Daily News Archive
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February 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on February 17, 2011
Case goods and leather furniture vendor aspenhome's Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas last month recognized Dick Diluzio as Territory CEO of the Year; and Michael Gess as Territory CEO of the Decade.
Diluzio is Phoenix-based aspenhome's territory CEO for the New England area. According to David Heard, aspenhome executive vice president of sales, Diluzio increased sales by more than 29 percent in the past year, had the largest dollar volume increase over 2009 and had the largest increase over 2010 territory business plan.
"Dick excelled in his territory objectives and also grew his business to a new high," Heard said.
Gess, the decade award winner, is aspenhome territory CEO for the Northwest area. His accomplishments included territory increases in nine out of 10 years, having the largest dollar volume in aspenhome's domestic production facility over the past ten years, personally recognized twice as the "Best Vendor Representative of the Year" by the Pacific Furniture Dealers and previously recognized as Territory CEO of the Year.
"Michael is incredible," Heard said. "He has done a superior job of representing aspenhome to the retailers that he serves. It is obvious that his hard work and commitment has really paid off.
"Dick and Michael are our shining stars at aspenhome," Heard continued. "Their dedication to their retailers along with their execution of corporate objectives and leadership serves as an excellent role model for our entire sales team.
February 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on February 16, 2011
Norwegian-based upholstery producer Ekornes reported annual revenue for 2010 of 2.87 billion NOK (about $494.9 million), a 10.8 percent increase compared with 2009.
Operating profit for the company totaled 534 million NOK (about $92.1 million), a 6.9 percent increase compared to the previous year.
In a release, the company said the 2010 figures were the best in its history.
Orders in 2010 were 50 million NOK (about $8.6 million), higher than in 2009. Ekornes officials said they were very pleased with sales in the U.S. and Canada where orders grew by 16 percent in the year. For the quarter, orders for the two countries climbed 25 percent.
CEO Ãyvind Tørlen said he is proud and delighted that Ekornes can deliver records in both revenues and earnings in a year when much of the furniture sector was badly affected by the uncertain economic climate. The company announced a bonus of 75 percent of monthly salary to all employees in 2010. There are few payments of NOK 37 million (about $6.4 million) that I make with greater pleasure, Tørlen said.
Tørlen said there are still a few markets that are challenging.
We have a job to do to start growing again in Norway and Denmark," he said. "These were the two weakest markets for us in 2010."
February 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on February 16, 2011
Las Vegas Furniture Market reported a 9 percent increase in buyer attendance over the Winter 2010 furniture show.
That included more than 80 percent of the Top 100 U.S. furniture retailers. Buyer attendance was up 25 percent from last summer's Las Vegas Market, and international buyer attendance rose 16 percent from last winter; and designer attendance was up 33 percent, again from the winter 2010 show. Organizers did not report actual the actual numbers.
Winter Las Vegas Market also reported a 20 percent increase in exhibiting companies to more than 1,200, including 150 new exhibitors, compared with Summer Market.
"Being the first total home market of the year, there was a sense of 'let's play to win.' It was probably our strongest market in Las Vegas, both in terms of attendance and sales, in three years," said Robert Maricich, president and CEO of World Market Center Las Vegas. "The energy was palpable, which I think was a reflection of what's happening at the macroeconomic level. The Consumer Confidence Index just rose to its highest level in eight months and the second highest level since 2008. There is no denying that this market plays a role in stimulating the industry and the furnishings economy. What we saw at market is an encouraging indicator of what's to come in 2011."
Maricich commented that the thousands of new buying units attending Las Vegas Market is additive to the marketplace.
"It's very exciting to see new interest in our industry and evolved business models in retail," he said. "These are not your traditional dealers, and instead represent new channels of distribution and sales opportunities for our partners."
During Market, the mood among buyers was marked by confidence, staying current on trends and the convenience of shopping Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas is very easy to work; no driving is required and it saves time and resources," said Stephen Riley, general merchandising manager for Nebraska Furniture Mart, Omaha. "It's very beneficial in that you see many different styles, trends and you don't need to travel far to compare and review. We saw some strong contemporary looks and reclaimed wood still making strong statements."
Some exhibitors reported unprecedented showroom traffic and order writing.
"This market was the best we've experienced in Las Vegas, with orders doubling last year's and the best attendance since Building C opened in July 2008," said Rob Sligh, chairman of Sligh Furniture Co. "We offered lots of new product introductions under both the Sligh and Loft 102 brands and most of the showroom was devoted to showing new products. That made it a compelling first look opportunity for dealers and everybody benefited."
