Archive for September 19th, 2007
Bogor, W Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Ecolabeling Agency (LEI) has set up cooperation with several other institutions to provide the furniture market with products and handicrafts made from wood taken from ecolabeled forests, a spokesman said.
Therefore, LEI as well as people`s forest management groups in Wonogiri district in Central Java and Gunungkidul district in Yogyakarta which already have ecolabel certificates along with the Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Industry Association (Asmindo) had agreed to provide the furniture market with ecolabeled furniture and handicraft products, LEI`s communication manager Indra Setiawan said here Tuesday.
“Many furniture and handicraft industries keep on asking for products made from wood taken from forests which have obtained ecolabel certificates from LEI,” he said.
“Products which already have ecolabel certificates will enter the furniture and handicraft markets in the near future. After the Idul Fitri festivity, a store in Jakarta will have and sell furniture and handicraft products which were made from wood taken from forests in Gunungkidul and Wonogiri,” he said.
Realizing that Indonesian forests must be preserved, LEI began developing methods to manage forests in environment-friendly ways in 1994, he said.
“Ecolabel certificates will only be given to forest and forestry product management units which manage their forests through environment-friendly methods and allow local people to share the benefits of the forests,” he said.
An American Sustainable Furniture Council executive told a workshop in Jakarta last week that the US furniture and interior products market was now focusing its attention on products made of wood taken from environment-friendly and sustainable forests. The US furniture and interior product market was recorded at $84.2 billion last year
Formerly, Indonesian Furniture Association chairperson Ambar Tjahyono said the cost of ecolabel certification amounting to Rp100 million was still considered as hindrance to the progress of the ecolabel certification program.
She said at least 40 percent of Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft exports was obsorbed by the US, 45 percent by West Europe and 15 percent by East Europe and Australia.
Last year Indonesian furniture and handicraft exports reached a value of $2.4 billion, she said.
Ambar also said Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft industry needed about 10 million cubic meters of wood and was receiving a supply of 5.4 million cubic meters from state forestry firm PT Perhutani and 4.5 million cubic meters from public forests.(*)
September 19th, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
Furniture China reported that the 13th China International Furniture Expo, staged at Shanghai New International Expo Centre SNIEC, Pudong Expo Centre and Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, closed on September 15th after four days of most intense trade.
Over 38940 domestic visitors and 15,250 international visitors from 144 countries attended the event, one that is widely recognized as Asia’s most important furniture trade show.
Preceded by the founding meeting of the World Furniture Confederation on September 10th and the opening of the 2nd World Furniture Congress on September 11th, the trade show opened its gates on September 12th with much fanfare. In his welcoming address, Mr Calixto Valenti, President of the UEA and the World Furniture Confederation, emphasized the exhibition’s importance for the world furniture trade.
Furniture China, notoriously short on exhibition space, attained the record size of 220,000 sq.m. (1,980,000 sq. ft.). In order to cope with exhibitors’ demand, the organizers added two venues to the traditional SNIEC venue - yet about 200 companies still remained on the ‘waiting list’.
Says Wang Mingliang, founder of the exhibition: “SNIEC will soon complete two additional exhibition halls, which will allow us to add 23,000 sq.m gross of exhibition space. Also, we plan on using an additional venue and might even launch a joint project with a retail centre in 2008 - we do expect a total exhibition space of 350,000 sq.m. (3,150,000 sq. ft.)This move will help us accommodate all interested parties.”
The World Furniture Congress opened a day ahead of the exhibition, offering participants a dense and comprehensive insight into the current issues and preoccupations of the World Furniture industry. The Congress was attended by 147 international and 356 domestic delegates.
Furniture China 2008 will be staged from September 10th to 13th, 2008. Further information and regular updates on Furniture China 2008 can be found at: www.furniture-china.cn.
About Furniture China: Furniture China is organized annually in Shanghai by China National Furniture Association and Shanghai CMP Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co. Ltc. CMP Sinoexpo is a professional joint venture between Sinoexpo and CMP China the branch of CMP Asia in charge of the mainland activities.
For more information contact: Ms. Yolanda Xu, olandaxu@cmpsinoexpo.com, Tel :+ 86 21 6437 1178 - Fax :+ 86 21 6437 0982
About World Furniture Congress: The World Furniture Congress is organized annually in varying countries on behalf of the World Furniture Confederation.
For more information on the World Furniture Confederation contact: secretariat@uea.be, tel: +32 (2) 218 1889, fax: +32 (2) 219 2701
September 19th, 2007
Furniture Today,
Holliman points to soft business conditions, weakening orders
ST. LOUIS — Furniture Brands International expects to report a loss in the third quarter and softer sales than in the comparable period a year earlier, Chairman and CEO Mickey Holliman said today.
“When we issued our second quarter results in July, we warned of a softening business environment and weakening order flow, and since then we have seen those trends continue,” he said.
“We now expect our net sales for the quarter to be down approximately 12%, and we now expect our net earnings per diluted common share to be in the range of a loss of 19 cents to a loss of 23 cents. This includes the effect of 22 cents in restructuring, asset impairment and severance charges,” Holliman said.
Furniture Brands will report results for the quarter Oct. 31, he said.
The company is the parent of furniture manufacturers and importers Lane, Broyhill, Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Maitland-Smith.
September 19th, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
After a tragic fire devastated the business almost 4 years ago, Hillside Furniture Co. (formerly Hillside Cottage Furniture Co) announcd that that it will be showing at the October High Point Market in InterHall, booth #306.
