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Furniture|Today -- 01/09/2006
Bedding Today
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Son recalls bedding lessons taught by his late father
They are lessons he learned from his father and thus will never forget. Gerry Borreggine, president of Therapedic, recalled some of those lessons the other day as he remembered the impact his father Frank had on his life. The elder Borreggine began his bedding career in the mid-1960s and remained involved in one way or another until his death on Dec.
Editor's Desk
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Lifestyle 'remarket' shows imagination
I happened to hear the old standard "This Could Be The Start of Something Big" over the holidays, and found myself thinking about Lifestyle's Forbidden City Furniture Show set for Jan. 16–18 in High Point. To draw the right retailers, Lifestyle is offering to pick up airfare and hotel bills for the first 500 qualified buyers.
Industry Numbers
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Furniture stocks tumble in '05
High Point— Furniture stocks had a rough ride along Wall Street in 2005 as only a handful of the industry's publicly traded companies saw their stock prices rise during the year. The majority of the 34 U.S. furniture stocks tracked by Furniture/Today had double-digit declines for the year, and 14 saw their prices fall more than 25%.
News
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Benchmark calls it quits
Olathe, Kan.— Former Top 100 retailer Benchmark Home Furnishings is going out of business, two and a half years after Nebraska Furniture Mart opened a megastore nearby. Benchmark's owners have sold their three-building retail and distribution complex, are liquidating some $15 million of remaining inventory, and have no immediate plans to jump back into the business.
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New Posturepedic set for Vegas
Archdale, N.C.— Making its first showing in Las Vegas, Sealy will roll out a major introduction: Its new flagship line of Posturepedic bedding, now with fire-resistant protection. Sealy will show the full Posturepedic assortment at The Aladdin Hotel by appointment. Some new Posturepedic models also will be on display in the company's space (7204) in Pavilion II, one of the tents on the Wo...
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Show picks up steam
High Point— More showroom buildings here plan to open their doors when Lifestyle Enterprise holds a retailer event Jan. 16–18. Importer Lifestyle plans to fly large and midsized retailers to its High Point showroom, believing that's a better use of its money than setting up shop at the Las Vegas market two weeks later.
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Tempur bed hits $7K
Lexington, Ky.— In a move sure to get the visco-elastic foam category buzzing, visco leader Tempur-Pedic is introducing a bed designed to retail at about $7,000. The new GrandBed, in king size, would double the company's current top price point. Tempur-Pedic officials had hinted a new high-end bed was coming.
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China Direct halts furniture importing efforts
Davie, Fla.— Importer China Direct Trading is abandoning its efforts to enter the furniture business. The company, an importer of souvenirs and other products from China, had planned to distribute a line of high-end case goods and upholstery in the United States. It also planned to establish a showroom in South Florida called China Mart, housing a variety of Chinese exporters.
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HealthSmart wins kudos from Good Housekeeping
Atlanta— The Simmons HealthSmart mattress, which features a removable, washable mattress top, has won a Good Buy Award from Good Housekeeping magazine. The magazine picked the HealthSmart bedding from among thousands of household items for its 11th Annual Good Buy Awards, featured in the January issue.
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Search engine marketing can help capture sales
Miami Editor's note: Part of this story was inadvertently left out of the Dec. 12 issue of Furniture/Today. Here is the complete story. — Industry leaders got a look at a whole new way to get their companies' message across to their target audience at the Furniture/Today Leadership Conference here.
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Calgary market cancelled
Winnipeg, Manitoba— Market Showplace, the annual market held by Furniture West each summer in Calgary, Alberta, will not be held this year. Targeted at independent retailers in Western Canada, Market Showplace has experienced declining attendance and a dwindling exhibitor base in recent years, not unlike other regional markets in Canada and the United States.
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DeCoro plans big expansion
Shenzhen, China— Leather upholstery producer DeCoro will begin a plant expansion here next month as it positions itself to cross over into the case goods segment. The Italian-owned company will nearly double the size of its facilities, workforce and capacity to meet a growing demand for its seating products and enable its expansion into case goods, said President and CEO Luca Ricci.
