Archive for March 31st, 2006
Jeff Linville
Tennessee factory will become warehouse, service center
HIGH POINT — Case goods company Cresent Fine Furniture plans to cease domestic production this spring and move to a fully sourced line.
The plant in Gallatin, Tenn., will transition into a warehouse, logistics and customer service center, a company executive said during premarket here.
“The dynamics of the furniture industry today dictate an increasing reliance on offshore manufacturing in order to meet customer expectations and deliver the greatest possible value to consumers and retailers,” said President Tommy Tomkins.
Cresent is a third-generation, family-owned provider of solid-wood furniture, traditionally known for its U.S.-made case goods.
In the past five years, however, the company has added imports from China, Indonesia and Vietnam, which have grown to represent half the annual sales.
Of three domestic groups in the Cresent line last year, Murray Hill accounted for about 80% of sales, said co-owner Jody Condra. He said this collection now will be made to Vietnam, while the other two U.S.-made groups will be phased out.
“Given the erosion in demand for most of our domestic product, we really have no choice but to embrace the new reality of the furniture business and keep our attention focused on keeping great product at a great price in stock at our warehouses in Tennessee, California and China,” said Richard Tomkins, director of sales and marketing.
One of the seven imported groups, Moderne, won a 2004 Pinnacle design award, he said. A new import line called Crossings will be available in May, he added.
To be introduced this spring is Artisan, a 30-piece transitional group inspired by Arts & Crafts and Japanese designs. The furniture features cathedral and quarter-sawn walnut veneers with an aged Caramel finish. With Artisan, Cresent is collaborating with designer Fred Spector, who has developed goods for retailers Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel.
To ensure quality and product development, Condra is relocating to Asia to supervise manufacturing with all of Cresent’s Asian sources.
“One of the keys to Cresent’s success over the last 60 years has been our commitment to hands-on involvement,” said Condra. “We see no reason why that should be any different now. We are not satisfied relying on third parties to oversee our development and production. … We believe that this kind of commitment is reassuring to our customers in this uncertain environment.”
In High Point, Cresent shows in Hamilton Square #204.
March 31st, 2006
— Furniture Today
Deadline is Aug. 3
NEW LONDON, N.C. — The American Society of Furniture Designers is accepting applications for its 2006 Pinnacle design awards. The competition, in its 11th year, promotes outstanding furniture design by honoring designers.
Applications must be submitted by Aug. 3.The awards will be presented at a banquet in the International Home Furnishings Center Ballroom in High Point on Wednesday, Oct.18, during the fall furniture market.
The 2006 Pinnacle Awards sponsors include APA-The Engineered Wood Assn., Appalachian Hardwood Mfrs., Elmo Leather, FurnitureFan, Furniture Style, Hafele America, Hickory Springs Mfg., Home Furnishings Business, Home Lighting & Accessories, Leggett & Platt, The October Co., Weyerhaeuser and the World Market Center Las Vegas.
Furniture/Today serves as the major underwriter of the awards this year, and is participating in the planning and execution of the October awards banquet.
Judges will include Richard Bennington, High Point University; Gary Evans, Furniture/Today; Leslie Fishbein, Kacey Fine Furniture, Denver; Francel Goude, RFG Global Design Group; Jackie Hirschhaut, American Home Furnishings Alliance; Thelma Lazo-Flores, Savannah College of Art & Design; Sheila Long O’Mara, Home Furnishings Business; Dan Minor, Boyles Furniture, Hickory, N.C.; Julie Smith, Furniture Style; Max Shangle, Kendall College of Art & Design; Steve Walker, North Carolina State University; and Rhonda Wolf, Havertys, Atlanta.
Entry forms including requirements and eligibility rules are available online at www.asfdpinnacle.com/downloads. A free poster and entry kit is also available by contacting ASFD at (910) 576-1273 or by email at info@asfd.com.
