Daily News Archive
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May 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Aggregated Content in Legal on May 5, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z4589643050&z=1250249027
Rothman Furniture Stores faces a class action consumer fraud suit brought by a man who says he didn't get money he says he was promised.
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May 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on May 5, 2011
Haverty Furniture Cos. (NYSE: HVT)
reported first-quarter 2011 sales of $154.2 million, a 1.2 percent drop from prior-year levels.
Comparable store sales were off 0.6 percent, the first drop for that figure in five quarters. For the period ended March 31, Havertys lost $671,000, compared with net income of $2.35 million in first-quarter 2010.
"Our target customer is a homeowner and our business is influenced by housing market activity which has suffered historic declines. Housing trends improved modestly last year until the new buyer tax credits expired," said Clarence H. Smith, president and chief executive officer. "Since then, further declines in home values and increased foreclosures have not helped the environment for furniture sales. Although we have lowered our operating costs over the last few years, our SG&A costs were impacted this quarter by rising fuel prices, wage increases and higher group insurance premiums.
Havertys, established in 1885, is a full-service home furnishings retailer with 118 showrooms in 17 states in the Southern and Midwestern regions.
May 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on May 5, 2011
Furniture Row is reviving an award winning commercial for its Oak Express furniture retail brand.
The Oak Express "Not Natural" television ad campaign, once featured on syndicated TV program "World's Greatest Commercials" and BBC's "Commercial Breakdown," originally ran in the early 2000s.
"Our hope is that the commercials will not only bring nostalgia and laughs to television viewers, but that it also serves as a reminder to furniture shoppers that Oak Express is still committed to high quality furnishings made of natural woods," said Furniture Row National Marketing Director Bill McKendry, one of the campaign's creators.
Returning from the Oak Express campaign are the television spots "Teen Angst," "Officer," "Directions," "Repair Shop," "Green Lawn," and "Hair Spray." The "Directions" ad was once featured on the BBC television show Commercial Breakdown, which features humorous television commercials from around the world. "Repair Shop" and "Green Lawn" were both featured on the internationally syndicated television show Worlds Greatest Commercials. All the spots making a return have won numerous national and international awards for their creative excellence.
The Furniture Row Companies include more than 330 home furnishings and bedding stores in 31 states.
May 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on May 5, 2011
Textured yarn manufacturer Unifi Inc. (NYSE: UFI) celebrated the official opening of its Repreve Recycling Center on Wednesday.
This $8 million investment will allow the company to expand production capacities of its Repreve recycled fiber, a family of first-quality recycled polyester and nylon fibers that can be used in a wide range of applications, including apparel, automotive, seating and paneling fabrics.
The 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Repreve Recycling Center enables Unifi to recycle post-industrial and post-consumer polyester waste, and in the future, fabrics and garments. The goal of the facility is to expand production capacities and capabilities, improve fiber color and drive volume growth for improved economics.
Since its introduction in 2006, Repreve has grown from a single recycled polyester fiber into an entire brand of sustainable products. In the last two years alone, more than 247 million post-consumer PET bottles have been recycled into Repreve. Unifi estimates it will recycle more than 400 million bottles into Repreve in 2012 in its Repreve Recycling Center.
"The opening of the Repreve Recycling Center solidifies Unifi's commitment to be the worlds leader in the production of sustainable fibers," said Roger Berrier, president and COO of Unifi, Yadkinville, N.C. "The Repreve Recycling Center was built using the latest state-of-the-art recycling technology providing us with flexibility to further expand the Repreve brand in new and innovative directions."
The recycling center's own sustainable features include: 67 skylights to take advantage of natural sunlight; light fixtures controlled by sensor technology to reduce energy use; low flow fixtures and motion sensors anticipated to reduce water use by 34 percent; many building materials were bought regionally and comprised of recycled content; energy recovery kit that captures and re-utilizes heat in the production of Repreve chip.
May 4,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Markets on May 5, 2011
Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. has promoted Jaclyn Kelly to senior director of marketing for MMPI's Casual Furnishings Industry.
Previously public relations manager, Kelly now is responsible for strategic planning and brand development for the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market and for the permanent casual showrooms residing in The Design Center at The Merchandise Mart year-round.
Kelly will continue to manage all aspects of marketing, advertising, public relations, sponsorships, seminars, events and promotion for the Casual Market. Additionally, she will continue to assist the leasing team in their efforts with marketing support and develop the day-to-day marketing programs for the permanent casual showrooms in the building.
"Jaclyn Kelly has done a tremendous job leading the marketing for the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market as well as taking an effective role to support new leasing efforts and implementation of day-to-day marketing for the permanent casual showrooms at The Merchandise Mart," said John H. Brennen III, executive vice president of the Design Center division at MMPI. "Jaclyn deserves this recognition for her continued achievements and ongoing industry support. We look forward to continued success in her new role."