Archive for September, 2006
Tony Marinaro and Tom Bruyere of Kish-Gon-Dug Canada Inc. (KGD), a manufacturer of western red
cedar lawn furniture, recently travelled to Dublin, Ireland to attend the Autumn Furniture Fair—a prestigious wholesaler/retailer only event.
Kish-Gon-Dug Canada Inc. is based out of Naicatchewenin First Nation, a community of 300 people near Devlin.
KGD Canada’s products were previewed at this show through their new distributor, Backwoods International of Belfast, Ireland.
At the fair, a distribution agreement was signed giving exclusive rights to Backwoods International in the countries of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The agreement also offers non-exclusive rights in Europe for a five-year period.
With the support of the Canadian Embassy in Ireland, the signing of the agreement was witnessed by Gerry Mongey, Canada’s trade commissioner to Ireland.
Since 2005, Backwoods International has purchased 700 pieces of the furniture to sell in Ireland.
“The response to the First Nation-made furniture has been extraordinary,” said Backwoods International owner Michael McClelland.
“We expect that interest and sales will continue to increase in the coming years because of the unique quality, design, and durability of the furniture,” he added.
Presently, KGD Canada also has marketing and distribution networks in the United States and the Netherlands.
Efforts on expanding the Canadian market now will be the main focus, and already has begun as agreements are presently being negotiated with a company out of Quebec.
Marketing and distribution initiatives for KGD Canada is supported by FedNor, a federal regional development organization in Ontario that works with a variety of partners to help create an environment in which communities can thrive, businesses can grow, and people can prosper.
September 29th, 2006
FURNITURE proved to be the most popular item as hundreds of bargain hunters poured through the
Inverell RSPCA Branch’s showground pavilion on Saturday for its annual giant garage sale.
Inverell RSPCA president Barbara McLane said the two pavilions that were used for the sale were full with items that were generously donated by the people of Inverell.
The morning sale was opened with a barbecue breakfast.
“The sale attracted over several hundred people,” Barbara said.
The sale offered a wide variety of donated items, including; books, bric-a-brac, collectable items and furniture.
“Surprisingly, the furniture was a very popular item” Barbara said.
She said overall the fundraiser was a very successful day.
All money raised on the day will go towards animal welfare in the Inverell district.
September 29th, 2006
September 28, 2006 (ROCKFORD, Ill.) - Rockford residents who lost their furniture during recent flash flooding will have a chance to replace their belongings for free.
The Hallstrom Center is hosting a furniture store, of sorts, for flood victims.
Residents can choose from couches, mattresses and appliances donated by others.
The first-come, first-served giveaway will begin at five-50 tomorrow evening.
Area churches and other organizations have been collecting “gently used” household items for the event, and donations will be taken through tomorrow afternoon.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
September 29th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
Golden Gate Logistics, a logistics company focused on Asia-to-North America supply chain solutions, has
named Antonio Leung senior vice president, Asia region, a new executive position with the company. In this post, Leung will be responsible for the strategy, development and operation of Golden Gate’s activities in Asia. He will be based in Hong Kong.
Leung has over 35 years experience in the ocean shipping and logistics consolidation industries. Prior to joining Golden Gate, he was vice president of greater China for APL Logistics, a company he joined in 1996. He has also held management roles in liner, logistics, operations and marketing with Fritz Companies, American Consolidation Services and American President Lines.
Leung holds a master’s degree in technology management/global logistics management from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
“We’re tremendously excited to have Antonio join our company,” said John Williford, CEO of Golden Gate. “He brings an incredible wealth of knowledge, leadership and energy to the Golden Gate team.”
Based in Palo Alto, California, Golden Gate Logistics was formed by GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC and John H. Williford, the founder of Menlo Logistics and former CEO of Menlo Worldwide. Golden Gate acquires and consolidates premier logistics services providers in North America and Asia, creating an innovative, flexible solutions provider for companies with logistics needs in those regions. Golden Gate recently acquired Global Link Logistics, a leading provider of ocean and brokerage services from Asia to North American furniture and lighting importers.
For more information about Golden Gate Logistics, please visit www.goldengatelogistics.com
September 29th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
Gift givers have spent on average $1,034 on gifts for holidays and occasions through July 2006, nearly 20
percent more than they spent in the same period last year. If they continue buying gifts for friends and family at their present rate, total gift spending could top over $2,250 this year — a 12 percent rise over average spending in 2005, according to Unity Marketing’s Gift Tracker quarterly purchasing study of gift givers.
Christmas gift shoppers expected to spend over $1,000 for all holiday gifts.
This year more gifters got an early start on Christmas gift shopping. Some 25 percent of gifters have spent on average $169 buying Christmas gifts to date, that compares to only 20 percent who made early Christmas gift purchases last year.
