Daily News Archive
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May 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in Community/Charitable Support on May 24, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z4661642598&z=1250249032
In a continuation of Grand Home Furnishings national campaign to make grand gestures to local communities for its 100th anniversary, Just for Kids Inc., the Womens Resource Center and the United Way of Southern West Virginia are now recipients of furniture donations so each location can bring those it serves the comforts of home. Last spring, David Chinn, manager of Grand Home Furnishings of Beckley, decided to make a donation to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital to comfort families in the waiting room and those who must undergo treatments such as chemotherapy. After news of that donation spread,
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May 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 24, 2011
National furniture retailer
Furniture Row Cos. has added
Paul's TV to its Denver-area stores.
Paul's TV, established 46 years ago in La Habra, Calif., specializes in home entertainment systems. The electronics company has similar agreements with
Jordan's Furniture,
Art Van Furniture, and
Living Spaces.
"This is a logical partnership," said Tom Faulkner, president of Furniture Row Cos. "Both Furniture Row and Paul's TV pride themselves on their excellent customer service, extremely knowledgeable salespeople, great selection and, of course, guaranteed low prices."
With the addition of Paul's TV, Furniture Row Shopping Center will now be able to promote having five specialty stores at one location, offering customers the latest styles, choices, and products available for every room of their home.
All five Denver-metro area
Sofa Mart stores in the Furniture Row Shopping Centers, as well as the Fort Collins, Colo., location, will include Paul's TV. The Furniture Row Shopping Centers' latest additions will officially open on May 26th -- in time for Memorial Day sales.
The Furniture Row Cos. is one of the largest family-owned home furnishings and bedding retailers in the U.S. with more than 330 stores in 31 states. In addition to Sofa Mart, the retailer has store fronts operating under Oak Express, Bedroom Expressions and Denver Mattress Co.
May 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on May 24, 2011
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program
On Thursday, May 20, the
United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) updated its requirements to provide clear guidance on using the word "organic" to market products.
The new memo, as well as a recently concluded
USDA investigation of a bedding retailer, prompted the Specialty Sleep Associations (SSA) president Dale Read to urge bedding manufacturers and retailers that are making organic product claims to focus on compliance in order to avoid U.S. government issued penalties, including steep fines.
The NOPs new policy memo is one of several dictates recently issued from U.S. government agencies, including the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that affect how bedding products may be marketed to consumers now and going forward, Read said. The SSA Environmental and Safety seal and tag program should be viewed as a tool-kit for mattress manufacturers eager to streamline the process of substantiating product claims, because much of the work has already been done for them.
In a recent complaint case that investigated consumer-facing advertising claims of USDA organic mattresses for sale, one bedding retailer was warned that future violations of NOP regulations could result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
The product in question contained organic cotton fiber, but because the USDA NOP standards are used to certify only crops and livestock, claiming a USDA organic certification for a finished product, like a mattress, is a violation.
Guidance on marketing organic ingredients versus finished products has not always been clear, said Vicki Worden, president of
Worden Associates, Inc., an environmental consulting firm to companies and not-for-profit organizations, including the
SSA. The new policy memo tells marketers how they can and cannot use the word organic. For finished products, like mattresses, it clearly indicates that a USDA claim is not allowed.
The SSA offers a three-level Environmental and Safety seal and tag program that was created last year and has helped manufacturers by creating a roadmap for communicating environmental attributes and properly documenting their proof.
The SSA created its Environmental and Safety seal and tag program to create transparency for consumers and to help keep government away from manufacturers and retailers doors," Read said. "This recent complaint and subsequent communication from the USDA only underscores the need for manufacturers and retailers to not wait a second longer to evaluate their practices."
A next step in SSAs efforts includes developing RSA and consumer education, to help consumers identify and compare products with environmental, health and safety benefits at the point of sale.
The association has also started an environmental blog where manufacturers, retailers, and consumers can find a series of blogs entitled, including an overview of the newly proposed revisions to the FTCs Green Guides, which dictate how environmental terms may be used in marketing.
We believe consumers want bedding products with environmental and safety benefits, and research shows that many are willing to pay more for them, Read said. The SSA is well positioned to help companies substantiate and communicate product claims in a way that will be beneficial to both consumers and to the industry at large.
May 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on May 24, 2011
Furniture and appliance buying group BrandSource has created a new web platform that brings an easy-to-use Web experience to customers and members.
The new site features a new design and front-end functions with products presented in a style that invites customers to explore many sections in-depth. Shoppers can browse through image-rich appliance and/or electronics catalogs and get detailed model features and specs, information on pricing including request a quote options and use its lead generator to connect with a local BrandSource members Web site or store.
The new site was designed to make the online shopping experience fast and easy with a one-page checkout that offers registration, the latest e-commerce applications, installation, delivery and warranty options, as well as a secure payment gateway.
The features on the Web site are integrated into participating members individual sites. The Web site also offers members access to searched terms, product reviews, product specifications, customer reviews and an update on the most viewed products. A store locator on the site also drives traffic to individual member stores.
BrandSource is the only buying group in the industry that provides a powerful, customizable website for its members, said Bob Lawrence, CEO of BrandSource. Our new web platform offers robust, world-class technology designed to keep members competitive. Its designed to help elevate their profile and drive both online sales and in-store traffic.
May 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on May 24, 2011
The Shanghai lab of SGS North America has become the first Chinese testing facility certified by the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide crib safety testing services for compliance with new CPSC rules that go into effect in June.
The accreditation provides local testing resources for Chinese factories that produce full-size and/or non-full-size cribs that will be sold in the U.S.
The CPSC regulations were enacted in response to a recall of more than 11 million, drop-side cribs since 2007. At least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths have been associated with detaching drop-side rails since 2000, and there have also been additional deaths related to faulty or defective hardware.
The new 16 CFR 1219 and 16 CFR 1220 federal standards address the safety issue by prohibiting the manufacture or sale of traditional drop-side rail cribs, strengthening crib slats and mattress supports, improving hardware quality, and requiring more rigorous testing. The new standards apply to all cribs manufactured in or imported to the U.S. on or after June 28.
Under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, compliance must be certified by the manufacturer, importer or private labeler of record based on testing performed by an approved third-party conformity assessment body.
A large percentage of cribs sold in the U.S. are manufactured in China," said Piyush Shah, toy and juvenile products lab manager of SGS North American Consumer Testing Services. "With the new CPSC crib standards, having testing services near the point of manufacture is going to be essential in order to avoid delays in getting new models to market. Our Shanghai lab has all of the equipment and instrumentation in place to provide these services immediately.
SGS Shanghai is the first of several company labs that will be offering crib testing for compliance with the new CPSC standards worldwide. Certification of the Shanghai facility for crib testing is also part of a major global initiative on juvenile products testing that was announced earlier this month.
In the U.S., the companys facility in Fairfield, N.J., has expanded its services to provide safety testing for compliance with 20 current ASTM standards covering juvenile products from baby bouncers and booster seats to toddler beds and toy chests.
Overseas, the company is also preparing to add or expand juvenile products testing services at lab locations including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France and the United Kingdom as well as Shanghai.