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Furniture|Today > Archives > 07/08/2002 Issue
Table of Contents
Furniture|Today -- 07/08/2002

Bedding Today
  • Jasperson wraps up a career of good ideas
    He called on countless chiropractors, hobnobbed with music stars, made friends in the National Football League. Those were some of the roads traveled by Roger Jasperson in his almost 40 years in the bedding industry. He ended a long run as president of Englander last month when he announced his retirement.

Business Today
  • Decorize sees record 4Q revenues
    SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Global home furnishings resource Decorize said it expects to report revenue of $4.5 million, its highest quarterly revenues to date, for the fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30. Annual revenues are expected to be $14 million. The company also said it would delay shipment by one week of $640,000 of home furnishings to accommodate a customer.
  • Shermag sales rise in 4Q; revenues flat for fiscal year
    SHERBROOKE, Quebec— With an uptick in fourth-quarter furniture sales, case goods and upholstery producer Shermag wrapped up its fiscal year with revenues nearly flat, although the quarter's earnings dropped 14.3%. Net revenue for the year ended April 5 was C$152.8 million, compared to C$153.7 million the previous year.
  • Select Comfort set to settle shareholder lawsuits over June 1999 stock plunge
    MINNEAPOLIS— Airbed manufacturer and retailer Select Comfort said it has reached tentative agreement settling a pair of shareholder lawsuits filed shortly after the company's stock price plunged in June 1999. Select Comfort wouldn't disclose the terms, but said it would make no payments to the shareholders and would not admit any liability or wrongdoing.
  • Vaughan sales up, earnings off in 2Q
    GALAX, Va.— Case goods producer Vaughan Furniture reported second-quarter sales of $35.2 million, a 6.3% increase over the same period last year. Net income of $1.3 million was off 6.1% from second-quarter 2001, but was a big improvement over this year's first fiscal quarter, when the company lost $97,464.

News
  • Chinoiserie: The current art of choice
    HIGH POINT— Eastern art is turning up everywhere this summer as chinoiserie makes its decorative mark on case goods and occasional furniture. With the influx of imports from Southeast Asia, it's no surprise that the Chinese-influenced decorative painting technique is becoming more popular. Chinoiserie typically uses a black background for painted motifs of scenery, human figures, pagodas,...
  • Work under way on MSU furniture education center
    STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State University has broken ground on a furniture education center to better train U.S. workers and make domestic production more viable. University officials tossed the first shovelfuls of dirt May 28 on the 35,500-square-foot building on the campus here. The Franklin Center for Furniture Manufacturing and Management is named for local furniture manufacture...
  • DuPont again hikes prices on Dacron
    WILMINGTON, Del.— DuPont has increased prices on Dacron polyester filament yarns from 5% to 10% effective with July shipments. The increase is DuPont's second this year. It raised prices 7% on April 1 in response to raw material cost increases and a stabilization of the fiber business. The latest hike "is required to allow DuPont to continue to support our customers with new products, tec...
  • Italy's Gruppo Euromobil targets young urbanites
    BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.— Italian furniture designer and manufacturer Gruppo Euromobil is entering the U.S. market and intends to target fashion-conscious young professionals in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The company, which has about $50 million in annual sales, plans to market two furniture collections in the United States, plus a kitchen line.
  • This B&B offers more than breakfast
    BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— Ever stay at a cozy guesthouse and pine for that beautiful side lamp, tufted settee or framed art? At State Street Inn, a bed & breakfast here, you not only get breakfast, you can get the bed, the boudoir pillow, the rug and the chandelier. The inn is owned by Shari Parrott, director of marketing for promotional oak furniture manufacturer Eagle Inds.
  • No brands needed here
    PHOENIX— In these brand-happy days, fast-growing retailer Newport Furnishings is executing an anti-brand strategy. Locating its bare-bones warehouse showrooms in industrial parks, and open by appointment only, the company boasts that it offers the quality and styling found at such stores as Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware at prices 10% to 50% less.
  • Dix named national sales manager at Classic Gallery Group
    HIGH POINT— Sam Dix has been named national sales manager for the Classic Gallery Group, a new position for the manufacturer and importer, which includes Mark David Home, eXL Designs, Americo, Zaki Oriental Rugs and Classic Gallery. Except for Classic Gallery, all of the companies have been added since last fall.
  • Becker to expand main store
    BECKER, Minn.— Becker Furniture World plans to expand its already-sprawling main store here. Either this fall or next spring, the company intends to break ground on a 90,000-square-foot addition that will house several new merchandise categories within a picturesque campus. The addition will give Becker a total of more than 250,000 square feet of display space.
  • Rooms To Go eyes big-city sales at Greensboro store
    GREENSBORO, N.C.— Rooms To Go has opened a 28,000-square-foot store here, believing it may ring up the kind of volume typical of its bigger-market units. President Jeff Seaman, here for the opening, said the store could generate about $1,000 per square foot, or $28 million a year. "We anticipate we'll get a lot of business from outside North Carolina," he said.
  • Glen Raven offers special-order casual line
    HIGH POINT— Glen Raven Custom Fabrics continues to expand its reach in furniture with a program called Make to Order, designed to give sellers of casual furniture more upscale choices. The program includes hundreds of new designs, of which 39 styles will be in the 2003 Sunbrella stock furniture fabric book.
  • Boyles opens Kingsdown mall store
    WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.— Bedding producer Kingsdown and Top 100 store Boyles Furniture have teamed up to open a bedding specialty store here carrying Kingsdown product exclusively. Boyles Sleep to Live Center at Hanes Mall, a major regional shopping center, opened late last month with an array of Kingsdown bedding ranging from $1,000 to $3,499 in queen, plus accessories such as pillows, pads ...
  • Woodard taps Weissburg as executive VP and COO
    CHICAGO— Outdoor and casual furniture manufacturer Woodard has named Martin P. Weissburg executive vice president and chief operating officer. He is responsible for manufacturing, distribution, global sourcing and procurement, and information technology, and reports to President Mel Cohen. Weissburg was president of Great Dane Financial, and previously was in senior management at Orix Cr...
  • MGM, FTS partner for coast-to-coast delivery
    HIGH POINT— North Carolina-based delivery service provider MGM Transport is partnering with California-based Furniture Transportation Systems to improve nationwide distribution services. "The partnership creates greater options and efficiencies for customers who have coast-to-coast delivery and distribution needs," said Mike Caldiero, MGM vice president of sales and marketing.
  • Northwest Home show moving to Seattle
    SAN FRANCISCO— The 5th annual Northwest Home Furnishings Show will move from Portland, Ore., to Seattle next year. Organizer Universal Shows, based here, has scheduled the show for March 8-10, 2003, at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. The anticipated net square footage for the show is 80,000.
  • PIFS show relocating to Pampanga
    MANILA, Philippines— Sponsors of the Philippine International Furniture Show, or PIFS, are moving the annual market from the World Trade Center here to the Centennial Expo Pilipino in Clarkfield, Pampanga, which will allow the event to nearly triple in size. The next show is set for Feb. 28-March 3, 2003.
  • Corrections & amplifications
    Because of incorrect information provided to Furniture/Today, an article on Acme Furniture on page 16 of the July 1 issue misstated the size of a new warehouse and showroom. Acme's new facility is 400,000 square feet. The existing facilities total 350,000 square feet.

