Archive for July, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
Protect-A-Bed® announced a partnership with Guardsman, a Valspar company, to distribute a co-branded mattress protector to furniture and home retail stores nationwide. Currently available, the Guardsman Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector helps create a dry, anti-allergy sleep environment for children, teens, adults and seniors.
“This partnership brings together two respected brands in furniture protection,” said Lawrence Hirson, managing member, Protect-A-Bed. “At Protect-A-Bed, our goal is to protect consumers by providing a comfortable and healthy sleep environment for the entire family. We are confident that Guardsman is the ideal partner to join us in this mission and successfully expand our distribution channels to reach more of the millions of Americans whose mattresses are not protected.”
Every night the human body loses at least a pint of body fluid in addition to millions of dead skin tissue. Unprotected mattresses absorb these secretions creating a breeding ground for bacteria and dust mites, a major cause of asthma, allergies and eczema. Additionally, these secretions compound the fibers in your mattress causing it to collapse over time.
The Guardsman Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector prevents dust mites and bacteria from breeding in a mattress. In addition, Protect-A-Bed’s proprietary Miracle Membrane provides a breathable, waterproof barrier that protects the mattress from all liquids, keeping your mattress newer longer. Made of 100 percent natural terry cotton, the Guardsman Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector creates a soft, quiet, comfortable and anti-allergy sleep zone.
“We are thrilled to partner with Protect-A-Bed to offer the best mattress protection program in the industry,” said Greg Perkins, national sales manager, Guardsman. “We have been protecting furniture for over 30 years and recognize the value of mattress protection and the superiority of the Protect-A-Bed products.”
Under the new distribution agreement, Protect-A-Bed will continue to market the company’s entire suite of mattress and pillow protectors, including the Guardsman Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector, to bedding specialty stores and major hotel chains worldwide. Guardsman will market the Guardsman Protect-A-Bed Premium Mattress Protector to furniture and home retail stores.
About Protect-A-Bed
Protect-A-Bed was founded in 1980 to produce a mattress protector that would provide consumers with a perfect, healthy and comfortable sleep environment. As the most effective mattress protector ever produced, Protect-A-Bed bedding protectors help create a dry, anti-allergy sleep zone for children, teens, adults and seniors. Protect-A-Bed’s focus and dedication is to provide complete customer satisfaction by not compromising on quality and by producing a product that has no equal in the marketplace. Protect-A-Bed products are listed as a Class 1 Medical Device with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information, visit www.protectabed.com.
About Guardsman
Guardsman was founded in 1915 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has been a leader in the furniture coatings industry for almost a century. Guardsman pioneered the development of retailer-applied fabric protection under the trade name Fabri-Coate® more than thirty years ago. We currently provide products and services for over 3,000 furniture retailers and have over 12 million Guardsman protection plans in service throughout the US and Canada.
Guardsman, as part of The Valspar Corporation of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is dedicated to bringing quality service and strong manufacturing capabilities to all customers.
The Guardsman commitment to innovation and leadership, a standard since our beginning, continues today as we develop new products, explore new processes, and take bold steps forward. For more information, visit www.guardsman.com.
July 24th, 2007
Furniture Today,
Company will work to stabilize operations, decide what fabric lines to continue
VALDESE, N.C. — Upholstery fabric supplier Valdese Weavers completed its acquisition Friday of the Circa 1801/Doblin, Home Fabrics and Mastercraft Contract/Guild 360 operations from the bankrupt Joan Fabrics.
Valdese did not purchase the rights to Mastercraft’s residential fabrics, another Joan segment.
Mike Shelton, Valdese president and CEO, said in a statement the company will work to stabilize operations in the acquired divisions, making investments in the financial and material resources necessary to achieve that stability.
“These companies have been operating in a distressed environment under previous ownership for the past few months, and we have identified in our transition plans what we feel is necessary to be able to service our customers properly,” the statement said. “Today, everyone in our company has ‘hit the ground running’ to accomplish this end.”
Valdese also issued a status report on the operations:
+ Circa 1801/Doblin will continue with it established management team of John Lenox, Margaret Coffin and Bill Garner. The company has a backlog of past-due orders and the company will work them down to normal delivery as soon as possible.