Projecting their current level of spending through the rest of year, Unity expects the average amount spent on Christmas gifts to exceed $1,000.
“Early Christmas shopping may well lead to more gift purchases and spending,” says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of the new book Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience. “Some shoppers take umbrage at retailers that put Christmas merchandise out too early. But Christmas gift shopping, like death and taxes, is inevitable. People are thinking about gift choices earlier in the season and the more they shop, the more they will ultimately buy, despite their intentions to keep spending down.
“Last year nearly 40 percent of gifters went over their budget for holiday gift purchases. We expect the same pattern to emerge this year,” Danziger says.
New Gift Choices Will Be Favored This Year
Based upon gift purchasing patterns tracked this year, shoppers will be making new gift selections for this holiday season, for example:
- Gift certificates will be especially strong: This season more shoppers will opt for retailers’ gift cards as their primary gift. Knowing this, savvy retailers will have add-on impulse gift ideas right at hand with their gift card displays. “Gift cards can be kind of tacky,” Danziger says, “but when combined with a ‘real’ gift
- like Barnes & Noble’s gift card that comes bundled with a Godiva chocolate four-pack — it makes a much better presentation. Too many retailers only show their gift cards at the cash register with gum and tabloids. That is a waste of prime retail space at holiday time.”
- More demand for gifts that deliver a tasting experience: More gifters will choose food, wine, spirits, chocolate and other ‘feel-good’ tasting experiences as gifts. People will buy specialty food items as gifts that have a real point-of-difference that make them truly special, not the mass-market grocery store brands. And more gifters will present gift certificates for their favorite restaurants this year, as well.
- Little luxuries will be popular: Rounding out the top gift ideas this year will be gifts that pack the maximum amount of luxurious indulgence at a reasonable price. So bath and body gifts, luxury soaps, candles, home fragrances, take-home spa kits, perfumes and other good smelling stuff of all kinds will fly off the shelves. Gifts that truly indulge the recipient in a sensual way will be a hit this year.
Retailers that delight the Christmas gift market get an extra pay off
“The gifting market is especially important to the nation’s retailers and not just during the fourth quarter, but throughout the entire year,” Danziger concludes. “Approximately 40 percent of gift shoppers’ annual budgets are spent buying gifts for gifting occasions that occur throughout the year.
“By delighting the gift givers with wonderful gift ideas and extra services that make gifting easier, like deluxe gift wrap services and a selection of cards, wraps and bags, retailers tap the exponential marketing potential of gifting. Through gifting, marketers touch two target markets personally and directly, i.e. the person who buys the gift and the person who receives it. Because it is ‘two times two,’ gifting is exponential marketing,” Danziger concludes.
About Gift Tracker Survey:
Unity Marketing, on the forefront of market research on the gifting market, conducts a quarterly gift tracking study to measure the pulse of the gift consumer in a longitudinal survey of 800 gift buying consumers. Every quarter Unity tracks what gifts they bought during the past quarter, what gift occasions and holidays stimulated those purchases, how much they spent per holiday and occasion, where they bought gifts, the store and product brands they relied upon for gifts and their expectations for future purchases of gifts.
The Gift Tracker survey is a subscription service which is customized to include subscribers’ specific gift products, their brands and key competitor brands in order to measure the effectiveness of marketers’ and retailers’ success in the gifting market. The next Gift Tracker survey will be fielded earl October 2006 to track 3Q2006 gift purchases and plans for 4Q2006 holiday.
For more information on Gift Tracker, go to www.unitymarketingonline.com
September 29th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
The 12th China International Furniture Expo, staged from September 11 to 14, 2006, at Shanghai New
International Expo Center, Shanghai Mart, Intex and Jisheng Wellborn, has closed with record figures: The show hosted 1477 exhibitors showing in over 1.9 million square feet of floor space (up 10% on 2005).
A total of 61,290 visitors attended the four-day event, of which 12,241 were international buyers hailing from over 150 countries and regions. In line with the show management’s strategy to increase the global role of the show, international attendance was up 30% compared to 2005. In a parallel move and for the first time, entrance fees were charged, thus increasing the quality of visitor.
The statistics confirm Furniture China’s prime position amongst leading Asian furniture exhibitions. The statistics also confirm that Furniture China has become an event providing business opportunities not only for Asian exhibitors but also for international exhibitors targeting the upscale Asian markets: Steep increase in participation was confirmed for visitors from Europe and the USA as well as from Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore for the Asian region.
Exhibitors expressed their huge satisfaction with the amount and quality of business brought to them at the event. Not only the exhibitors from the traditional show sectors of ‘Home Furniture’, ‘Office Furniture’, ‘Furnishings’ and ‘Furniture Manufacturing’, who reported excellent results – but also the new shows ‘ZOW’ (second edition) and Kitchen Cabinet (first edition), each covering half an exhibition hall, also attracted excellent trade.