"Weve done the last nine shows at Las Vegas Market and this show was by far the best for us," said Wally Stryk, owner of Asian Art Imports, a temporary exhibitor at Las Vegas Market located in the juried section of Design & Living. "This show far exceeded our sales and new contacts of any previous show. It was obvious to us that customer sentiment has taken a big step in a positive direction. We introduced a dozen new pieces and they sold well across the board."
"We had had elbow to elbow traffic in our showroom for three days straight with no end in sight," said Chris Miller, national sales manager for Four Hands. "We are seeing trends toward better end goods. It has been interesting to see that there has been a lot of medium to low-end retailers that are starting to step up to a better end product which is a nice trend to see."
Winter Market delivered a booming bedding market as Las Vegas had a special focus on the mattress category packed with high profile exhibits, tailored events, and through-the-roof buyer traffic. During the "Consensus Bedding Forecast" seminar, Simmons President Tony Smith said the company had a record breaking opening day market, "crushing" its previous opening market numbers by 35 percent.
During the same event, Jodi Allen, chief marketing officer of Sealy, also reported a record breaking opening day. The Specialty Sleep Association reported 1,016 registered buyers from 560 retailers visited the manufacturers and suppliers in its 15,000-square-foot space at the Las Vegas Market in January, a 25 percent increase from previous shows.
Click here for the complete release for the Winter Las Vegas Furniture Market.
February 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on February 16, 2011
Online furnishings retailer Homelement Stores has launched redesigned versions of its home furnishings Web site network.
Homelement, East Brunswick, N.J., tested the new sites' design aesthetics and functionality for six months after deciding on a redesign centered around increasing the ease of site use while simultaneously increasing exposure to a number of items and features without having to do much navigating around the site.
"The redesign has been in the works for some time now, and we're excited to be able to offer potential customers with one of the most interactive, user-friendly home furnishing-buying site on the Web," said Homelement Stores Operation Manager Joice Tan.
Homelement has enhanced the visibility of best-sellers, ongoing promotions, and a site-specific search tool on the Web site.
Along with the main site's redesign, Homelement has applied the new design template to each of its family of niche stores, including DiningSetDirect.com, TheAccentFurniture.com and HillsideFurnitureMart.com, among others.
This redesign also includes a design ideas section which is the result of collaboration with home design site OnlineFurnitureDesign.com.
"The collaboration with OnlineFurnitureDesign is a major step for Homelement," Tan said. "What resulted was a more engaging site that makes it easier for visitors to connect with us and find design ideas and inspiration they can implement themselves."
February 15,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on February 16, 2011
CB2, Crate & Barrel's modern home furnishings concept, has expanded its partnership with e-commerce solutions vendor FiftyOne to more than 90 countries worldwide.
FiftyOne provides an international online sales platform to help retailers such CB2 expand their global online presence.
The CB2/FiftyOne partnership offers millions of international customers access to CB2's growing line of home furnishings and decor and enables customers to shop in their preferred currency with cost-effective shipping rates and guaranteed landed costs. The expansion of the CB2 global eCommerce program followed a successful pilot program launched in 10 international markets: Canada, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, India and Colombia.
To celebrate the expansion, CB2 is offering $19.99 USD flat-rate shipping on all international orders for a limited time.
"We're delighted to introduce the CB2 brand to over 90 countries around the world and offer customers convenient access on such a global scale," says Marta Calle, director, CB2. "It is exciting to see the brand embraced by a wide array of individuals who appreciate design at smart prices."
FiftyOne layers on top of the existing cb2.com website. International customers are automatically detected and "welcomed" with a flag icon indicating their country has been recognized. All product prices are shown in the customer's selected international currency. At checkout, international customers receive a guaranteed order total in their own currency, including international duty, tax, and delivery costs, with a guaranteed exchange rate. FiftyOne ships all orders from its facilities and provides an estimated delivery timeframe and global tracking number.
"We are excited to be building out this important partnership with CB2 and to be extending their brand and merchandise to consumers worldwide," said Michael DeSimone, CEO of FiftyOne. "Their high-quality merchandise appeals to savvy international consumers who have not previously had easy access to the brand. We look forward to continuing to work with CB2 to ensure that international consumers around the world can enjoy the same first-class customer experience as CB2 customers in the United States."
At this time FiftyOne cannot ship oversized items such as larger furniture pieces. If a customer lives outside of the supported counties or would like to purchase an item too large to ship, they can place orders directly through a CB2 store or by using CB2's International Quote Formavailable via cb2.com.
Plans are also well underway to extend the online global reach of the Crate and Barrel and The Land of Nod brands in 2011.
CB2 is available online at www.cb2.com, via catalog and in eight retail stores including Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Miami, and the newly opened stores in Santa Monica, Calif., and Atlanta. Additional locations are planned for Washington, D.C., and Toronto in 2011.