+ Home Fabrics, unlike the Circa 1801 business, has “suffered tremendously,” Valdese said. “Prior ownership attempted to move the Home Fabrics business to the Circa 1801 facility during the past few months. The decline of the business coupled by the complexity created at the Circa 1801 facility by the move has created an unmanageable situation that must be dealt with immediately,” the company said.
Valdese added that it will evaluate the business and will notify customers of the status of the Home Fabrics patterns going forward.
“Our strategy for Home Fabrics will be to combine the existing business that we will carry forward with our Wesley Mancini by Valdese Weavers brand to create Home Fabrics by Wesley Mancini. Wesley had a 30-year heritage designing the Home Fabrics product line prior to joining Valdese Weavers. It is only logical to combine these brands to re-establish Home Fabrics in the marketplace with Wesley Mancini’s fashion and design inspiration, and then support the business with all of the resources necessary,” Valdese said.
+ The Mastercraft Contract/Guild 360 business will be merged into the Valdese Weavers Contract brand under the management team led by Blake Millinor. Valdese did not buy any manufacturing assets of the unit, but secured an agreement to operate at Joan’s Siler City and Eagle Mountain facilities for 60 days to prevent any disruption of order fulfillment.
As with Home Fabrics, Valdese will analyze which of the division’s fabric lines it will continue to produce, and announce its decision to customers immediately.
July 24th, 2007
Scotland’s largest city has followed in the footsteps of Milan, Brussels and Copenhagen with the emergence of a new ‘interior quarter’.
Danish furniture giant BoConcept is the latest design outlet to move into an small enclave near Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.
Brands such as Moben and Dolphin have also opened in the area between Sauchiehall Street and Bothwell Street.
Milan, Brussels and Copenhagen have areas dedicated to furniture shopping.
Other interior stores in the area to the west of the city centre include Habitat, New Heights, Sofa Workshop (which recently moved from Nelson Mandela Square) and Hampton & McMurray.
Adam Davidson of BoConcept said: “Some people may question why we would move out of Princes Square.
Key sections
“However we made this strategic decision as we wanted to move to an area that is a true destination for interior shoppers and is a stand alone store outwith a shopping centre offering something as basic as having a shop window for passing trade.
“A few years back, Habitat did exactly the same thing in terms of moving out of Buchanan Galleries shopping centre and onto the far end of Bothwell Street, which is where they were located originally.
“More and more interior stores are cropping up in this sector between Sauchiehall Street and Bothwell Street which has become known within the furniture industry as the ‘interior sector’.”
He added that he hoped that the nascent ‘interior quarter’ would arrest what some have claimed was the decline of Sauchiehall Street in some key sections.
July 24th, 2007
Marc Barnes — Furniture Today,
Report lists significant players in respective markets
HIGH POINT — Ask a medium-sized furniture retailer how business is in the industry right now and you’ll hear some recurrent themes, whether the store is in Alabama or Oregon, Missouri or California.
There are challenges in each market area, whether it’s slow sales, competition by larger and better-financed merchants, or customer concerns over high gas prices and increasing mortgage interest.
For Stuart Shevin, president of Standard Furniture in Birmingham, Ala., which has 13 locations across Alabama and one in Tennessee, the key is both simple and complex — and applies toTop 100 retailers as well as to single stores. The industry needs to find a way to get more customers to think about furniture.
“The last time this came about, it was about cocooning,” said Shevin. “After 9/11, we had the idea, but as an industry, we didn’t do anything with it.”
Shevin said that at his stores, upholstery and occasional are going well, while case goods sales are lackluster. Ensuring product quality and finding qualified personnel are both challenges. To address these issues, Standard has made some changes in its inventory and is exploring changes in employee benefits.
Industry observers say a willingness to change will make the difference for medium-sized retailers hoping to survive and grow.
The Great American Home Store in Southhaven, Miss., for one, seems headed upward. Established in 2005, the store recently beat out 160 competitors across other business sectors to win the Small Business Award sponsored by the Memphis Business Journal.
July 24th, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
With real estate values rising in recent years, many people across the nation have joined the home improvement craze, transforming their piece of the American dream into a home resort.
