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Furniture|Today -- 07/25/2006
Market Daily
- Las Vegas Market
Product spotlight
Coaster World Market Center 803 Victoria is a tri-tone leather group with more than 1,000 decorative nailheads. Andes International Las Vegas Convention Center S-60239 This Corteza dining set is part of Andes' expansion from traditional and rustic into contemporary. Moretti's World Pavilions 26504 Moretti's is featuring this vintage sofa set with French Renaissance overtones, targeted at medium...
- Las Vegas Market
Kingsdown's Ross sharpens thinking with evening runs
Mebane, N.C.— It's a "home office" that has no fixed boundaries. It stretches along the roads that crisscross Greensboro, N.C., for mile after mile. It's where top bedding executive Jim Ross puts on his thinking cap and ponders the weighty issues of the day. Ross, a 20-year executive with Sealy who recently joined Kingsdown as vice president of marketing, is an avid runner.
- Las Vegas Market
Sealy building latex plant
At The Market— Making a major commitment to specialty bedding, Sealy has announced it is building a latex manufacturing plant in Mountaintop, Pa. The bedding industry's largest producer broke ground in April on what will be a 210,000-square-foot facility. It expects to begin production in the first quarter of 2007.
- Las Vegas Market
American West to provide transportation for Moroni
At The Market— Moroni, a designer and importer of upscale contemporary leather upholstery, has streamlined its distribution by contracting a national trucking firm to handle its shipping coast-to-coast. The Los Angeles-based company has signed up with American West Worldwide Express of Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
- Las Vegas Market
Sports savvy
At The Market— Baseline Licensing Group is showing rent-to-own retailers here its sports-themed line of licensed microfiber adult recliners, sofas, kids' recliners, video rockers and rocking chairs. In its temporary space in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Baseline is giving prizes to dealers for taking a "test-sit" in samples of its line, which is based on sports teams and events.
- Las Vegas Market
Zocalo adds resources to Web site
San Francisco— Furniture importer Zocalo has launched an updated and improved Web site with more resources for consumers, retailers and the media. The site shows expanded photos and group images of Zocalo products and has corporate information such as design philosophy, quality standards, and biographies of the in-house design team and executive directors.
- Las Vegas Market
Levels of Discovery opens permanent showroom here
Chicago-based Levels of Discovery, an award-winning children's furniture and decorative accessories manufacturer, debuts its first permanent showroom at Vegas Kids, suite 930e, at the World Market Center. "We are excited about our entrance into the furniture world by being a part of 'Vegas Kids,'" said Jeff Hutsell, owner and CEO of Levels of Discovery.
- Las Vegas Market
Guidecraft bows at the LVCC
Englewood, N.J.-based Guidecraft USA, manufacturer of educational toys and furniture, is showing at the Las Vegas Market for the first time. "Las Vegas is one of the premiere furniture venues," said Jason Fein, Guidecraft president. "The market is well-organized and easy to navigate, and we think buyers will enjoy our specialty hand-made, hand-painted furniture.
- Las Vegas Market
Vegas beckons kids of all ages
Though I've covered the Las Vegas furniture market before, this is my first time as the editor of Kids Today. It's pretty amazing that in just a year the show has grown so much and already includes more than 40 juvenile manufacturers, not to mention the manufacturers who offer some sort of youth product within their line.
- Las Vegas Market
Sina Pearson Textiles bows Good Wishes fabrics
New York— Sina Pearson Textiles, an upmarket designer and distributor of upholstery fabrics, has launched Good Wishes, a line of Crypton performance fabrics based on children's drawings. Ten percent of sales from the Good Wishes line will benefit Quilts for Kids, a charity that turns discontinued designer remnants into handcrafted quilts for sick and abused kids.
- Las Vegas Market
Fabric scraps spur quilt program for sick, abused kids
Quilts for Kids was founded in 2000 by interior designer Linda Arye after she saw 20 trash bags filled with discontinued designer fabric beside a dumpster at the Philadelphia Design Center. She rescued the swatches and "on the ride home, I determined that the only thing to do with these swatches was to make something patchwork out of them.
- Las Vegas Market
Hot Vegas picks for youth: Retro and rugged to sweet and sporty
Melrose Home Collections bows several ensembles as part of its quick ship program including Pendleton, a tough camo group for boys, $150. Basketballs, baseballs, footballs and soccer balls mingle with silhouetted athletes on a field of green on The Rug Market's hand-hooked, 100% wool Silhouette Athlete, $360 for 5 × 8.
- Las Vegas Market
You need to explore rich Vegas bedding offerings
The recent demise of my gym in High Point has forced me to change my training routine. (I don't want to hear any snide comments to the effect of: Gee, I didn't realize that you had a training regime.) Now I'm making a new start at a big, modern gym a little farther from my home. As I think about the fact that I've been forced to adopt a new schedule in the gym, I wonder how many retailers are g...
- Las Vegas Market
Simmons unveils new luxury bedding line
At The Market— Simmons says it is redefining luxury bedding with its new Beautyrest Black line, unveiled at a showroom at the Four Seasons Hotel here. At a media briefing Monday, Simmons officials pulled back black drapes to reveal the new collection, retailing from $2,000 to $5,400. The retail display and point-of-purchase materials are all done in black, a color that Beautyrest Black br...
- Las Vegas Market
Exsero showcasing Vietnamese-made accent line
At The Market— Sourcing consultant Exsero Ltd. is showing a group of Vietnamese-made occasional and casual furniture at the market here this week. On behalf of two Vietnamese manufacturers, the company is marketing the products as the Entrevina collection. Designed by European and Filipino designers, Entrevina features about 150 pieces of occasional, accent, casual dining and outdoor furn...
- Las Vegas Market
Promo, step-up models added at FBG
At The Market— Fashion Bed Group is filling out its line this market with a higher-end line of metal beds and some new promotional wood models in a variety of finishes. The new Regal collection has five metal beds priced between $699 and $999 retail. The ornate, heavily cast beds are available in multi-step and plated finishes.
- Las Vegas Market
Brazilian trendsetters showing as group
At The Market— Sixteen Brazilian companies are displaying furniture in a 6,900-square-foot pavilion at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the market here. The exhibit is part of a project co-sponsored by APEX-Brazil, or the Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, and controlled by ABIMOVEL, the Brazilian Furniture Manufacturers Assn.
- Las Vegas Market
Specialty sleep: What retailers don't know
At The Market— Think you know everything there is to know about specialty sleep? Think again. Manufacturers of specialty sleep products showing at market here say that many retailers still have much to learn about their mushrooming category, which now accounts for almost one-quarter of the dollar value of bedding shipments.
- Las Vegas Market
Melrose Home, VillaNova exhibiting together
At The Market— Sister companies Melrose Home Collection and VillaNova Décor are exhibiting together for the first time here at the Las Vegas Convention Center, space S63551. Melrose Home Collection, a producer and importer of top-of--the-bed goods and pillows, is launching a ready-to-ship program here.
- Las Vegas Market
Crea Group features furniture from Ecuador
At The Market— Several high-end manufacturers from Ecuador are showing here this week under an umbrella organization called the Crea Group. The lineup includes Arias Design Group, a maker of bedroom and dining room furniture, living room furniture and cabinets; La Galeria del Mueble, a maker of case goods and contract furniture; L'Aurell Furniture, a maker of antique reproduction furnitur...
- Las Vegas Market
Las Vegas Product
All prices retail except where noted. For rugs, all prices retail for an approximate 5 by 8 size except where noted. Here are descriptions of new products and marketing programs being introduced at the Las Vegas market. The presentation is based on information provided by the exhibitors. Reprinted from the July 17 national issue of Furniture/Today, this information is presented in two parts as ...
- Las Vegas Market
Case goods intros show a wide style variety
At The Market— Case goods offerings are spanning a wider variety of styles this market as manufacturers look to win over new business. Bedroom and dining groups leaned heavily toward casual contemporary at the inaugural market a year ago. While that look is still popular, vendors are mixing things up with styles including traditional English and French, lifestyle, Mission and Americana.
- Las Vegas Market
Rug vendors deepening Las Vegas presence
At The Market— The few pioneer rug vendors showing here this week will be joined by wagonloads of colleagues who are heading West to help populate Buildings B and C. "There's no other choice, this is the future for our business," said Nasser Rahmanan, president of Masterlooms, one of the first rug vendors to open here.
- Las Vegas Market
Bemco hosts 42nd annual golf tourney
Whispering Pines, N.C.— Bemco Sleep Products once again brought an Atlantic Coast Conference flavor to its annual golf tournament here. The event is hosted by the Bemco factory in Dunn, N.C., headed by Gene Jernigan, president. He has a knack for attracting big names in the ACC to the event, at which the producer hosts its dealers and guests.
- Las Vegas Market
Legends adding domestic home office, entertainment
At The Market— Aiming to capitalize on the speed of its U.S. manufacturing operations, Legends Furniture is introducing five home office and five home entertainment collections here, all of which are made in its plant in Tolleson, Ariz. The company also remains committed to its imports, said Tim Donk, marketing director.
- Las Vegas Market
Legends offers mixed containers from China
At The Market— Case goods resource Legends Furniture is offering mixed containers of product from five factories through a consolidation warehouse in the Shenzhen Province of China. Tim Donk, Legends marketing director, said that formerly, each container could only contain furniture from a single factory.