With ‘Venue West’ Furniture China featured three additional exhibition venues, Jisheng Wellborne Shanghai Mart and Intex, taking pressure from the overbooked Shanghai International Expo Center (‘Venue East’). “Despite being newly introduced and with extremely bad weather conditions, the new venues were well accepted by our visitors” according to project manager Stella Zhong.
On the closing day of Furniture China 2006, exhibitors rushed to confirm their exhibition space for 2007. Within hours 270,000 net sq. ft. of exhibition space for 2007 had already been reserved. “We are in the lucky position of having to deal with a luxury problem – we simply don’t have enough space to accommodate all wishes for exhibition space. Of course we will do our best allocate space the way that everybody can take part.” says Wang Mingliang, founder of Furniture China.
Next year’s Furniture China will take place in Shanghai from September 12 to 15, 2007.
In the U.S., Furniture China 2007 is represented by Globexpo, located in Rockville, MD 20850. Contact Alan Rosenthal at: Tel: (301)424-7060. Fax: (301) 424-7061. Email: globexpo@comcast.net.
September 29th, 2006
By: Furniture World Magazine
As principals with World Market Center celebrated a project milestone hailing the start of construction for
the home furnishings campus’ third and largest building, another ground breaking event occurred: industry leader Harvey N. Dondero was named today as chief executive officer of World Market Center.
Dondero, a 32-year veteran of the home furnishings industry, who has held leadership roles for some of the biggest brands and businesses in the home furnishings industry, starts immediately with World Market Center.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Dondero started his career with Wedgwood, and has traveled around the world leading a number of companies in all facets of the industry including furniture, decorative accessories, lighting, flooring, table top and giftware, both in the United States and overseas.
Before joining World Market Center, Dondero resided in Greensboro, N.C., where he served as chief executive officer of Broyhill Furniture Industries, a subsidiary of Furniture Brands International, one of America’s top three largest home furnishings manufacturers.
Starting in 1999, Dondero was also president and chief executive officer of Universal Furniture International, Inc. which was purchased by Lacquer Craft, one of the largest manufacturers of residential furniture in the world. Prior to that, Dondero served as president and chief executive officer of Maitland-Smith Ltd., from 1994 to 1999. Maitland Smith is a high-end importer of fine furniture and accessories, with manufacturing facilities located in Asia.
World Market Center Managing Partners Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson in conjunction with The Related Companies’ principals, Ron Wackrow and Marty Burger, commented on the importance of Dondero’s joining World Market Center.
“We are extremely pleased and excited to have named Harvey as the CEO. This is a significant milestone not only for the benefit of World Market Center but also for the benefit of the industry we serve. Having spent the last few years putting together the best team and talents for all aspects of World Market Center and Las Vegas Market, including leasing, marketing, operations, trade show management, construction and financing, the time is right to enlist a new team leader who will execute our vision as the founders and partners,” said Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson. “Harvey’s many years as an exhibitor and buyer give him a unique insight as to how we can further enhance our Market for the benefit of the industry.
They added, “We are confident that Harvey, a thought leader in the industry, will take World Market Center and the industry at large to new heights. We sought a highly experienced industry captain and innovator who is acutely aware of the challenges and opportunities that the home furnishings industry faces and can be responsive to them. We felt very strongly that such a leader has to be from the home furnishings industry to demonstrate World Market Center’s commitment to the exhibitors and buyers.”
Dondero noted that he accepted the position due to the significant and exciting opportunity that World Market Center represents for the industry. “This is a total paradigm shift,” said Dondero.
Dondero added that he is committed, with the World Market Center team, to make the vision of an international market for the home furnishings industry in the United States a reality. “I saw this opportunity as a way for me to make the greatest impact on the industry and be a facilitator of change,” said Dondero. “World Market Center presents an entirely new platform to address the new dynamics of the industry in the 21st century. The industry’s landscape has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades and buyers and manufacturers need an entirely new more productive and efficient platform.”
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman joined project officials at a news conference today and called Dondero a “perfect choice” for World Market Center. “The role and commitment of the Dondero family in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada is a long-standing one,” Goodman said. “Harvey Dondero was the first industry person I called five years ago when World Market Center was first being discussed, and I know his knowledge and experience will take the project to even greater heights.”
With an eye toward the future, Dondero said “World Market Center will become more than a market place; it will become the key to linking and empowering the creative, manufacturing, marketing, buying and selling processes. The opportunity is to put all of these pieces together and make this industry, which represent more than $100 billion in annual consumer spending, more robust and efficient.”
He added, “It is very exciting to be associated once again with Las Vegas, a vibrant, growing, dynamic and energetic international city. Las Vegas and its unmatchable infrastructure will be a key pillar of World Market Center’s becoming the Market to the world.”