To help facilitate this trend, Darafeev Resort Furniture announced that the company will now offer a line of customized pieces, including a variety of luxury chairs, barstools, blackjack bars and multi-use dining tables that reverse to poker and bridge game surfaces.
Paul Darafeev, president if the 49 year old company noted that “The Darafeev brand, known worldwide for its classic beauty – features a distinctive California style with a touch of Old World Russian royalty. It is a perfect accouterment for yacht, country and golf clubs, as well as upscale homes.
“We believe,” he continued, “that the time is right to promote “home resort” as a category to furniture retailers. Considering the high price of travel, and the desire to entertain family and friends in the comfort and security of ones home, this is a concept whose time has come.”
The California-based company, Mikhail Darafeev, Inc., will unveil their new “home resort showroom” at the Las Vegas home furnishings market July 30 – Aug. 3.
Located at the World Market Center on the first floor of Building A, space A132, the Darafeev Resort Furniture showroom will feature a variety of dining/poker tables to accommodate the growing number of homeowners who are opting to entertain at home over dinner and a game of chance.
The decision to re-brand Darafeev and to use the designation “resort” evolved from the fact that resorts demand luxurious, comfortable chairs and barstools, as do upscale private homes. The term “resort” invokes a sense of luxury, and appeals to the affluent.
The dynamic change at the company, a premier worldwide brand, comes amid a meteoric rise in the popularity of poker and other games. Along with a variety of gaming tables, the company’s renowned reputation has been built on chairs and barstools, crafted from quality hardwoods, that are built to last.
Many of the Darafeev stools end up at counters in luxury kitchens. It only makes sense that a homeowner who spends $100,000 or more for a custom kitchen should not have to settle for poor quality seating.
“Many furniture and dinette stores still consider stools expendable items,” added Walter Huhn, Director of Sales and Marketing who recently joined Darafeev. “They only last only a few years and then need to be replaced. They therefore relegate them to the cheap dinette department. Today, we can revise this to confidently show furniture retailers how to sell a thousand dollar barstool in a $99 world.”
As the company unveils the Darafeev Resort Furniture Gallery, it also has joined the “Made in USA,” “California Made” and “Crafted in California” campaigns to promote luxury goods manufactured in the United States. Founded by a Russian-born expert chair maker, Mikhail Darafeev, the company is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2009. Their Baldwin Park frame factory, built by the founder in 1969, is still producing some of the finest frames in the industry. To learn more about the company’s history, log onto the Web at www.craftedincalifornia.com/darafeev. For a catalogue, photos and more information about the company’s products, log onto www.darafeev.com.
“Darafeev is an expert chair maker, a claim which few furniture manufacturers can make, especially lately,” Paul Darafeev said. “A barstool is basically a chair, with a tall base. We manufacture tables and bars, as an accessory to the chairs and stools. We think that a Texas Hold’em table is a great way to sell eight chairs. A blackjack bar can sell three or four more stools, and perhaps a bartender stool. Most of our tables and bars have multiple purposes. Our poker/dining tables may have an optional chess or backgammon inlay built into the dining surface. With the bumper pool option, you remove the top altogether, pull the chairs away, and play a game that the whole family can enjoy.”
As part of its new focus, Darafeev Resort Furniture is also selling its new line to yacht, golf, and country clubs.
Darafeev recently provided the perfect solution to the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. The club hosts lunches and dinners for its members, which are followed by bridge games and tournaments. Previously, they served a meal, then cleared the room, moved the dining tables out, and brought the bridge tables in. Darafeev offered the perfect solution by creating a bridge table with a reversible dining top. Now, they simply clear the table, flip the top and are ready to enjoy a game of bridge.
The company, which made its mark in the billiard industry in the past two decades as master craftsmen of the “Finest Gameroom Furniture,” is re-branding itself with a new focus. In the past, furniture stores have had the false impression that Darafeev manufactured pool tables because of the emphasis on Game Room, which is another reason that Resort Furniture was chosen.
At the Las Vegas World Market Center, the Darafeev Resort Furniture showroom on the main floor of building A will be open to the trade Monday through Friday. The company’s Dallas showroom has been very successful for almost 20 years, and this is a long overdue addition. Complementing the Darafeev line, the showroom will distribute various ‘best of class’ products that are ‘Made in the United States.
