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Activity strong in upholstery

By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2007

Las Vegas — Stationary upholstery manufacturers had strong praise for the strength of traffic and the volume of business here.

"It was a writing market," said Richard Brodlieb, sales and marketing manager for Istikbal/Sunset International.

From promotional to the high end, executives reported the market lived up to expectations. Buyers saw an abundance of new product.

Schnadig, for instance, brought six new groups of upholstery, three occasional groups and two casual dining collections. Jeff Katz, executive vice president, sales and merchandising said the company pushed March introductions up to get them in front of retailers here last week.

"Retail has been tough and you've got to get it while you can," Katz said.

California producer Mike Cims brought a mixture of best sellers and new product to market and was "pleasantly surprised," said Lucia Cims, a company executive. "I think our use of color and design drove them into our space."

Universal/Craftmaster had a "phenomenal" market, said Roy Calcagne, who heads Universal's upholstery division and is president of the newly acquired Craftmaster Furniture. "We were swamped."

This market was especially important to Craftsmaster, he said, giving the domestic manufacturing arm of Universal exposure to Western customers. He expected Craftmaster to gain new accounts from retailers drawn to its stability.

Traffic and orders exceeded the expectations of Brian Richter, president of Richter Mfg. "This was the best Vegas market we've ever had," he said, conservatively estimating the company averaged about 250 visitors a day.

Also staying busy here was RC Furniture, whose introduction was its "biggest ever," said spokesperson Kim Dinonno-Hoerr. Rene Cazares, president and owner, said the Las Vegas Market "just gets better and better."

By 3 p.m. on opening day, 149 people had been in the Building B space of upholstery producer and wood importer University Loft, which introduced 13 upholstery groups in the $499 to $799 price points. "In High Point we would have seen 30," said CEO James N. Jannetides.

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Activity strong in upholstery

Jan 31, 2007

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