Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
May 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Home Theater on May 17, 2011
Bassett Furniture (NASDAQ: BSET) and Boston Acoustics have partnered for the NVELOP line of home entertainment credenzas.
Boston Acoustics, Peabody, Mass., makes innovative home entertainment solutions and high performance loudspeakers. NVELOP marks the first time Boston Acoustics has teamed up directly with a furniture company, as well as the first time Bassett has partnered with an audio company.
The wood NVELOP cabinets feature a powerful built-in Boston Acoustics soundbar system with Boston's Digitally Optimized Virtual Surround that literally envelops viewers in rich, room-filling audio. There are four new credenzas in the NVELOP lineup, including two Louis Philippe models, the large with manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,999 and small for $1,799; and two Redin Park models, large at $1,999, and small at $1,499. NVELOP credenzas are now available at Bassett Home Furnishings stores, Bassett retailers and online.
NVELOP credenzas offer users a variety of design and performance attributes such as built-in 150-watt Boston Acoustics soundbar and powered subwoofer system with Boston's exclusive Digitally Optimized Virtual Surround processing for pinpoint theater-like, surround effects; powerful 6-inch subwoofer (hidden inside the cabinet itself) delivers the deep bass response required for true home cinema and a more powerful music or gaming experience; built-in mini-stereo jack in a convenient drawer for iPods, MP3 players, and computer audio connection; specially vented shelves for placement of additional audio and video components; built-in 4-outlet power strip for simple wire management and no clutter; true acoustically transparent cloth grille for added sound quality; and specially designed rubber acoustical gaskets on the back furniture panels.
May 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on May 17, 2011
Import volume at major retail container ports will level off this month, per the Global Port Tracker report from National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The report indicates traffic will remain steady into mid-summer before resuming gains.
"After nearly a year and a half of volume increases, it's not surprising to see some leveling off," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. "Retailers are being cautious with how much merchandise they import due to economic pressures such as higher commodity prices, but overall consumer demand remains strong."
U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.08 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units in March, a gain of only 0.3 percent over the same month a year ago. The number was down 2 percent from February, traditionally the slowest month of the year. While the increase was small, it was the 16th month in a row to show a year-over-year improvement after December 2009 broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year declines.
April was estimated at 1.18 million TEU, a more typical increase of 4 percent over April 2010. But May is forecast at 1.26 million TEU, a decline of 0.6 percent from May 2010, a small drop but the first year-over-year decline since November 2009. June is forecast at 1.31 million TEU, a decline of 0.1 percent from a year ago, and July is forecast at 1.38 million TEU, a decline of 0.4 percent. Year-over-year increases are expected to resume in August, forecast at 1.46 million TEU, up 2 percent from last year, and in September, forecast at 1.49 million TEU, up 11 percent.
The first half of 2011 is forecast at 7.1 million TEU, up 4 percent from the first half of 2010. Global Port Tracker forecasts only six months beyond actual numbers, so a forecast for the full year is not yet available. Imports during 2010 totaled 14.7 million TEU, a 16 percent increase over 2009.
"Consumers are being cautious about their expenditures in light of the higher gasoline costs and rising inflation combined with mixed signals from the economic data," Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. "Nevertheless, we expect the second half of the year to be more robust than the first half."
While import numbers are temporarily flat, the Commerce Department announced Thursday that retail sales increased for the 10th month in a row in April, further evidence that the retail sector and consumer spending continue to lead the economic recovery.
May 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 17, 2011
Bogart LLC, the owner of all intellectual property rights of the late film legend Humphrey Bogart, has settled its federal lawsuit against a group of furniture stores.
Plummers Furniture,
Scandinavian Designs, and
Dania were sued regarding the unauthorized sale of a furniture line called Bogart. The three retailers are part of the same operating group.
Bogart LLC filed the lawsuit last year alleging violation of the California post-mortem right of publicity statute and trademark infringement. Terms of the settlement agreement are confidential.
"We could not be more pleased with the result," said Robbert de Klerk of Bogart LLC. "We hope that the settlement of this lawsuit sends a clear message that infringements of Humphrey Bogart's name and image do not pay and will be prosecuted."
Bogart LLC is jointly owned by Los Angeles-based private equity fund Orange Equity and the children of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Stephen Humphrey Bogart and Leslie Bogart.
Bogart and Bacall starred together in the classic films "To Have and Have Not," "The Big Sleep," "Dark Passage" and "Key Largo." Bogart appeared in more than 70 films throughout his 30-year acting career, including starring roles in the film classics "Casablanca," "The Maltese Falcon," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The Caine Mutiny," and "The African Queen," for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1952.
Bogart is ranked by the American Film Institute http://www.afi.com/ as the No. 1 American male screen legend, ahead of such film legends as Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, John Wayne, and Clark Gable.
May 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on May 17, 2011
La-Z-Boy (NYSE: LZB) honored top-performing La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores and Design Studios at an awards ceremony during April High Point Furniture Market.
With 305 stores throughout the United States and Canada, the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores network is one of North Americas leading proprietary furniture retailers.
Retail Partner of the Year, which recognizes the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries retail system that continuously demonstrates commitment to the La-Z-Boy brands, retail network and customers, went to Paul and Heather Hogeboom, owners and operators of eight La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores in Ontario, for their more than 12 years of leadership, tireless dedication and ongoing support of the La-Z-Boy retail program.