Darafeev has also invited hundreds of interior designers and their clients from Russia and China to visit the showroom and enjoy a city that has become the favorite destination of the world’s wealthy.
The Darafeev family believes that his passion and integrity will help grow the company, not only with existing dealers, but in the furniture stores that may be missing what Darafeev can bring to their bottom line.
Darafeev Resort Furniture, which has factories in Chino and Baldwin Park, California, is known for its custom made, hardwood furniture frames, distinguished by outlasting the competition. The business’ trademark ‘DaraFrame’ construction used in its chairs, tables and stools offers hardwood frames that are double-doweled and built to last. Customers have choices of 28 finishes, hundreds of in-stock fabrics and the “Darafeev Couture” online swatch program with almost 100,000 fabric selections. Customers also enjoy the most comfortable foam available, with flex bottom seats.
For more information about the Las Vegas Market and accommodations, call 888-962-7469, or log onto the Web at http://www.lasvegasmarket.com/. The World Market Center is located at 495 S. Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas.
July 24th, 2007
COLIN DONALD
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (cdonald@scotsman.com)
DWELL, the fast-growing furniture chain based in London, is to open its first Scottish branch, with a 10,000sq ft outlet in Princes Square, Glasgow.
The Wimbledon-based chain - 90 per cent of whose products are designed in-house - has invested £500,000 in setting up the shop.
Sean Galligan, Dwell’s Scots-born co-founder and marketing director, said he expected the new store to turn over £3 million in its first year, and that further new Scottish stores were part of a UK-wide expansion drive.
Galligan said: “We are continually growing customer base in Scotland, especially in the Strathclyde region, so Princes Square is the perfect base for us to begin our expansion into the Scottish market.
“We will be looking at rolling out over the next 12 months to cities including Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.”
Dwell, which has doubled its turnover for two successive years to the current £15m (generating £2m of profit), also intends to open new shops in Manchester and Cheltenham within the next five months.
Aamir Ahmad, Dwell’s chief executive, who designs for the company, said: “Moving into Scotland was always a key part of our expansion plan. We want our new store to be bright, fashionable and aspirational.”
Ahmad and Gilligan launched Dwell in 2003, after Ahmad, a former business consultant, sold his previous furniture business, Ocean. Ahmad ascribes the firm’s rapid growth to its ability to cater for a “large gap in the market” between volume stores such as Ikea and expensively branded designer outlets.
“The furniture world is strange because there is nothing between the equivalent of Primark and Prada,” said Ahmad.
“The middle ground is wide open, which has allowed us to thrive.
“Most retailers don’t design their own stuff; they are buying in. We develop our own ranges, and hold a lot of stock which cuts out long waits for customers.”
Fiona Moriaty of the Scottish Retail Consortium yesterday welcomed the addition of a new player in the furniture retailing market.
She said: “Spending on household goods has risen dramatically in recent years as people spend more of their disposable income on interior design and other household products.
“Unlike our parents’ generation, we regularly overhaul the look of our homes.
“Shopping for the home has become a leisure activity in itself, as you can see in the proliferation of DIY magazines.
“There is plenty of room in the Scottish market for a mid-tier retailer with something new to bring to the marketplace.”
July 24th, 2007
About 100 years from now, someone might lift up a chair or a table and see Pete Lovato’s initials inscribed there.
To know that his name will be burned into the wood of a fine furniture piece is enough for Lovato to keep his business, Mariah Creations, afloat. That, of course, and some machinery, skilled labor and high-quality building materials.
Lovato is a custom furniture manufacturer, designer and owner of a shop in Albuquerque - a business that requires the physical skill to handle sharp woodworking tools and the wherewithal to survive in an environment dominated by large retailers selling less expensive products.
His is one of at least 35 custom furniture-making businesses in Albuquerque, according to local phone directories. He and his wife, Theresa, operate the family business at 4408-A Menaul Blvd. N.E. along with four full-time craftsmen.
Lovato started building furniture as a kid. He built his first shelf for his mom as a Mother’s Day gift. During his summers as a teen, he apprenticed with Joe Martinez, a craftsman from Taos.