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Levin debuts Akron store
Akron, Ohio— Levin Furniture has opened a 70,000- square-foot showroom in the Montrose area of Akron, combining international themes and designs with local flavors of the historic city. A Parisian bistro sets the tone for the dining department and a Tuscan country estate is the backdrop for the bedroom collection, while a 60-foot mural of Bora Bora surrounds the casual lifestyle area.
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Levin receives 'green' award from Pa. group
Smithton, Pa.— Retailer Levin Furniture has received an environmental award from Citizens For Pennsylvania's Future. The Green Power: Turn It On! award is given to individuals and organizations for promoting clean, renewable energy in the region. Levin received the award in recognition of its efforts to incorporate renewable energy in the construction of its showroom in Monroeville, Pa.
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Laslo, Kravet create bedroom furniture
Bethpage, N.Y.— Designer Larry Laslo and interior design firm Kravet have teamed up to create the company's first collection of furniture specifically for the bedroom. The 34-piece collection includes upholstered beds as well as seating. "Typically, what's left over from the living room in terms of seating is too big," said Laslo.
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Storis signs bedding retailers
Mount Arlington, N.J.— Storis Management Systems, a leading supplier of operating software and services for big-ticket retailers, has signed a number of bedding retailers for its Vision R8 system. They include DreamSleep, Gardena, Calif.; Mattress Express, Newark, Del.; Mattress Smart, Anderson, S.
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Savvy retailer Quadro adapts to its markets
Mexico City— U.S. furniture companies looking to do business in Mexico, particularly at the high end, will find potential customers that have as strong a sense of retail presentation as any in the States. Quadro, which has two Mexico City stores that cater to distinct shopping experiences, is a case in point.
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U.S. product trends play well in Mexico
Mexico City— The trends toward contemporary goods and cleaner traditional styles seen at recent U.S. furniture shows are playing well with consumers south of the border. Mexican consumers' preference for simpler looks spans all price points. Buyers at Guadalajara's Expo Mueble show, a key venue for the domestic market here, also have seen more contemporary, a switch from the traditional f...
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Henredon's Barry opens in Mexico
Mexico City— Hundreds of guests including designers and retailers attended the Mexico debut of the Barbara Barry Realized by Henredon furniture collection last month at the CAD design center here. Barry's licensed line with Henredon is carried in Mexico City at the Designet showroom at the CAD.
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Kincaid unveils new Web site
Hudson, N.C.— Ten months of Internet development at Kincaid Furniture culminated in a new Web site and product search engine. The new consumer site at www.kincaidfurniture.com puts far more emphasis on lifestyle than did previous iterations and, for the first time, showcases all 24 of the La-Z-Boy company's full-house collections.
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Oct. orders, shipments about even, up for year
High Point— U.S. residential furniture factory orders and shipments in October were about even with the same month in 2004, according to BDO Seidman. For the first 10 months of the year, orders were running 3% ahead of the previous year's pace and shipments were up 4%, the accounting and consulting firm said.
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Holiday online sales see early gains
New York— The four "Cyber Mondays" that occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the peak volume days during the holiday online shopping season, surveys show. Cyber Monday 2 and Cyber Monday 3 — this season, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 — consistently generate the highest volumes of online sales as people place orders, often from their desktops at work.
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Blind climber set to speak at all-industry March event
High Point— Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain, has been added to the program of the 2006 All-Industry Conference in Orlando, Fla. The event, sponsored by the National Home Furnishings Assn. and the American Home Furnishings Alliance, with the Florida Home Furnishings Representatives Assn.
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Pedraz to lead WMC design
Las Vegas— The World Market Center has hired design industry veteran Victor Pedraz to lead the management and expansion of the facility's Design Center. Pedraz, who has worked with U.S. and international manufacturers for more than 20 years, has the title Director of Design Center. Since it opened in August, the Design Center has attracted designers, architects and specifiers to about 40 ...