Entries may be made in 15 categories including accessories, bedroom, casual dining, formal dining, home entertainment, home lighting, home office, juvenile, leather upholstery, major collections, motion upholstery, occasional storage, occasional tables, stationary upholstery and summer/casual.
March 31st, 2006
Thomas Russell
Importer had been in New Bern, N.C., since 1991
HIGH POINT — Case goods importer Kemp Enterprises is moving its headquarters from New Bern, N.C., to High Point.
In May, the company will complete its move to offices to 212 S. Pendleton St., off East Kivett Drive.
Kemp purchased the 115,000-square-foot building there in June 2005 for use as a warehouse. About 7,000 square feet now will be used for offices, said company President Bill Kemp. He said it makes sense to have the two operations in one location.
The company was founded in Greensboro, N.C., in 1990 and has been based in New Bern since 1991.
Kemp said his vice president of marketing, Randol Smith, and vice president of merchandising, Jim Dobbins, already live in the High Point area and have offices at the warehouse.
“We are putting our organization under one roof, which I think will be a positive for us,” Kemp said. “You can’t communicate as well being in two places.”
Eight of the 30 people working in New Bern will move to High Point, he said. The company will hire 10 more workers here, he added.
Kemp also will install an SAP software system, which essentially will replace three existing account and order entry programs. The new program will allow customers and vendors to check on orders and related product information.
Smith said he is looking forward to the changes.
“Internally and externally, it definitely will improve upon our communication to our supply base, and most importantly, to our customers,” he said. “Information and technology is key to service in these times.”
March 31st, 2006
— Furniture Today,
Leard named merchandising/network manager
MONTREAL – Buying group and retail veteran Earle Leard has been named merchandising and network manager in furniture and bedding for Ontario, Western Canada and the Atlantic provinces at Cantrex Group.
Also, Paul Allems has been named manager for Cantrex banner Furniture Plus, and Claudette Stivens appointed business development manager for British Columbia. In addition, John Kennedy will assume a new role as merchandising manager for Western Canada.
Leard most recently was director of business development for Allied Home Furnishing Network, and previously worked for 20 years at retailer Colonial Furniture. At Cantrex, he is responsible for merchandising and procurement of furniture and mattresses, as well as for network development, working with managers of Mattress World, Furniture Plus, Club Advantage and Club 3000.
Leard reports to Pierre Vezina, national general manager of the furniture, appliance and bedding division, and is based in Cantrex’s Toronto office.
Allems was director of operations for Interhome Furniture, a Toronto-area retailer, and has worked at Ashley Furniture and Cannonball BedShop. He reports to Leard.
Stivens was a business adviser working in Cantrex’s Expert Retail Service division. She will be responsible for supporting existing members and recruiting new members, and reports to Jim Mahoney, merchandising manager/appliances.
A Cantrex veteran, Kennedy previously served as business development manager for British Columbia. In his new post, he will be responsible for furniture merchandising and the development of import programs for members in the Western provinces, and will implement custom flier marketing programs for large-volume stores. He reports to Leard.
March 31st, 2006
By Courtney Mueller — Casual Living,
Manufacturers of barbecues and barbecue accessories are saying business is pretty good despite challenges posed by imports, shipping and competition with mass merchants, who are quickly making strong gains in the industry.
The outdoor living concept still is catching on with homeowners, and manufacturers like Viking continue to introduce innovative outdoor kitchen items to separate its products from those found at mass merchants.
According to Casual Living’s 2004 Universe Study (Nov. 2005), grill sales increased 5% between 2002 and 2004, from $3 billion to $3.2 billion. Home improvement centers like Home Depot and Lowe’s and discount department stores such as Wal-mart, Kmart and Target increased in sales in the category, while specialty stores lost revenue.
“Imported grills with less expensive, less dependable parts that claim to be high-end are trying to creep in and grab a piece of the market share,” said Taylor Calhoun, outdoor product manager for Viking Range.