- Las Vegas Market
Dale Evers Designs debuts sculptural tables
At The Market— Long before ground was ever broken for the World Market Center complex, Las Vegas had earned a reputation as a city that shreds the envelope as often as it pushes it. With that in mind, it's not surprising that the WMC is attracting a number of cutting-edge exhibitors, including Dale Evers, a West Coast sculptor and artist making his debut here this week under the banner of...
- Las Vegas Market
New book examines history of furniture
New York— British author Judith Miller has published "Furniture," a 560-page, catalog-sized volume that describes furniture through the ages, from ancient Egypt to contemporary Europe and America. The glossy book has 3,500 color images depicting more than 3,000 years of style. Miller, the author of more than 90 books on antiques and interiors, describes it as a guide for collectors and en...
- Las Vegas Market
Benicia making Vegas debut with new beds
Benicia, Calif.— Metal bed manufacturer Benicia Foundry & Iron Works will make its Las Vegas debut this market with new product and a new catalog highlighting its domestic line. The company hasn't shown at a furniture market since April 2005 in High Point. Benicia said it pulled out of High Point partly because of a decline in traffic linked to the departure or lessened presence of a ...
- Las Vegas Market
Box Props celebrates 25 years
Las Vegas— Box Props is celebrating its 25th anniversary here with new products, savings and a gift for placing an order at market. The company, which makes cardboard display accessories that look like electronics, shows in the World Market Center, space 639. In 1981, while enjoying a backyard barbeque, the Oates brothers — Lou, Mike and Tim — came up with the concept of creat...
- Las Vegas Market
Aaron Rents benefits from Arena sponsorship
Atlanta— Aaron Rents said its third season as a corporate partner of the Arena Football League again proved a boon, giving the major sales and lease ownership vendor exposure to millions of consumers. The season culminated with Arena Bowl XX, the AFL's Championship Game, played June 11 before a crowd of nearly 14,000 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
- Las Vegas Market
AICO honors top reps
At The Market— Full-line importer AICO honored a number of its sales representatives here Sunday night for helping the company to a successful year. "AICO enjoyed double-digit growth, opened up important key customers and continued to make gains in all segments of our business," said CEO Michael Amini.
- Las Vegas Market
Leadership conference set for Nov. 28–30
Naples, Fla.— Furniture/Today's 10th annual Leadership Conference, set for Nov. 28–30 at the Ritz Carlton here, will offer some new twists, including earlier dates, reduced registration rates and an opportunity for new recreational activities. This year's event is moving from its former Wednesday-to-Friday format to a Tuesday-through-Thursday run, and features a reduced registration...
- Las Vegas Market
Herb Klion, retailer and sales rep for Bassett
New York— Herb Klion, a retired retailer and sales representative who in nearly 30 years with Bassett Furniture sold well over $1 billion worth of furniture, has died. He was 80. Klion began his career in retail at Charles Furniture in New York. He later owned and operated Korvettes in New York, which in the early 1960s was among the largest U.
- Las Vegas Market
D.C. retailer Belfort names O'Malley president
Dulles, Va.— Retailer Belfort Furniture has named store veteran William O'Malley its new president. Most recently president and founder of industry executive search firm Furniture Team, O'Malley replaces Michael Schnebele, who resigned to pursue other interests. Before launching Furniture Team in 2000, O'Malley worked at retailers such as Mattress Discounters, where he was vice president ...
- Las Vegas Market
Alpert promoted at Bob's
Manchester, Conn.— Bob's Discount Furniture has promoted Michael Alpert to regional manager for the retailer's stores in Connecticut and Rhode Island, a new position for the company. Alpert, who has been with the company since 1996 and was manager of the Nashua, N.H., store for the past four years, will be responsible for operations and training of personnel at the nine Connecticut stores...
- Las Vegas Market
L&P promotes Park to senior VP
Carthage, Mo.— Leggett & Platt has promoted Dennis Park to senior vice president of L&P and president of the Commercial Fixturing and Components segment. Most recently, he was vice president, Home Furnishings & Consumer Products. He will continue to be responsible for the Consumer Products Group, made up of Fashion Bed Group, Southern Textiles and Westex.
- Las Vegas Market
Valassis to buy direct-mail giant Advo for $1.3B
Livonia, Mich.— Marketing services provider Valassis has agreed to acquire direct-mail giant Advo in a $1.3 billion deal, creating what the companies say will be the largest U.S. integrated media services provider. Valassis would acquire Advo's stock at $37 per share and would assume about $125 million in Advo debt, according to the agreement.
- Las Vegas Market
Buyers can gamble with Powell's chips
At The Market— Case goods and occasional importer Powell Co. is giving its customers here casino gaming chips as a buying incentive. "It's actually a repeat of a sellout," said Sean Slack, executive vice president of merchandising. "During the January market, we gave away over $10,000 worth of gaming chips to dealers and are prepared to do the same thing at this market.