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ITMA fabric tour set for late January
High Point— The International Textile Market Assn. will hold its seventh annual "Fabric: From Concept to Consumer" educational tour Jan. 25–27. About 25 students and educators from colleges and universities are expected to join the tour. ITMA member companies and industry supporters participating include Valdese Weavers, Tietex Interiors, upholstery producer Pearson Co.
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Vaughan closing E.C. Dodson plant
Galax, Va.— Vaughan Furniture will close one of its two remaining plants in March and consolidate all domestic manufacturing into the B.C. Vaughan Plant here. Vaughan will combine the plants' work forces, but will lay off about 200 people beginning in early March. Closing the E.C. Dodson factory, also here, will reduce Vaughan's employment to 365 and its manufacturing space to 300,000 squ...
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Safavieh launching O'Brien rug line
Port Washington, N.Y.— The debut this month of Safavieh's Thomas O'Brien rug collection marks the company's first licensing collaboration with a designer. The O'Brien collection encompasses a group of 11 designs in a total of 29 colorways. The rugs are hand knotted in Nepal in a blend of hand-spun Tibetan wool and silk.
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Ferrell joins Bomar Trim
Lake Worth, Fla.— Home furnishings industry veteran Pat Ferrell has joined trim supplier Bomar Trim as director of merchandising and business development. Ferrell's experience includes stints at retailers JoAnn Fabrics, Federated Department Stores and Elder-Beerman, as well as several years operating a business designing and producing home accents and point-of-purchase materials.
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Sommer joins Classic
Jessup, Md.— Tim Sommer, formerly the bedding department coordinator at HOM Furniture in Coon Rapids, Minn., has joined Classic Sleep Products as vice president of strategy and channel development. Sommer will be responsible for boosting sales of the Dormia line of visco and latex mattresses. "We are very excited about the skills and experience that Tim brings to the company," said Mike Z...
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December same-store sales flat to down
Atlanta— Same-store sales were nearly flat for retailer Havertys in December and were down a few percentage points for fellow Top 100 chains Pier 1 Imports and The Bombay Company. Havertys said its sales total of $79.1 million was up 1% from December 2004, while same-store sales declined 0.7%. For the full year, the Atlanta-based retailer's sales grew 5.
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Chris Madden to add groups to Penney line
Plano, Texas— Five new furniture groups will join the lineup of the Chris Madden for JCPenney Home Collection in spring and summer. The groups will be spread among the three Chris Madden lifestyles, called Adventurous, Serene and Romantic. Knowlton and Cardiff Manor fit in the Romantic lifestyle, Park Avenue and Vista in Serene, and Classic in Adventurous.
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London Fabric show set for Feb.
London— London Fabric, an international trade fair for home furnishings fabric and leather, is set for Feb. 21–23 at Earl's Court here. Since the inaugural London Fabric event in 2001, the show has grown in importance every year. This year, it promises to host about 60 exhibitors from countries including the United States, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark an...
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Corrections
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U.S. furniture sources see opportunity in Mexico City
Mexico City— Consumers here know and like U.S. furniture brands and their tastes are not too much different from their northern neighbors, creating a real opportunity here for U.S. furniture sources at medium to high price points. Dedicated stores for Bernhardt, Broyhill, Century, Drexel Heritage and Thomasville, and retailers highlighting suppliers such as Baker, Maitland-Smith, Henredon...
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Megard joins Comfort Solutions
Hinsdale, Ill.— Chad Megard, formerly of Serta, has joined Comfort Solutions by King Koil as senior vice president of sales, a new position. Megard, who is based at the Comfort Solutions corporate office here, will help the company "expand our distribution and work with alternative channels of distribution," said Larry McKay, president.
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Bernards taps Black for VP
High Point— Industry veteran Tom Black has joined importer Bernards, replacing Dan Kendrick, who went to Progressive. Black has been named vice president of sales and national sales manager, handling the sales force and working with Senior Vice President of Sales Dale Ward. Black had been with Master Design since 2001 and was vice president of sales for the company's eastern division.
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Carpenter leaves Collezione
Englewood, N.J.— Industry veteran Bill Carpenter has left Collezione Europa, where he had been vice president of key accounts since 2003. Before joining Collezione, Carpenter worked as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Boyd Furniture and was president of importer Boyd International.