“There are lots of grills out there,” added Jerry Scott, vice president of sales and marketing for R.H. Peterson. “We strive to provide products and services not available with mass merchants. We find that we’re served better by having experts who can talk to customers and direct them. I think the high-end domestically manufactured grill is still in a growth mode — this is powered by the concept of the Outdoor Room growing beyond southern California and Florida.”
The City of Industry, Calif.-based manufacturer of grills and grill accessories, fireplace accessories, outdoor lighting and outdoor fire pits remains strongly committed to specialty patio and barbecue stores so consumers won’t find R.H. Peterson’s FireMagic grills at big box stores or even home improvement centers.
“(The specialty store) is where FireMagic grew up,” Scott said.
Consumers won’t find Rasmussen grills for sale in big box stores, either. The company works only with two-step distributors and specialty retailers. Rett Rasmussen, vice president of Whittier, Calif.-based Rasmussen Gas Logs & Grills, said most customers who shop at big box stores will rarely step into a specialty store, though he acknowledged that is becoming less the case.
“The specialty retailer still needs to differentiate their offerings and services from a big box store,” he said.
Redding, Calif-based Barr Brothers generates sales from its online business as well as specialty store sales, especially from BBQ Galore locations across the U.S. The company, however, is striving to get into the big box business.
“It’s really tough to try and break through,” said Bill Foster, national sales manager for the garden, grill and grill accessories manufacturer. “There’s so much competition, but there’s more volume there.”
Rasmussen sees foreign competition as the biggest challenge the grill industry faces. “Many domestic manufacturers are going over to the Orient to have their product produced for them, or taking designs and putting their own nameplate on them,” he said.
Rasmussen’s company, on the other hand, is going counter-trend. The company had products made in Taiwan a few years ago, but has since invested in its own domestic capabilities and “bringing business back home.”
“The benefit of that is greater control over quantity, materials, the fit and finish and the balancing of inventory,” Rasmussen said.
Foster sees shipping as the greatest obstacle. “Shipping is always an issue,” he said. “It’s now so expensive and UPS just upped its fuel surcharges.”
Although manufacturers may agree on the challenges facing the grill industry, they don’t share similar views on how business has been.
Rasmussen said some areas are doing better than others, but declined to elaborate. “It could always be better and it could be worse,” he said.
For Viking, the 2005 season was “right at about the average it has been the past couple of years,” Calhoun said. “We expect to have a big year this year because we have several new products out that greatly enhance the line.”
This includes Viking’s all stainless steel cabinetry line that allows consumers to build a complete outdoor kitchen.
Barr Brothers had a phenomenal year in 2005, up 30–40% from the year before. “We’ve done a lot of Internet business, Christmas was huge,” Foster said. “Sauces and rubs are like gangbusters, too.”
R.H. Peterson had a successful year, particularly with built-in models, and will introduce innovative products this month at the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Expo in Salt Lake City. Those include the Monarch Magnum grill, highlighted by a hot surface ignition system revolutionary to the industry. Powered by a household current, the Monarch is actually plugged in, heats up and ignites the gas barbecue. This is in contrast to a traditional spark system, where moisture and dampness may cause a grill not to operate.
A mid-season introduction from the company also proved popular. The inferno burner is a side infrared cooker that allows consumers to have an infrared cooking capability without taking up half of the grill’s cooking surface. R.H. Peterson also aims to carry a variety of accessories, from side coolers to storage drawers, caddies and refrigerators, so homeowners can design an outdoor kitchen with all the features of an indoor kitchen.
“We’re looking to always improve the barbecuing experience by staying a step ahead,” Scott said. “All the signs are positive.”
March 31st, 2006
– Home Accents Today
Alderson to stay on as CEO
Kirkland’s has named Catherine David president and chief operating officer. Robert Alderson will continue as chief executive officer of the company.
A 20-year retail veteran, David was most recently senior vice president and general manager of Sears Essentials, Sears Grand and The Great Indoors for Sears Holding Corporation. She spent 13 years with Target in a variety of buying, merchandise planning, store operations and Web site management roles.
All areas and all members of senior management of the company will report to her. David will also lead the hiring of a new general merchandising manager for the company.
“We are very excited about Cathy coming on board to lead the Kirkland’s team. She is a proven merchant with a demonstrated ability to set a merchandising vision and attract and develop top merchandising talent,” Alderson said. “Her background includes extensive experience in home furnishings as well as significant levels of responsibility and leadership. She is well known and admired throughout our industry for her creativity and communications skills as well as the results she has produced. We look forward to working closely with Cathy to lead Kirkland’s to growth and profitability.”
Alderson had been serving as interim president and CEO pending a search for a new CEO. The
board of directors has determined not to pursue the search and will leave Alderson in place as CEO. The board has elected Wilson Orr to serve as chairman. He has served as an independent director since 1996 and is a general partner of SSM Partners, a private equity investment firm, and a principal of SSM Corporation, a shareholder of Kirkland’s.
The company also announced that Reynolds Faulkner has resigned as executive vice president and chief financial officer and as a member of the board, effective the end of April.
The board has elected Mike Madden to serve as vice president and CFO. Madden has served as VP of finance May 2005.
March 31st, 2006
Clint Engel
Steve Halper named president of unit
PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — Julius M. Feinblum Real Estate is launching a division to find and broker warehouse and distribution center locations for furniture suppliers and retailers.
Steve Halper, who joined Feinblum this past fall, is president of the new warehouse/distribution division. A 36-year veteran of retailers Seaman’s Furniture and Levitz, he held various merchandising and operations management posts, including warehouse/distribution, customer service and real estate. Halper is a licensed New York State real estate salesperson.
The division will work out of Feinblum’s Plainview headquarters, and possibly its Santa Monica, Calif., office.
President Julius Feinblum said he sees big growth potential for the new division, which will assist retailers and suppliers looking for warehouse space or land to buy or lease to build new warehouses.
He said the division will partner with leading trucking companies in the furniture industry to provide the logistics support and information that some clients will need.
Feinblum wouldn’t name the trucking companies because he is still in negotiations.
His decision to launch the division was driven by growing furniture imports and the related warehousing/distibution needs.
The company already does warehouse real estate deals for existing clients, but the new division will seek new business, Feinblum said.
March 31st, 2006
Jeff Linville
Group seeks home furnishings partners
Licensing agent Kerry Glasser is marketing the BlarneyStone brand to the home furnishings industry. Based on the centuries-old Blarney Castle in Ireland, BlarneyStone Marketing is looking for manufacturing partners in such categories as furniture, accents/ accessories, bedding, rugs and textiles.
NEW YORK — The next big licensed collection could be Irish brand BlarneyStone, as branding specialist Kerry Glasser seeks home furnishings partners.
Glasser and his firm Concept Marketing Group have helped bring together such licensors as Oscar de la Renta, Jessica McClintock, Nautica, Althorp/Earl Spencer and Tommy Bahama with manufacturers like Century, American Drew, Lea Inds., Lexington Home Brands and Theodore Alexander.
BlarneyStone Marketing has retained Glasser to represent the BlarneyStone and BlarneyCastle brands for furniture, decorative accessories, bedding, bath items, tabletop, area rugs, decorative fabric and wallcoverings.
Glasser said, “With BlarneyStone we will be able to tell a very compelling story incorporating history, romance and captivating product concepts. We’d be delighted to hear from interested corporations, to discuss our development plans and to see how they might share our vision.”
According to census figures, more than 40 million Americans are of Irish descent, 10.8% of the population. That’s the second-highest concentration of any one nation except Germany, and presents a big opportunity with that demographic alone, BlarneyStone Marketing believes.
Blarney Castle is more than 550 years old. Originally built as a hunting lodge in the 10th century, the present castle was built by Dermot McCarthy, king of Munster, in 1446.