“I never thought I could get into it commercially,” Lovato said. “Once you fall in love with furniture building, designing, and see customers with a smile on their face, you are hooked.”
Lovato admits this is no rich man’s profession. “You have to love to build furniture in order to be a craftsman,” Lovato said.
Woodworkers, custom manufacturers, craftsmen, furniture or cabinet-makers - it’s a profession with different names thanks to the different tasks it entails.
The median hourly income for cabinet-makers and bench carpenters was $12.16 in May 2004, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That income varies based on factors such as if a worker is self-employed, if they own a business, or the size of the shop in which they work.
Lovato says his four employees earn between $25,000 and $30,000 a year. About 40 percent of each piece of furniture he sells covers the cost of hiring skilled labor.
The machinery and tools are expenses he has been able to afford throughout the years. They are expensive, large, and they perform very specific tasks with wood or steel. Lovato said 35 percent of what his company earns is used on expenses such as taxes, permits and insurance.
Lovato said he has seen younger people go out of business when, after seeing a bump in income, they start a spending spree on equipment and machinery. By the end of the month, they are faced with the taxes, insurance and other bills they didn’t expect, he said.
Other custom furniture-makers have turned to mass production because they see more profit. Lovato, who prefers handmade furniture, said he spends time on the small details in his work, resulting in a product with slightly higher prices than larger operations.
“As long as I have enough to pay the bills I am happy,” he said.
Dirty job
He would likely be happier if finding good furniture builders wasn’t such a challenge.
It’s work that requires careful hands capable of handling sharp equipment, Lovato said.
“Woodworking equipment doesn’t have any mercy,” he said. “If you don’t respect the tools, they might fight you back.”
Lovato’s hands are filled with big callouses caused by hand-crafting furniture for more than 40 years. He has never suffered a major injury, but he has a scar from a time in the 1970s when he was scooping out wood for a chair and cut his wrist.
“It is like scuba diving,” he said. “They tell you never to scuba dive alone because you can get knocked in the head, cut and never be able to get any help.”
That was probably why the first thing Lovato did when he bought his wood shop was place an ornament of Jesus above the door.
Major competition
The physical risks associated with the work aren’t the only challenges faced by craftsmen. Large retailers like Ikea, American Home and Ashley Furniture - companies that produce large volumes of furniture - can sell their products at lower prices than custom builders.
“Locally, custom furniture-makers are trying to compete against a very strong international market,” said Corrales interior designer Susan Westbrook.
Lovato said that while there will always be a need for furniture, people are often duped by sub-par products made out of things like particle board that show no imperfections.
“When you are looking at a great tree wood, you are not going to get every piece perfect,” he said.
People expect low prices because that’s what they see in the market, Lovato said. The clients of a custom furniture-maker, however, are people willing to invest more money in furniture.
“I have a variety of customers, very wealthy; they just know they want something handmade,” Lovato said.
Besides quality of product, originality has driven some custom furniture-makers to build new models, styles and trends.
Scott White, who started his business, White Design, less than a year ago at 1001 Yale Blvd. S.E., saw a niche when looking for simple and functional pieces of furniture.
White now sees the competition more like a marketing challenge he must overcome.
“People don’t really know about local people making furniture,” he said.
To be successful, local custom furniture-makers said newcomers must evaluate the market and find the types of clients they want to target. Those newcomers should then build business models around their target clients using things such as a Web site, mailing lists or trade shows where they can display their work.
Trends and opportunities
Westbrook, who works with both custom furniture manufacturers and clients who buy custom-built homes, sees areas of opportunity for local craftsmen.
“People are looking for beautiful cabinet work,” she said. “Probably half of my clients are looking for custom cabinets that look like furniture.”
The cabinet-making element is something Lovato is working on. He sometimes travels to different cities to build custom doors, kitchens and other pieces.
Lovato refuses to use any rain forest wood because of the environmental impact.
Westbrook recommends that manufacturers start building furniture with sustainable materials. Lovato gives the wood he does not use to a toy-maker that builds things for needy children.
Lovato speaks admirably about his job and how he gets to interact with his customers. But he’s also worried about the future of his trade.
