Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
March 24,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on March 25, 2011
Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker for the
Summer 2011 Las Vegas Market Aug. 1-5.
President Clintons speech, A Conversation with Bill Clinton, will focus on the challenge of globalization, emphasize our growing interdependence, and point the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values. Following his keynote address, President Clinton will participate in a moderated question and answer session. All registered Las Vegas Market attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to attend the keynote, sponsored by World Market Center and the iComfort Sleep System by
Serta.
President Clinton served the United States for eight years during a time of unprecedented prosperity and change. Now, he is a powerful voice for progress around the world as he shares his unique insights and observations with audiences around the world.
Complimentary and exclusively for registered attendees of Las Vegas Market, the private event will take place during Markets opening night, Monday, Aug. 1 at 6:45 p.m. on the World Market Center campus and will be accompanied by a special reception for all attendees. Online registration for the summer market opens next month and will offer attendees the opportunity to reserve their spot at the keynote event.
Globalization has changed the furnishings industry more significantly than anything else in our time, said Robert Maricich, World Market Center Las Vegas president and chief executive officer. It indisputably has created new challenges as well as opportunities for our industry. Thanks to Serta, the events co-sponsor, we can provide our attendees with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear directly from President Clinton, a world leader and one of the foremost experts on globalization and the economy. Home furnishings professionals at Las Vegas Market will benefit from President Clintons insights and solutions on the most pressing economic and social issues in the U.S. and abroad.
Retailers, designers, manufacturers and industry professionals planning to attend Las Vegas Market this August are encouraged to plan in advance and register online in order to receive their badges before the show. When registering, attendees are also encouraged to book their hotel rooms through World Market Centers online hotel block to ensure discounted rates.
After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the
William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. Today the Foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (now the Clinton Health Access Initiative, a separate nonprofit organization) which is helping two million people living with HIV/AIDS access lifesaving drugs. Other initiatives including the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiativeare applying a business-oriented approach worldwide to fight climate change and develop sustainable economic growth in Africa and Latin America. As a project of the Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative brings together global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the worlds most pressing issues. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and is helping individuals and families succeed and small businesses grow.
March 24,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Store Openings on March 25, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z4360334170&z=1250249027
The 50-year-old, Tampa-based rent-to-own company has opened in Fremont, Neb., just outside of Omaha, and now has 105 stores.
Read Full Article...
March 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Advertising on March 24, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z4357736930&z=1250249027
An advertising campaign for a central Pennsylvania furniture store is drawing some undesirable attention from local officials.
Read Full Article...
March 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on March 24, 2011
Furniture Marketing Group (FMG), has extended its contract to offer a private label credit card program through
Wells Fargo Retail Services.
Were pleased to extend and strengthen our business relationship with Wells Fargo Retail Services, said Mike Herschel, executive director of FMG. Our relationship has certainly strengthened over the past few years as Wells Fargo has offered industry leading finance rates along with excellent customer service, technology, approval processing, and Internet capabilities. The last two years have solidified their reputation as a strong consumer finance provider.
With the expansion of the relationship, Wells Fargo Retail Services will provide participating FMG members with account management, sales and customer service, comprehensive sales training, marketing support and integrated technology. The FMG private label credit card program features fast credit decisions, quick funding, generous credit lines, and application processing. The customers of FMG members will enjoy low monthly payments, competitive interest rates, a convenient tool for add-on purchases, and the flexibility to buy today and pay over time.
Wells Fargos Online Resource Center gives participating FMG members access to tools and services that help increase sales and track revenues. This includes anytime training, business promotions, customer education, payment tracking, and the ability to view transaction histories and account activity at any time. The Online Resource Center is also the place where credit applications are approvedin most cases, in less than a minute.
We are committed to providing the value-added service and support necessary to help each participating Furniture Marketing Group member grow their business and strengthen customer relationships, said Kevin Johnson, vice president for Wells Fargo Retail Services.
Furniture Marketing Group has 95 members with more than 750 stores throughout the U.S. Annual furniture and bedding sales for all of the members is approaching $2 billion.
March 23,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Business Strategy on March 24, 2011
Its not news that theres a lot of money to be made in bedding. Nor is it news that
Mattress Firm does a heck of a job with it. The news part of this article is to tell you how you can learn what Mattress Firm knows.
At the
Home Furnishings Industry Conference in San Antonio, Texas, April 30-May 2, Craig McAndrews, vice president of merchandising of Mattress Firm, Houston, Texas, will make a presentation called "You Snooze You Win! Staying on Track with Bedding Trends."
Youll get first hand information on how this Top 100 mattress retailer is staying focused by staying agile. McAndrews will share insight on how Mattress Firm tracks trends in the market place, and how they adjust to market level nuances.
What Will You Learn? That will help you grow your bedding business?
- How to spot trends Learn where you can go both inside and outside the bedding industry to understand current trends that are influencing both your customer and your sales teams.
- Understanding your customer Who is buying from your store? Who is buying from your competition? How can I improve my business? Learn how to use your own information and the information available from other resources to develop a plan to improve your results.
- How to test to success How do you know if an idea will work? Learn how Mattress Firm applies the principles of pre/post/control testing to understand what works.
- How to win versus the guy across the street. In todays competitive environment it is important to develop success strategies down to the store level. Learn how a 600+ store retailer is attempting to win at every store.
Registration is still open.
Home Furnishings Business is a sponsor as are other major players in the industry (sponsors listed below) Plus theres really superb networking. Like seriously. Ive seen the list. You want to be there.
Sign up online now.
You dont want to miss the room block, and markets coming so go for it. Today.
Thanks -
Amy
SPONSORS:
aspenhome;
CFMA; HFB;
IDS;
IHFRA;
MicroD;
NHFA; PFD; SEHFA;
Serta;
SHFA;
WHFA; and
WMC. (Lots of initials huh? Know what they stand for? Smart business thats why they are sponsoring conference) The 1st 5 people to send me each initials full name will get an
HFB travel mug)