Dondero’s role will go far beyond overseeing the growth of the Las Vegas Market which takes place semi-annually at World Market Center.
“Before I accepted this position, I spent extensive time with the founders and partners of the project, as well as the top management of The Related Companies. I was extremely impressed by the commitment and unique contribution of each to this $3 billion undertaking. Having worked with many talented individuals over the course of my career, I can say with confidence that the vision of the founders and partners of World Market Center is well beyond what has ever been available to the industry before. I am committed to fulfilling that vision and sharing it fully with the industry over the course of the next few years.”
Ron Wackrow, execute vice president with The Related Companies, a partner in World Market Center, says, “This is a momentous occasion and we wanted only the best person from the home furnishings industry to assume the position of CEO. But at the same time we wanted to ensure that our CEO has the extensive experience in management and leadership that a project with the far reaching scope and vision of WMC. We are thrilled that Harvey, who is uniquely qualified on all levels, has joined us. He is a respected and accomplished leader who will execute the vision of the Board of WMC superbly.”
Dondero will report to the Board of World Market Center that is comprised of Jack Kashani and Shawn Samson as the original founders, along with Ron Wackrow and Marty Burger from The Related Companies, the partner in charge of construction and financing since 2004.
World Market Center is an integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom and convention complex in Las Vegas. When fully built, at 12 million square feet in eight buildings, World Market Center will be the largest trade show complex in the World. The next Las Vegas Market will be held January 29 – February 2, 2007 at World Market Center and Pavilions, and January 30 – February 2 at Cashman Center.
September 29th, 2006
— Furniture Today,
LOS ANGELES — Richard Zack has joined fabric distributor and converter Morgan Fabrics in the newly created position of vice president of sales.
For the past 30 years, he has been head of the Midwest and Canadian sales organization for Mastercraft and Joan Fabrics.
At Morgan, Zack will be responsible for sales with a focus on key accounts. He reports to David Young, executive vice president of sales and marketing.
“Richard brings a wealth of knowledge in creating strategic partnerships with the top customers in the furniture industry,” Young said. “His organizational and people skills will be invaluable to the continued growth of Morgan Fabrics.”
September 29th, 2006
— Furniture Today,
NEW YORK — Two independent truckers serving 1-800-Mattress were killed last week in an accident on the George Washington Bridge here.
Driver Salvador Vasquez and assistant Wilfred Gomez were employees of Eleven Truckers, an independent contractor to the bedding retailer that delivers product in the New Jersey area. The pair had finished their deliveries around midnight and was heading back into New York when the accident occurred.
Independent truckers working for 1-800-Mattress operate about 30 trucks in the New York metro area and make 350 deliveries a day. Company officials said they could not recall any other trucking-related accident this serious.
“This is certainly a sad day for the 1-800-Mattress family as we mourn the death of two partners in business who helped us serve our customers,” said founder and CEO Napoleon Barragan. “This trucking company has been with us for many years and has been instrumental in helping us grow our business as a quality service provider. We regard the safety of our employees, business partners and customers as a primary concern. As always, we continue to look for ways to improve their safety.”
September 29th, 2006
— Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — The High Point Market Authority will unveil a pair of new reception spaces for the fall market, created to serve retail attendees.
Buyers will find a place to relax in the International Buyer Center, on the 5th floor of Showplace. Designed with the international business traveler in mind, the space will offer all the usual business amenities — Internet access, fax and copier machines and satellite news feeds — along with travel and concierge services, and a prayer and meditation room.
The authority also is co-sponsoring a Buyers Lounge for domestic retailers on the top floor of The Suites at Market Square.
Open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., the International Buyer Center will offer coffee in the mornings and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., beginning Monday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 22.
“The new International Buyer Center has been created to welcome retailers from other countries and ensure their visit to the High Point Market is both productive and enjoyable,” said Tammy Covington Nagem, vice president of operations for the Market Authority. “It’s designed to be a place to regroup and rejuvenate, as well as a resource for the market’s world travelers.”
The center’s concierge can assist attendees with reservations for airlines, hotels, rental cars and local restaurants, foreign currency exchange, post-market travel plans, local area information and more.
“These services directly coincide with our strategic initiatives in further expanding our international brand in the marketplace,” said Brian Casey, Market Authority president. “The cultivation of the international community as an integral part of our market is essential to sustaining our leadership position in the home furnishings industry.”
Designed as an escape from the hustle and bustle of market, the Buyer lounge in Suites at Market Square is comfortably furnished, including massage chairs, and features amenities ranging from telephones, cell phone and Blackberry chargers, to Internet connections and fax and copy services. The lounge will offer breakfast, lunch and cocktails from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the market’s Monday-through-Sunday run.
Both retailer reception spaces als
September 29th, 2006
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