Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
November 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on December 1, 2010
Mike Huber, CEO of
Belfort Furniture, and Stefanie Lucas, president and CEO of
Rowe Fine Furniture, will be honored with The Spirit of Life Award by
City of Hope in the spring.
The annual Spirit of Life gala will be held during the
Spring High Point Market April 3. The event, which benefits lifesaving cancer research, education and treatment at City of Hope, will be held at the
Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. Belfort Furniture, a family-owned business, opened in 1987 in an industrial park in Herndon, Va., with one employee. The company now employs more than 200 associates with 100,000 square feet of showrooms and more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse space in Dulles, Va.
Belforts success can be attributed to Hubers passion for the furniture business and his entrepreneurial vision to build and grow the Washington, D.C., areas largest furniture store.
Its a privilege to receive this award from an institution that is on the cutting edge of cancer research, Huber said. Together, the home furnishings industry and City of Hope will continue to work toward advancing innovative science and turning it into new treatments for patients battling life-threatening diseases.
Lucas joined Rowe in 2003 as senior vice president and became president and CEO in 2007. She has successfully helped the company grow, including the acquisition of the
Clayton Marcus brand into the Rowe portfolio. She has also helped increase the number of retailers for both the Rowe and Robin Bruce brands to include major national department stores, key national chains and independents. Today all of the Rowe Furniture brands are distributed globally.
Prior to joining Rowe, Lucas was vice president of global marketing for
Reebok Internationals Rockport division and prior to that she was with
Chicos Casual Clothing. It is an honor to be recognized by City of Hope, a research institution that is a great asset for patients everywhere who face a life-threatening disease, said Lucas. Sadly, each of us knows someone who has been devastated by cancer. It is my hope that through our fundraising efforts, we can help City of Hope accelerate research so that cures may be found."
Created more than 40 years ago by a group of industry leaders who wanted to help fund the search for a cure for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, the National Home Furnishings Industry chapter has grown to include representatives from all facets of the industry including retail, manufacturing and publishing.
We are pleased to recognize Mike Huber and Stefanie Lucas for their steadfast commitment to the fight against cancer, said Shannon Sullivan, director of development, City of Hope. They recognize the critical role of research in making cancer a manageable and ultimately curable disease. City of Hope is fortunate to have their support and commitment to our mission.
To purchase tickets for the Spirit of Life event, contact
Sullivan.
Registration is also available online.
November 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on December 1, 2010
Dan Baker has been named executive vice president of U.S. sales for mattress supplier Natura World.
In the past year Dans territories have achieved exceptional growth during a particularly challenging economic climate, said Ralph Rossdeutscher, president and CEO of
Natura World. Dan has demonstrated an ability to exceed expectation despite difficulties. Were very excited about the future with Dan leading U.S. sales
Baker has a 15-year history in the mattress and bedding industry, having served as executive vice president for
Spring Air, southwestern vice president for
International Bedding Corp., and as a pioneer in the emergent specialty sleep category of gel bedding technologies.
Baker oversees all aspects of Natura Worlds U.S. Sales initiatives and will continue to lead both Gel Solutions and NexGel. With sound knowledge of all aspects of the industry from operations and logistics to sales and marketing, Dans experience will strengthen Natura's position in the marketplace.
Dan is driven to providing sleep solutions that promote a healthier, more abundant lifestyle," said Rossdeutscher. It aligns him perfectly with the Natura mandate and makes him an outstanding asset to Natura World.
November 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Acquisition on December 1, 2010
High Point-based advertising and marketing firm
Kreber has purchased Furniture City Color.
Furniture City Color offers prepress services, data management and Web design and development services. The acquisition brings together the two companies which offer complimentary services.
For more than 38 years, Furniture City Color has had an excellent reputation in large part because of their highly skilled staff and superior customer service," said Jack Kreber, president of Kreber. "We are pleased and honored to offer everyone continued employment with Kreber.
Although the name will change to reflect its new owner, the Furniture City Color facility will continue to operate as usual from its Premier Drive location in High Point.
"I look forward to working with the management team at Kreber while continuing to serve our valued customers," said Bill Franklin, former owner and CEO of Furniture City Color. "This opportunity allows us to offer ongoing, consistent quality production and superior services while joining forces with a much larger organization. We could not have found a better business partner to ensure our clients a seamless transition. It truly is a win-win for both companies and our clients."
With the acquisition, Franklin becomes a senior executive consultant with Kreber.
During the nearly 20 years that Kreber and his brother Jim Kreber, CEO, have overseen Kreber, the services that it offers have grown significantly as technology has improved in the graphic services business. In the last decade the Krebers have led a shift to become an advertising and marketing focused creative, photography and technology company that employs more than 100 people between its Columbus, Ohio, and High Point facilities. With the Furniture City Color acquisition, Kreber bolsters its interactive and Web offerings.
November 30,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on December 1, 2010
The
National Home Furnishings Association's New England chapter is hosting a holiday get-together this week.
The event, set for Thursday, Dec. 2, will be held at Big Papi's Grill in Framingham, Mass. http://www.bigpapisgrille.com/
The party will feature Music by Max and will be hosted from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Those interested in attending can R.S.V.P. to
Joe Quintal of
Rotmans or
M.J. Bolek.
November 29,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Financial Reports on November 30, 2010
Fabric supplier
Culp (NYSE: CFI) reported net income of $4 million for the second quarter ended Oct. 31, compared to net income of $2.9 million during the same quarter last year.
Net sales for the quarter were $48.9 million, a 2 percent decline from net sales of $49.7 million in the same quarter last year.
"While second quarter results reflect a much weaker U.S. retail environment, our year to date sales, profitability and return on capital are up from the prior year period," said Frank Saxon, president and chief executive officer. "The uncertainties surrounding the economic outlook, a continued weak housing market, and high unemployment are all keeping U.S. consumers on the sidelines for now. However, we have continued to perform well during this period and we have strengthened our business models in both of our businesses. Additionally, we are pursuing international sales and marketing initiatives in our upholstery fabrics business, especially in Europe and China. We are excited about the global appeal of our products and the opportunity to reach new customers. Our strong financial resources are enabling us to pursue a more active growth strategy during these challenging times."
Mattress ticking sales for the quarter were $28.3 million, relatively flat compared with $28.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
Upholstery fabric sales were $20.5 million, a 4.5 percent decline compared with $21.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Sales of China-produced fabrics were $17.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2011, a four percent decline over the prior year period, while sales of U.S. produced fabrics were $3.4 million, down 6.8 percent from the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
Looking ahead to the third quarter, Saxon said the company expects the economy, housing market and unemployment to continue to impact consumer demand for furniture and mattresses.
"Additionally, our third quarter of last year was exceptionally strong, especially in upholstery fabrics," he said. "Overall, we expect our sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 to be 5 to 10 percent lower than the third quarter of last year."
The entire earnings release can be found online.