Opinion Today
  • Who's up next in the licensee partner 'draft'?
    As I watched the NBA draft the other day, I wondered what would happen if industries drafted talent like sports leagues do. Suppose we took the Top 25 manufacturers and let them pick potential licensee partners, with the lowest-volume companies getting the first picks. Licensed furniture collections seem to be all the rage these days — Susan Sargent at Lexington, Kathy Ireland at Standard...
  • Welcome to a lesson from Wayne's world
    Once again, from my "this-really-happened-to-me" files, are two shopping stories. One of them underscores the ideal world, the other the real world. I'll start with the real-world scenario. Recently, my wife bought jewelry — a lot of it — from one of the home shopping TV channels. I'm neither a big fan of jewelry or the networks devoted to hawking that sort of merchandise, but my wi...
  • Don't forget smaller independents
    The furniture retailing scene offers some exceptional opportunities for growth these days. One need only look at Pier 1 Imports and its most recent results, both for its nameplate business and its new division, Cargokids. For Cargokids, same-store sales were up 32% in the quarter ended June 1. Company-wide, things weren't too bad either, with a 9.

People Today
  • Zine appointed customer relations VP at Ultra Shield
    SOMERSET, Ky.— Ultra Shield, a provider of after-market fabric, leather, wood and mattress protection products, has named Ken Zine to the newly created position of vice president of customer relations. He will assist the special projects team with marketing, training, and product development.
  • People on the Move
    People on the Move
    • HONORS Palliser WINNIPEG, Manitoba— Palliser Furniture President Art DeFehr has received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University College of Cape Breton. He was saluted for his success as an entrepreneur and manager and for his contributions to global, civic and economic affairs.

Special Report
  • Retailer Profile
    Schoenfeld's sample platter sells
    BELLEVUE, Wash.— For Schoenfeld Interiors, the stunning 17,000-square-foot showroom is a sample platter, not the main course. A design-driven business, this suburban Seattle store wants shoppers to see what it can do, but it doesn't attempt to shoehorn each customer into one or another vignette.
  • Motion vendors look forward to busy fall
    HIGH POINT— Although business has eased off of its blistering first-quarter pace, motion upholstery producers remain optimistic that the fall selling season will be a productive one. Producers say they're not overly concerned about the latest trend because orders typically arrive at a slower place during the summer months, even when the economy is booming.

Store Openings
  • Lindy's installs Broyhill gallery
    CONNELLY SPRINGS, N.C.—Lindy's Furniture has opened a Broyhill Showcase Gallery, which occupies a majority of the upper level of its 80,000-square-foot store here. The store, owned by Harry Hudson, is a three-generation operation founded by Harry's grandfather, J.E. Hudson. Lindy's now has three locations.
  • Talsma adds Lea youth gallery
    HUDSONVILLE, Mich.—Talsma Furniture here has installed a La-Z-Boy Youth Collection gallery with furniture from Lea. Richard Talsma owns the 27,000-square-foot store, founded in 1948. The youth gallery occupies about 1,000 square feet.
  • Just for Kids debuts La-Z-Boy Youth Collection gallery
    LANCASTER, Pa.—Just for Kids Furniture has added a 2,000-square-foot La-Z-Boy Youth Collection gallery to its store here. The store was founded in 1984 by Bob and Louise Poling and has been expanded three times to its current 10,000-square-foot size. Just for Kids has been a Lea youth furniture dealer for over 10 years.
  • American Dream launches second unit in New Jersey
    OCEAN, N.J.—American Dream Furniture, TVs & More has opened a 40,000-square-foot store here at the Middlebrook Shopping Plaza on Route 35, offering leading furniture, TV and home theater brands. Michael Adjmi and Murad Kassin are partners in the business. This is their second American Dream store in New Jersey.
  • La-Z-Boy unveils 20,000-sq.-ft. store in Yorba Linda, Calif.
    YORBA LINDA, Calif.— A 20,000-square-foot La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store has opened here, the eighth store owned by John and Barbara Walz in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County markets. The Walz's other units are in Anaheim, Lake Forest, Costa Mesa, Cerritos, Torrance and Northridge, Calif.
  • Kids Habitat opens youth gallery
    ROCKVILLE, Md.—Kids Habitat here has opened a 730-square-foot La-Z-Boy Youth Collection gallery in the 5,000-square-foot store. Founded eight years ago, Kids Habitat has two other stores, in Sterling and Fairfax, Va.

Up Front
  • AICO opens satellite warehouse
    SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif.— Case goods importer AICO has opened a 40,000-square-foot, high-cube satellite warehouse here that gives the company 40% more space for its distribution operation. The new site is near AICO's headquarters. While 50% of the company's business is through direct containers, President Michael Amini said the new space is necessary for sales out of the warehouse and to...
  • Select Comfort selling through Sleep America
    MINNEAPOLIS— Airbed mattress maker and retailer Select Comfort is selling its adjustable Sleep Number Bed through Sleep America, which has 13 metro Phoenix stores.. "This new relationship is exciting for Select Comfort and Sleep America," said Keith Spurgeon, senior vice president of sales at Select Comfort, based here.
  • Reflections rolling out imports
    TORONTO— Metal casual dining specialist Reflections Furniture has launched an imports program featuring product made in China. Jim Nopper, director of marketing, said the 13 imported style groups all feature wrought iron bases with either glass or veneer tops, and most include occasional tables and baker's racks, all at midrange price points.
  • Distributor R&T sets Source 1 Imports line
    CAMBRIDGE, Ontario— R&T Furniture, a distributor of North American-made product for 20 years, has established a global imports division called Source 1 Imports. The division will import from such countries as China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brazil in a broad range of categories encompassing upholstery and case goods.
  • Curtright exits Standard to start importer
    MOBILE, Ala.— Billy Curtright has resigned from case goods manufacturer and importer Standard Furniture to start Drakeford Furniture Co. Drakeford will import bedroom, dining room, occasional and home office furniture from Mexico, using American hardwoods and veneers. The company will ship container-direct and offer mixed shipments of product from all collections.
  • Chromcraft taps Ammons to head Sumter Cabinet
    SUMTER, S.C.— Dennis Ammons has joined solid-wood case goods manufacturer Sumter Cabinet Co. as president. The Sumter presidency had been filled on an interim basis since 1999, when Chromcraft Revington acquired the 100-year-old company from the Korn and Tisdale families. Most recently, Stephen Healy, president of Chromcraft subsidiary Cochrane Furniture, had also been responsible for Su...
  • West Coast dockworkers agree to stay on job as talks continue
    HIGH POINT— Longshoremen at West Coast ports agreed to stay on the job on a day-by-day basis after their contract with shippers expired last week. Furniture makers and retailers say a strike would disrupt imports from the Far East. When dockworkers and shippers last negotiated a contract in 1999, workers stayed on the job for two weeks until a new agreement was reached.
  • Grand to retire at Sears
    HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.— Sears said last week that Mark Grand will retire July 15 as vice president and general merchandise manager for bed, bath, window, mattresses and ready-to- assemble furniture. A successor wasn't immediately named. Grand has been with Sears since 1995. In March, in anticipation of the rollout of an expanded home accents, closet shop and housewares presentation, the h...
  • Corrections & amplifications
    An item on page 1 of the July 1 issue had an incorrect name for the Anti-Defamation League's National Interior Furnishings & Design Division gala, and a story and photo caption on page 26 misspelled the name of Mike Massood, who received ADL's Lifetime Humanitarian Award.
  • Verdeck is U.S. president at Lifestyle Enterprises
    HIGH POINT— Darrell Verdeck has joined promotional and midpriced case goods and occasional importer Lifestyle Enterprises as president of U.S. operations. He takes over the responsibilities of Greg Noe, who is stepping up to group president and chief operating officer of Lifestyle Enterprises, with responsibility for the company's worldwide operations.

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