- Las Vegas Market
WHFA member party set for Wednesday
At The Market— The Western Home Furnishings Assn. will throw the It's 5 O'clock Somewhere member appreciation party from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the WHFA Retailer Resource Center, World Market Center space 210. A story on page 34 of the July 17 Furniture/Today gave an incorrect date for the party.
- Las Vegas Market
Couch Co. offers eclectic uph. mix
Las Vegas— The Couch Company by Lazar is introducing a mix of sofas, sectionals, occasional chairs and upholstered beds in its first showing at the market here. The two-year-old division of Lazar is showing in the Las Vegas Convention Center, S-64539. The company's product line of urbane looks offers sofas that range in retail price from $1,295 to $1,995 with four-week delivery, and servi...
- Las Vegas Market
View from Building B
At The Market— Come January, visitors to the World Market Center will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the Las Vegas skyline from a VIP lounge and restaurant atop the 1.6 million-square-foot second building. WMC Co-founders and Managing Partners Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson are giving an early look inside Building B and new details about the growing market today during a "view-from-t...
- Las Vegas Market
Upholstery importers hitting all price points
At The Market— Offshore suppliers are making a myth out of the popular notion that upholstered furniture can't be imported in all price points. Buyers here are having no difficulty finding sofas from Asia that can start on retail floors for as little as $399, exploding the conventional wisdom that sofas from Asia need to retail for at least $799 to defray freight costs and be profitable.
- Las Vegas Market
Brisk beginning in Vegas
At The Market— Temperatures approaching 110 degrees didn't deter buyers from making their appointed rounds Monday as the third edition of the Las Vegas Market opened its doors. Traffic was brisk throughout the day, particularly in the World Market Center building, but most exhibitors said buyer attendance clearly was below the opening day of the January market.
- Las Vegas Market
Latex parade marches on
At The Market— Latex bedding is blooming in bedding showrooms here. Buoyed by major launches by heavyweights Sealy and Simmons, the latex category appears poised to pick up steam in stores in the coming months. Latex already is a strong performer at retail, helping bedding stores boost their bottom lines with its premium prices.
- Las Vegas Market
Calif. formaldehyde regs stir worries
Sacramento, Calif.— Furniture makers and importers are certain to be affected if proposed tough California formaldehyde emission regulations, now in the works, go into effect, perhaps in 2008. Engineered wood suppliers say the cost per board foot could double, forcing furniture resources to raise prices.
- Las Vegas Market
Safavieh introducing American Home galleries
At The Market— Furniture, rug and accessories resource Safavieh Home Furnishings is aiming to sign 10 to 15 retailers for a new gallery program it is launching here. Addressing the company's total home concept, the program is named American Home, said Richard Miller, director of sales for Safavieh's wholesale furniture division.
- Las Vegas Market
Design Gallery features innovative furnishings
At The Market— Inspiration on a grand scale is on tap at the Design Gallery, a juried showcase for progressive designers located in a dedicated section of the Las Vegas Convention Center. "The Design Gallery features a broad cross-section of new and exciting designs," said Lois Richards, temporary exhibits leasing manager at the World Market Center.
- Las Vegas Market
Sensor Products offers pressure-mapping system
Madison, N.J.— Sensor Products says it has a "low-pressure" sales approach that will help bedding retailers boost their sales. The company is introducing its newest pressure-mapping system, the Tactilus Bodyfitter, which it says will help consumers find the mattress that's right for them. Pressure-mapping systems are gaining popularity in the bedding industry.
- Las Vegas Market
Comfor-Pedic's Nuvo Sleep enables users to shift positions
Fife, Wash.— Specialty bedding producer Comfor-Pedic is taking a new position in the adjustable bed market. Actually, it's several new positions. Comfor-Pedic's Nuvo Sleep system employs three actuator motors that work in concert to adjust "to many more and unique positions than the sea of two-actuator models now flooding the market," said Jack Squires, president.
- Las Vegas Market
Independent study shows Comfor-Pedic visco dissipates heat
Fife, Wash.— Jack Squires, president of specialty sleep producer Comfor-Pedic, has heard the knock on visco-elastic bedding more times than he would care to admit. That popular sleep surface is said by its critics to "sleep hot," Squires noted. Now he's got some ammunition to answer that charge, at least for his company's products.
- Las Vegas Market
Aspenhome's Huang graduates from employee MBA program
Phoenix— Mountain Huang, general manager of Aspenhome (Shenzhen) Co., is the first international graduate of furniture producer Aspenhome's new employee MBA program. Huang, who oversees the China operations, received his diploma from Lingnam College at the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangz-hou, China, and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
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