The Customer Service Excellence award, which recognizes the store that demonstrates superior customer service and a commitment to the La-Z-Boy brands, retail network and customers at the store level, was given to Las Vegas store owner Steve Hueftle and his staff for achieving the highest level of customer satisfaction in the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries system across North America.
The award for Top New Dealer recognizes a dealer who has succeeded in his individual organization and is dedicated to the success of the entire Furniture Galleries system. This year's honor went to Michael De Nisco II of La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Latham, Clay and Auburn, N.Y., for his integrity, team-building spirit and ongoing support of the La-Z-Boy retail program. De Nisco grew up working in his familys La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store and is an expert at bringing his customers quality and comfort.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities Partner of the Year award, which recognizes the partner in the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries retail system who has continuously demonstrated commitment to the RMHC partnership, went to R. Byron Brown, owner and operator of seven La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores located in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, for his efforts to support the local Ronald McDonald Houses. His stores not only donate furniture, but also provide each local Ronald McDonald House with complementary design consultation, free delivery and hundreds of household items collected by employees to assist with the everyday needs of those in need.
The Top 10 Performing La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries Stores in North America for 2010 were:
* La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores in Calgary, Alberta, both owned and operated by Cam Davidson.
* La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Glendale, Ariz.; Chandler, Ariz; Mesa, Ariz.; and Scottsdale, Ariz., owned and operated by Ed Breunig III.
* La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores in Edmonton, Alberta, both owned and operated by Mohammed Moussa.
* La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Fort Collins, Colo., owned and operated by Jason Johnston.
* La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Winnipeg, Manitoba, owned and operated by Dave and Gale Sykora and Cam Davidson.
The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores recognized as the top sales growth accounts based
on percentage growth for 2010 were: La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Fort Wayne, Ind., owned and operated by the Klopfenstein family; and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Grapevine and Cedar Park, Texas, owned and operated by Lew Brown Jr.
La-Z-Boy also honored top-performing Comfort Studio retailers. Regional, single-store owners with top sales growth during calendar year 2010 were recognized, along with the top North American multi-store operation and the retail partner with the largest increase in unit sales.
The La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio network has a total of 536 locations located throughout North America. Honored for outstanding performance based on sales percent increase during 2010 were:
* Largest Increase in Unit Sales: Arthur F. Shultz Company in Erie, Pa., owned by Rob and Dan Schultz and John Blakeslee.
* Canadian Region: MacDonald Countrywide Furniture in Meaford, Ontario, owned by Jeff MacDonald.
* Central Region: Pierce Furniture in Muscatine, Iowa, owned by David and Curtis Pierce.
* Midwest Region: Smith's Furniture & Appliance in Mount Sterling, Ky., owned by Harold and Tim Smith.
* Northeast Region: Arthur F. Shultz Company in Erie, Pa., owned by Rob and Dan Schultz and John Blakeslee.
* West Region: Davis Furniture in Wanatchee, Wash., owned by Roger Bumps.
* Multi-Store: Homeworld Furniture and Furnitureland in Hawaii, owned by Mike, Bub Jr., Wendell, Ben and Scott Wo.
Also at the ceremony, La-Z-Boy announced the recipients of its Pinnacle Awards, which recognize the top-selling sales associates and highest-achieving In-Home Designers in the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries network. The Pinnacle Award, part of the Peak Performance program, honors outstanding sales consultants in each of the companys five sales regions in North America.
The 2011 store sales associate recipients include: Alisha Vigil of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Reno, Nev.; Brandi Loring of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Davenport, Iowa; Nora Pearson of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Pineville, N.C.; Steve Williamson of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Calgary, Alberta; and Thomas Murray of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Latham, N.Y.
The 2011 In-Home Design consultant recipients include: Billie Wachman of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Evans, Ga.; Elisar "Elsi" El Sayed of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Alexandria, Va.; Iordanka "Danni" Paskova of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Langley, British Columbia; and Jill Morse of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Glendale, Ariz.
May 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on May 17, 2011
Tom Isaacson has joined furniture sales promotion and consulting company Profit Management Promotions as a Midwest regional sales manager.
A 30-year industry veteran, Isaacson will focus on expanding the firm's services in the Midwest United States, where PMP has recently seen new retail interest in their promotional services. Previously, Isaacson served as CEO of Great American Group for the past 10 years, where he was responsible for the day to day operations and directed the liquidation process for retailers such as Helig Meyers, Homelife, Kirschmans, Levitz and Rhodes.
Before that, he ran the sales division for Chicago retailer Continental Furniture and has had similar positions with several other furniture stores over a 13 year period.
"Tom's reputation, promotional experience and his knowledge of the furniture industry were the primary factors in bringing Tom on board so that PMP can easily expand into the Midwest," said Ron Cooper, director of sales & marketing for Profit Management Promotions.
Profit Management Promotions specializes in conducting high-impact sales for furniture retailers. The firm's projects include traditional going-out-of-business sales, but an increasing number of assignments are focused on retail restructurings. Established in 1985, Profit Management Promotions is headquartered in Jamison, Pa., and maintains regional offices in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina.