Furniture Today - March 06, 2006

Home theater seating has been a winner for most motion furniture producers in recent years as consumers have transformed the traditional family room into a media room. But with media rooms typically costing $20,000 to $50,000 or more, there are a relatively small number of consumers that can afford such goodies.

• News
• Wickes architecture honored
• FurnishNet adds three retailers
• Maison & Objet traffic up 8.3%
• Taipei Furniture Show set for March 15–18
• Sherman drives Serta to good finish in Daytona
• MicroD embraces FIDX standards
• Boulevard to open Utah warehouse in May
• JCPenney marketing blitz includes 'virtual store' in NYC
• Heilig out of court
• Premarket shaping up
• Masins overcomes two disasters
• Retail Bedding Giants to be saluted
• Simmons targets young, hip women with shopping guide
• Sklar gets into celeb act with Designer Guys line
• Sklar Peppler offers consumer card
• Arizona's Razmataz welcomes Cristina
• Sklar adds casual dining to import table program
• 3 retailers join Nationwide
• Kmart targeting juveniles with four RTA bedrooms
• Market nears hiring new chief
• Eleven reps, managers complete January CHR course from IHFRA
• Powell plans Payne visits
• China importer offers financing
• ASID to honor Barbara Barry, others at conference
• Four Hands on Texas list
• 'Chefs' raise money for kids
• ICFF seeks entries for new design competition
• Nationwide convention draws crowd to Vegas
• Master Design's Hodges retires
• DOC extends review of 4 mfrs.
• Pennsylvania House hires Chilton, promotes Halvorsen
• McGhee joins Natale as VP
• Istikbal taps Richard Brodlieb
• Mission design elements inspire FBG beds
• Big & Tall Furniture looks for growth on Web
• Havertys sales slip 1.1% in Feb.
• Hilton gets Acme post
• Feb. same-store sales up at Pier 1, off at Bombay
• Epperson will speak at GNYHFA seminar
• Shipments up 3% in '05
• Petril joins Simon Li
• Gold + Williams promotes Hipp, Barr
• Furniture exec Ken Church's son a rising country star
• Trump to Union City: 'You're hired'
• Bedding Benchmarks
• Simmons updates classic bowling ball campaign
• Advertising team builds on tradition

• Special Report
• Credit offers playing key role in sales pitch
• Kiosks help consumers apply for own financing
• Market Report
• Upholstery warms up
• Blended strategy in wood proves winner at Tupelo
• Motion producers sustain momentum
• Leather producers make sales in Tupelo
• Harden restructures, adds to management
• JCPenney wins Tupelo buyer award

• Industry Numbers
• Sealy 4Q profits surge 36.1%
• Culp 3Q sales drop 11.6%
• Hudson's sells card to GE unit
• Dorel 4Q revenues, profits fall; RTA segment still weak
• Bestar back in black as 4Q revenues dip 3%
• Stanley 4Q earnings up 2.7%; sales slide 2.2%

• Editor's Desk
• See Keith slay the D.A.S. dragon!

• People Today
• Harkness elected WHFA president
• MMPI promotes Shankle to director of buyer services
• People on the Move
• People on the Move

• Store Openings
• Expanded S.D. store reopens
• Toronto adds 2 La-Z-Boy stores
• La-Z-Boy launches 3 U.S. network stores

• Bedding Today
• F/T consumer research notes surprising high-end strength

• Opinion Today
• Darrow: Chinese not a big threat in upholstery