores will begin to transition into Wayfair.com, a much more memorable name and brand. CSN's founders wanted a new brand that consumers can more easily relate to and recall. The Wayfair.com site will have an entirely new, updated and inviting look, and will consolidate 200 current CSN sites under one mega-site. Investment dollars also will go toward more brand marketing to launch and promote Wayfair.com later this summer and well into 2012.
CSN continues to expand its employment, as well, which now stands at 800 people, 250 hired last year, with another 150 added so far in 2011. The company estimates an additional 200 employees by year's end. CSN also recently added a new distribution and operations center in Ogden, Utah.
June 19,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on June 20, 2011
The Furniture Buying Index dropped one point this month to a reading of 74 taking it back to the February 2011 reading, according to
America's Research Group.
The company attributed the decline to low consumer confidence and the fact that consumers are cautious of spending money on big ticket items.
"As consumers focus on paying down debt, they are attempting to pay for purchases with cash or checks," said Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group. "This cash attitude does not allow for big ticket purchases such as furniture."
The index is compiled each month by the company from interviews with between 5000 and 8,000 consumers across the country. In a typical month, 80 percent of the consumers interviewed can name a specific furniture item they indent to buy. The index's mark signifies what percent of the benchmark 80 percent have a particular item in mind.