The famed Blarney Stone is believed to be half of the Stone of Scone, over which generations of Scottish kings were crowned. The McCarthy family was given this piece of stone in 1314, and it was incorporated into the design of the current castle. The stone and castle now are owned and managed by the trustees of the estate.
Legend has it that those who kiss the stone acquire the gift of eloquence.
Sharon Connelly, head of brand development for BlarneyStone Marketing, said, “While the BlarneyStone interior look will have … a pared-down elegance, based on uses of natural materials and a neutral, landscape-inspired color palette.”
She has signed off on some furnishings designs by Irish designer Claire McGovern, based in San Francisco. She called the designs fresh and exciting, “influenced by Irish heritage, art and literature, yet with a contemporary approach.”
In the United Kingdom, BlarneyStone Marketing has started work on a series of ceramic dinnerware collections with Royal Worcester & Spode, said Connelly.
The company has target partners in mind for all product areas, she said, “manufacturers that are currently operating successfully in the licensed brand field and interpreting diverse brand concepts successfully for retail. But, as yet, we are at selection stage in the United States.”
Connelly said BlarneyStone is expected to be in the “better” price point range.
Manufacturers can contact Glasser at Concept Marketing Group, (212) 308-0157, kg@conceptmarketinggroupinc.com.
March 31st, 2006
Joan Gunin
Has worked for company since 1992
HIGH POINT — Joe Mussallem has been promoted to vice president of sales for Natuzzi Americas.
Mussallem, who joined Natuzzi in 1992, was most recently strategic product manager. He replaces John Phillips, who resigned as executive vice president of sales in mid-March.
The company’s regional vice presidents of sales and marketing, Bob DeSantis (East) and Hugh Landes (West), now report to Mussallem.
In an interview at premarket here last week, Mussallem said he recognizes that the industry is changing and he hopes to be a “bridge” between “who we are and who we want to be” in the coming years.
He reports to Fred Starr, president of Natuzzi Americas. “Joe’s ability to work with and support both our sales organization and major retailers in product development and product management has been exceptional,” said Starr. “We are pleased to have Joe assume this new role.”
Mussallem joined Natuzzi Americas in 1992 as a sales representative in northern Illinois and Wisconsin, and later had sales responsibility for Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. He was named strategic product manager in January 2002.
March 31st, 2006
— Furniture Today,
Bensimon has played active role in WHFA since 1992
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Ronny Bensimon, president of Los Angeles-based Dearden’s furniture stores, has been named the 2006 Western Retailer of the Year by the Western Home Furnishings Assn.
He will receive the award May 23 at a gala dinner during the 46th Annual WHFA Managerial Conference and Tradeshow in Hawaii.
Each year, the WHFA honors a home furnishings retailer who is exemplary in merchandising, advertising, store design and business practices, demonstrates service to his community, and maintains a commitment to support the betterment of the home furnishings industry.
WHFA Board President David Harkness of Harkness Furniture in Tacoma, Wash., noted that Bensimon has been active in the WHFA since 1992, has been a board member for 10 years, and served as president in 1999.
“He has had a strong influence on our industry and made innumerable contributions to the growth of the association over the years,” said Harkness.
Mary Ann Levitt, president of the National Home Furnishings Assn. and president of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Breuners Arizona, said Bensimon “has a record of outstanding contributions to the industry. He’s a doer. He gets involved, and he makes things happen.”
“He’s an awaesome human being,” said Angel Lopez, vice president at Dearden’s, who has worked with Bensimon for eight years. “He’s someone I look up to and respect, worthy of everything he gets in life.”
Under Bensimon’s guidance, Dearden’s has been active in philanthropy in its communities.
The company, founded in 1909 by Edgar Dearden and in its fourth generation of family ownership, is one of the oldest home furnishings retailers in the West. Its target market is the Spanish-language dominant, low-to-middle income consumer in Southern California. Nearly all its 600-plus employees are bilingual.
March 31st, 2006