January 17,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Internet on January 18, 2011
Online furniture retailer One Way Furniture has begun selling Magnussen Home Furnishings on its Web site.
"One Way Furniture has been established as a top online furniture company more then a decade," said Mitchell Lieberman, president and CEO of One Way Furniture. "We are very pleased to partner with Magnussen Furniture, which is one of the premier names in bedroom furniture and occasional tables."
One Way Furniture's other key furniture brands include Riverside Furniture, Pulaski Furniture, Simmons, and Fashion Bed Group.
January 17,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on January 18, 2011
Capel Rugs will give away Amazon Kindle e-readers during Las Vegas Furniture Market, Jan. 24-28.
One winner will be drawn daily at 4 p.m. during the first three days of market.
Amazon's bestselling Kindle e-reader is Wi-Fi accessible and has a 6-inch screen featuring easy-to-read E Ink technology. It allows users to instantly purchase, download and store thousands of books.
Troy, N.C.-based Capel's Las Vegas showroom is located in World Market Center, Space A226. Market visitors can submit contest entry forms at the showroom from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Jan. 24-26.
January 17,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on January 18, 2011
Ashley Furniture Homestores will launch a consumer financing program with GE Capital Sales Finance at the furniture retail network's 420-plus stores nationwide.
As part of the multi-year agreement, GE Capital's Sales Finance unit also will acquire the existing $500 million Ashley Furniture Homestores consumer credit portfolio. GE expects the transaction, which received customary regulatory approval, to be accretive immediately. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"Being the consumer financing provider for Ashley Furniture Homestore further reinforces our longstanding commitment to the home furnishings industry and Main Street businesses by providing tools retailers need to build their business and serve their customers through financing," said Glenn Marino, president and CEO of GE Capital Sales Finance. "Ashley Furniture Homestores and GE Capital Sales Finance are both innovators in creating affordable solutions for customers, and this program provides flexible payment options to maximize their budget and earn their loyalty."
The Ashley Furniture HomeStore branded credit card program will launch Jan. 21 during Las Vegas Furniture Market and will offer Ashley Furniture Homestore customers affordable monthly payments through deferred interest and extended financing options, cardholder discounts, and online account management. The program will be available for purchases at Ashley Furniture Homestores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
"This credit program is a great fit for us on multiple levels with a partner that knows how to support growing businesses," said John Disa, president of Ashley Homestores. "GE Capital's expertise and capabilities will provide a wide range of payment options and market-leading technology solutions to meet the needs of our customers and locally owned and operated Ashley Furniture Homestores."
GE Capital Sales Finance provides billions of dollars of consumer financing through more than 200,000 small- and mid-size businesses on Main Streets across the United States. It is the leading provider of consumer credit programs for the Home Furnishings industry, and supports its retail partners with Business Center, an online suite of business and finance program management tools.
In October, 2010, GE Capital announced that it had acquired sales finance portfolios in four core segments, including Home Furnishings, from Citi Retail Partner Cards in a $1.6 billion transaction.
Based in Kettering, Ohio, GE Capitals Sales Finance is a consumer lending unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).
January 17,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on January 18, 2011
City Furniture's new Boca Raton, Fla., superstore is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
With features such as rooftop solar tubes for daylight harvesting to its LED lighting inside and out, the 93,680-square-foot complex, which features both the City Furniture and Ashley Furniture Homestore brands, is the first full-line furniture store in South Florida to seek LEED certification.
"This opening is truly about sustainability--both economic and environmental," said City Furniture President Keith Koenig. "Our company's roots are in South Florida, and we're deeply committed to grow with and help sustain this region. We're pleased to have generated more than 200 construction jobs and to be adding about 50 new retail jobs as we launch the store's operations."
Overall, the Broward County-based company employs more than 800. City Furniture's ground lease with the Boca Raton Airport Authority will also help support local economic growth, with rent going to enhance airport operations.
"Building 'green' is a natural extension of our corporate values and sustainable practices," Koenig said. "Going forward, we'll look to achieve LEED certification in every location where that's doable," noting that several new stores and renovations are on the boards for 2011.
Built by Stiles Construction and designed by architectural firm Garcia Stromberg, the new building takes its design inspiration in part from the neighboring Boca Raton Airport. A wing-like roof defining the Ashley Furniture Homestore and a dramatic vaulted roof over City Furniture recall the shape of historic airplane hangars.
The building is one of a handful of furniture stores nationwide that has been built to LEED standards, and the project team is seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The superstore's environmental features are expected to use 42 percent less water for interior uses and 78 percent less for landscape irrigation. The high-efficiency energy management system, heat-reducing features throughout and strategic use of natural light will conserve energy.
Reconfiguring its network of stores to grow "smarter and greener" is at the heart of City Furnitures business strategy. The company recently closed three smaller stores in Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and Lantana, anticipating that the Boca Raton store will draw regionally and produce substantially higher revenues. The firm now has 14 City Furniture stores and nine Ashley Furniture HomeStores throughout Southeast and Southwest Florida.
If demand for home furnishings continues to improve in 2011, Koenig said the firm plans to begin constructing a new 56,000-square-foot City Furniture store in Cutler Bay to Silver LEED standards and renovating the firm's existing store, located on an adjacent site, as an Ashley Furniture Homestore; fully renovate the City Furniture store in Pinecrest's Dadeland area, expanding with a second floor; build a new Ashley Furniture Homestore next to the existing City Furniture store in West Palm Beach; and opening a new Ashley Furniture Homestore on Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale at a former Modernage store, pending negotiations that are underway to lease a portion of that property to a bank.
Last week's opening event in Boca Raton featured a silent auction of home furnishings to benefit Hospice by the Sea of Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University.
January 16,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Case Goods on January 17, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?z3943224181&z=1250249030
Ello Furniture Mfg.'s Rockford, Ill., plant will be auctioned this week, Woodworking Magazine reported Monday.
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