February 15th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
I.O. Metro, a youthful retailer is opening it’s second store in the Memphis, Tennessee area and has plans to make more expansions later in the year. The company now has 16 stores and will be opening two more in the Kansas City market during the second quarter. The company also has plans to enter the Atlanta, Georgia market during the third quarter with 3 stores.
The Rogers, Arkansas based company is opening a 15,000 square foot showroom in collierville at the Avenue at Carriage Crossing. The mid-priced retailer has stores located in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. And, is listed in Furnniture/Today’s Beyond the Top 100 report.
By slone
February 13th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
With the economic climate starting to improve and two new distribution centers already open, Rooms To Go has announced plans to open 16 new stores. These new stores represent the biggest push in growth the company has seen in the past three years.
The company has scheduled the stores to open over the next 18 months. While 16 new stores will open, the company’s store count will only go up by around a dozen stores. The remaining stores are going to be replacement stores which will convert some of the oldest and smallest stores in to updated formats.
Around half of the company’s net growth will be in Texas, which will include two new markets that have yet been identified. Florida will be getting 3 of the new stores and others will be located in Georgia and Alabama. Estimated sales for the Top 100 company came in at around $1.35 billion in 2009. That amount dropped about 11 percent from the prior year.
By slone
February 11th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
As part of the Pinnacle Awards for the design of home furnishings, the American Society of Furniture Designers will be bestowing a Green Leaf award this year. The award will be presented to the best sustainable furnishings design from this years list of entries. And, it will be awarded to a single winner that will be chosen from three finalists.
Entries for the award can be in any of the 15 product categories that are recognized in the Pinnacle competition. All of the entries will be reviewed by the panel of Pinnacle judges and may also be reviewed by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
The Pinnacle Awards were created by the ASFD in 1995 as a way to honor and promote design quality and encourage some recognition for furniture designers. Entry information for the new Green Leaf award will be posted on the asfd.com website later this year.
By slone
February 9th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
City Furniture plans to jump right back into full expansion mode by beginning work on several large projects this year. The planned projects will affect City Furniture and Ashley Furniture HomeStore. The Top 100 company that has 26 stores operating in one of the states that was hardest hit by the economy has started to see an increase in sales this year of about 10 percent.
In the second quarter, the Florida retailer wants to start construction on a 94,000 square foot complex in Boca Raton. When the new City Furniture/Ashley Furniture HomeStore opens by the first quarter in 2011, it’s expected to be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED certified building that falls under the Green Building Rating System.
The company will be investing over $10 million in the Boca Raton complex that will be divided into a 32,000 square foot HomeStore and a 62,000 square foot City showroom. This new store will be replacing three of the companies smaller stores located in Boca Raton, Lantana and Pampano.
By slone
February 6th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Although sales dropped 3.5 percent from last year, Bassett Furniture Ind. still reported a $2.6 million profit in the quarter that ended on November 28. The profit which equaled 22 cents per share, put a stop to a string of five quarterly losses in a row.
For that quarter Bassett’s net loss totaled $37.8 million which included a one time charge of over $30 million. This most current quarter included a one time tax benefit of $1.7 million and anti-dumping duties from Chinese bedroom furniture of $1.6 million.
Sales for the final period of the fiscal year totaled $59.5 million as compared to $61.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2008. The sales from the wholesale segment dropped 12.7 percent and sales at the Bassett Furniture Direct stores rose 21.4 percent. The substantial increase was credited mostly to the acquisition of nine more stores in 2009.
By slone
February 4th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Well known actress Jane Seymour will be visiting the showrooms of some of her home furnishings licensees at the Las Vegas Market next week. Many of those licensees will be showing some of the products that were designed and created to complete or accent the Michael Amini/Jane Seymour Galleries collection that will be unveiled Sunday at AICO.
While visiting the market, Seymour will also be signing copies of her book, “Open Hearts”. She will be visiting several different showrooms. And, you can visit Furniture Today for a complete schedule of the times and locations where Seymour will be.
By slone
February 2nd, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Furniture Today is making requests for photographs of products that will be introduced at the Las Vegas Market. The photograpshs will be used for it’s Best of Market/Las Vegas section that will be appearing in the February 15 issue.
In order to be considered for the section, products need to be well received introductions at this months market. All categories of furniture and rugs will be considered in all price points. If you’d like to submit some photographs please send them to one of the addresses below.
The photographs have to be high quality, four color shots in slide, either print or transparency. Both scanned photographs and color digital photos will be accepted as long as they in JPG, TIFF or EPS at 300 dpi. and at least 4 X 5 inches in size. You will need to supply a printed version of any submitted electronic photographs along with the proper identification and a brief explanation of the products key features.
• Furniture/Today’s office in the World Market Center, space B-1642, by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
• By e-mail to ftmarketguide@reedbusiness.com by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.
By slone
February 1st, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Sealy is going to celebrate the Posturpedic brands 60th anniversary with a Posturpedic Anniversary collection. The brand still continues to place an emphasis on orthopedic health and collaborates with researchers, clinicians and orthopedic surgeons to develop their sleep products.
The new anniversary line will be retailing from $899 up to $1,199 and will still deliver the support and comfort of their previous collections. While comfort will be the main focus as with the rest of the Posturpedic products, the new line will also focus on visual appeal.
The foams used in the 60th Anniversary Collection will include Sealy’s memory foam and Smart Latex. The innerspring system will be Sealy’s Sense and Response Posture Tech Innerspring that is specifically designed to maximize weight distribution and support. The new collection will be on display at this weeks Las Vegas Market.
By slone
January 31st, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
The new ChiliBed Mattress from Chili Technology will make it’s debut at the 2010 Winter Las Vegas Market. The mattress is made of a natural foam produced from 100 percent Soy foam and has the Chili Technology embedded into the mattress that will allow users to adjust the temperature of their bed from 48 to 118 degrees for customized comfort.
“You no longer have to fight with temperature at night,” said Todd Youngblood, CEO and co-founder Chili Technology. “ChiliBed solves the problem of heat build-up, one of the primary complaints people have about memory foam mattresses. Our proprietary Chili Technology cools and warms the ChiliBed from 48-118 degrees offering unparalleled temperature control, body support and pressure relief. ChiliBed reacts immediately to your body and conforms to your exact shape. Look no further for better more restful sleep.”
With the ChiliBed consumers can be eco-friendly in the bedroom. And, the memory foam soy mattress can be temperature controlled to provide relief from pressure and the maximum in comfort. The foam will adjust on weight instead of body temperature which allows each user to be comfortable. The 11 inch thick mattress will be available in all of the standard mattress sizes.
By slone
January 30th, 2010 at 10:59pm
Under Furniture News
The Furniture First Buying Group recently announced that it has finalized the plans for the Las Vegas General Membership Meeting. The meeting will be heald on February 1 from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. on the 16th floor of Building B in World View.
The meeting will provide information about the membership Schedule of Events, updates on Merchandising and Marketing vendors, programs and specials and to welcome new members. There will be several guest speakers including Bryan Edwards, Sondra Newkirk and John McCloskey.
The staff of Furniture First will be in the B-962 showroom throughout the week to talk with current and prospective members. All current members are invited to attend educational seminars that have been arranged by the Furniture First Buying Group. And, there will be an Accessory Merchandising Workshop that is geared towards developing strategies that can help retailers increase their accessory and accent sales.
By slone
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