Opinion Today
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How safeguard tariffs could help Canadians
Three weeks from now we'll know if the Canadian International Trade Tribunal will investigate whether the dramatic rise in imports of furniture from China has caused material harm to the Canadian industry. Anyone who's paying attention knows it has. Jobs have vanished; factories have closed. That will continue because, for the second time in less than two decades, the Canadian furniture industr...
People Today
- People on the Move
People on the Move
Manager Hickory Springs Hickory, N.C. — Lee Hagood has joined furniture and bedding supplier Hickory Springs as director of information services. He will oversee the functions of two departments, information services and the JD Edwards Implementation Team. A former employee of Georgia Pacific, Hagood has extensive experience in information service management.
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Long heads Classic/Statesville customer service
Conover, N.C.— Kim Long has been named customer service manager for sister companies Classic Leather and Statesville Chair, both domestic upholstery makers . A 27-year company veteran, she continues as merchandising director, a post she has held for 10 years. As customer service manager, Long will oversee daily operations for the national customer service team, which assists both dealers ...
Special Report
- Economic Forecast
2006 forecast: Growth in furniture, bedding spending to slow to 0.8%
High Point— With the U.S. economy's expansion and the housing boom both beginning to throttle down, growth in consumer spending on furniture and bedding is expected to slow to a crawl this year. Analysts surveyed for Furniture/Today's annual forecast look for the spending number, the broadest measure of the industry's size, to edge up by 0.
- Economic Forecast
How close was the '05 forecast?
High Point— Last year's Furniture/Today forecast was too optimistic on some counts, but not by much. The analysts predicted consumer spending on furniture and bedding would rise by 4.1% in 2005, but the latest estimate is that it climbed 2.9%. The forecast called for furniture store sales to rise by 2%, almost in line with the actual estimated 2.
- Toronto Preview
CHFM aims to build on its unique strengths
Toronto— This year's Canadian Home Furnishings Market will be one of the largest ever in exhibition space, and will continue to position itself as the country's most important industry event. Organized and operated by the Quebec Furniture Manufacturers Assn., the market will start its four-day run at the International Center this Saturday, Jan.
- Toronto Preview
Ireland bedding makes Canadian debut
Toronto— Canadian retailers will get their first look at Therapedic's Kathy Ireland Home bedding line this weekend in the showroom of Ontario licensee Sleepking/Crown Design here. This is the first launch of the Therapedic/Ireland line outside the United States. A soft launch was held at the October High Point market and a hard launch is set for Las Vegas in late January.
- Toronto Preview
Toronto hopes for healthy traffic
Toronto— Business may have been tough in the last quarter of 2005, but manufacturers, importers and other vendors taking part in this weekend's Canadian Home Furnishings Market here still expect strong retail attendance. They hope merchandisers will have a burning need to differentiate themselves with new product as the 2006 campaign gets under way.
Store Openings
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Broyhill opens 2 galleries
Lenoir, N.C.— Full-line manufacturer and importer Broyhill Furniture has opened galleries in stores in Georgia and Maine. In Cartersville, Ga., Nelson's Appliance & Furnishings has opened a new 72,000-square-foot store with 52,000 square feet of selling space, including a 10,000-square-foot Broyhill Home Furnishings Gallery.
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USA Baby debuts Fresno unit
Fresno, Calif.— Specialty retailer USA Baby has opened a store here on West Shaw Avenue in the Willow Plaza Shopping Center. Lucky and Jatinder Malhi are the owners of the new store, which is their first franchise. "When our daughter was born," Lucky Malhi recalled, "we found a very limited number of choices in the Fresno area for infants' furniture and accessories.
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DOTI adds store in Southern California
Temecula, Calif.— A new Designs of the Interior, or DOTI, Design Store opened here in December. The 4,700-square-foot store is owned by Brit and Laura Reich. DOTI is an upscale network of franchised design stores and design studios expanding throughout North America. Jim Evanger, CEO of DOTI, plans to open more stores in markets across the United States and in key international cities.
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