“Younger people (in the business) are going to see how rewarding it is talking to families in different generations, because a furniture-maker has to be knowledgeable of people,” he said. “It depresses me that this is just another form of art that’s getting lost and is getting close to getting extinct.”
July 24th, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
The West Coast– based furniture dealer Johnson Interiors and More, Oceanside, CA location, is the latest to commit to Harden’s high-performing in-store retail concept.
Harden Home Studio™ debuted at the April 2006 High Point Market after a successful five-month test run with three Harden customers, including Gallahan’s Furniture of Fredericksburg, Virginia; The Woods at Colts Neck, New Jersey; and Interiors in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Twenty-five dealers were targeted for 2006 installations at the time of the launch, with an additional 25 anticipated for 2007.
The concept, which clearly presents consumers with a multitude of finish, hardware, cushion, fabric and other options, is based on research conducted by Al Wight of Strategic Decisions, Inc. and was designed by retail expert and FURNITURE WORLD Magazine contributing editor, Martin Roberts of GRID2.
“Harden came up with an idea to differentiate themselves from the imported products that have no options,” said Rex Maynard, president and owner, Maynard’s Home Furnishings in Belton, S.C. “The customer gets the message that they can build what they want.”
“Our sales of the higher priced Harden upholstery in particular have grown,” added Maynard, whose store is one of the top five Harden Home Studio™ dealers. “The customization option has been there, but now they walk through and with the swatches displayed in the studio and the information kiosks, they can quickly grasp that they have choices.”
“Providing options for high-end consumers is the way of the future and we’ve landed on a method for making the selection process easy for both shoppers and retail sales staff,” says Greg Harden, president and chief executive officer, Harden Furniture. “Our dealers tell us that the design of the studio footprint is efficient and acts like a beacon of light for attracting consumer attention in their stores.”
The five top-performing Harden Home Studio™ dealers to date are: Pasadena Furniture, Pasadena, MD; Kensington Furniture, Kensington, CT; Maynards, Belton, SC; Great Lakes, Holland, MI; and Parker Furniture, Beaverton, OR.
Meridee Johnson Reynolds, owner of Johnson Interiors & More, said she is carrying on a family tradition of furniture retailing that began 38 years ago with her father’s store H. Johnson Furniture. “We probably carried Harden for 30 of those years,” Reynolds added. “Harden is quality, American-made product and one of the top brands I wanted to carry in the new store.”
July 24th, 2007
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A rash of burglaries in the Midlands have restaurants owners missing their patio furniture.
We first reported that thieves walked away with five tables and 20 chairs from Moe’s Grapevine on Rosewood Drive. The goods totaled $2,500.
Then we learned La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Camden had more than $2,000 worth of patio furniture stolen over the past two weeks.
And now WIS News 10 has learned of another patio furniture burglary. This one happened at Zorba’s on Two Notch Road Monday night.
Workers say they walked in the restaurant Tuesday morning to discover more than $3,500 worth of patio chairs and umbrellas gone.
The general manager says she’s been in business for 28 years says nothing like this has ever happened.
“When I saw it on the news and found out patio furniture was taken, my first instinct was I needed to take all our things in. I believe that was Monday night AT 11:30pm, so when I got here Tuesday morning and our stuff was stolen I thought ‘God, I should have just gotten up and came over here and brought all the furniture in,” said Margie Wynn.
There is no evidence right now that the burglaries are linked. If you have any information please call the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
July 24th, 2007
A FIRE roared through a furniture factory in Melbourne’s south-east today, damaging four neighbouring businesses and closing one of Melbourne’s busiest highways in peak hour.
Fire crews were called to the premises on the Princes Highway at Dandenong shortly before 5.15pm.
When they arrived, they found the building well alight, fed by timber, foam, adhesives and materials, including vinyl furniture, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said.
The Princes Highway was closed in both directions between Heatherton and Gladstone roads under a blanket of smoke, throwing traffic throughout the south-east into chaos.
More than 60 CFA and Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters were on the scene at the height of the fire, which was contained about 6.30pm.
Twenty-five fire trucks, including 10 pumpers and three aerial units, were used.
“The fire has affected four neighbouring factories but it has been contained to the first one,” the spokesman said.
“One firefighters has been taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.”
There were no further injuries.
- AAP
July 24th, 2007
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