According to Hillside Furniture’s President Gary Atachian, “Hillside had some down time to re-build and improve itself. We are boasting a faster turn around time, strong quality control, and as always a lifetime guarantee on our product. We stand behind what we build.”
At the October 2007 International Home Furnishings Market, Hillside Furniture will introduce two very different collections. Daedal, a collection of intricate complex design with a traditional flare, offers head turning details. (A historical word, “Latin daedalus” means “Ingenious and complex in design.”) Diplomat is international-scale furniture designed for cozy yet elegant living spaces; it has the sleek styling, refined details and fresh finishes for which Hillside Furniture is known.
This Market is not the first time Hillside Furniture has gone to extremes to meet the vastly different needs of its customer base. At any given time, it might introduce a collection of eighteenth-century furniture alongside a cool contemporary one.
Its Twelve Knights Trestle Table is a good example. It seats an sixteen dinner guests at one time. Because it’s customizable, however, one can order an infinite number of 44 inch sections – it could theoretically outfit the world’s most immense dining room. “Customization is the basis of our entire business philosophy,” notes Atachian. “Because we make all of our furniture here in America, we can truly give the customer exactly what they want, and we can do it fast!”
“Of course, customization means far more than size, continued Atachian. “It means offering a variety of finishing techniques, hardware and other options too numerous to cite. We’ve always based our collections on consumer research and it has served both our customers and us very well. We’re determined to stay nimble and responsive to market trends. It’s what any company in the global economy must do…and it’s the key to furnishing a gorgeous home that truly fits.”
September 19th, 2007
Full Circle Furniture is exactly what the name indicates: It’s a furniture store where each piece was once something else.
VIDEO: Watch The Report
The store is the product of a local environmental group that seeks to salvage items destined for the landfill.
Nicole Craig’s computer desk used to be a door. “Everyone’s amazed,” he said. “It used to be two doors; doors slated for the landfill and given new life.”
She gave the desk new life herself with do-it-yourself instructions, WISC-TV reported. “Just working through instructions, I was able to build a table out of the doors, what a great idea,” she said.
Keeping those old doors out of the landfill is the next big project.
“It would have been considered garbage,” said environmentalist Christi Weber. “We can make functional pieces and it also tells a story.” The story behind Craig’s door, which became a desk, was that it was one of more than 200 saved from a Meriter Hospital deconstruction project downtown. Now, each door is useful in a new way. “As tables, desks, craft carts, kitchen islands for eating at,” said Weber. “We’re providing alternatives to some of the furniture that is just throw-away. This is something long-lasting, durable, healthier.”
Currently, Full Circle Furniture is only selling pre-made items that cost from $700 to $2,000. They plan to provide the do-it-yourself instructions to the public by the end of the month.
September 19th, 2007
Cincinnati and other cities across the nation are experiencing a huge increase in bed bug infestations. Now the city is offering disposal of bed bug infested furniture.Here is a release from the City of Cincinnati on that program.City Establishes Bed-Bug Furniture Pick-Up Procedures and Hotline Cases of beg bug infestation (Cimex Lectularius) are increasing across the U.S. and Cincinnati. These insects are not known to spread diseases.
The City of Cincinnati Department of Public Services will collect properly prepared bed-bug infected materials. For the health and safety of City employees and to avoid further infestation, citizens are asked to wrap and seal all bed-bug infected items in plastic. All bed-bug infected items (i.e. furniture, mattresses, carpet, sofas, chairs, etc.) must be completely sealed in plastic and will be collected on regularly scheduled collection days.The frequently asked questions (FAQs) below will help address the collection of bed-bug infected items: Q: How do I know I have bed bugs?A: Usually the first sign of an infestation is the appearance of small rusty spots on your mattresses and bed linens. Red, itchy welts on the skin may also be an indication that bed bugs are present. Q: Do bed bugs carry disease?A: There is no scientific evidence that bed bugs transmit disease; however, scratching the bites may lead to skin infections. Q: Who do I call if I think my home or apartment has bedbugs?A: You may choose to contact a licensed pest control to determine if you have an infestation and to provide bug control services. The Cincinnati Health Department does not conduct inspections for bed bugs, but can provide informauon. Q: What number do I call for information about bed bugs?A: Call 591-6000 and press option 1 for Health Information and option 2 for Trash Collection Information. Q: How do I dispose of items affected with bed bugs?A: Completely wrap and seal all infected materials with plastic and place at your normal trash collection location. Q: Where do I get plastic to cover mattresses and large furniture?A: Mattress, furniture, and hardware stores seil mattress covers or large rolls of plastic that can be used to seal all parts of the affected furniture. Q: What if I put out items that are not collected?A: Remove materials from curb and properly seal all parts of the affected furniture in plastic. Call 591-6000 and place sealed materials at your normal trash collection location on your regularly scheduled collection day. Q: When will my materials be collected?A: Materials will be collected on your next collection day. Q: How are City employees protected from bed bugs?A: The Department of Public Services will offer bug repellant in an effort to protect our employees who may come in contact with bed bugs.For more information, please contact the City of Cincinnati Bed Bug Hotline at 591-6000.
September 19th, 2007
By Lee Newspapers
.
ARCADIA, Wis. — Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. will donate nearly $1 million in furniture to flood victims in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Arcadia-based furniture manufacturing company said Monday.
Ashley plans to give up to 500 mattresses, box springs and bed frames, with bed linens; up to 200 bedroom sets; and up to 200 living room sets, Karen Wanek said in a press release.
She leads a committee formed by Ashley to aid flood victims and is the wife of Ashley CEO Todd Wanek. She said she has been working full time on the project.
The recipients will be chosen by officials in various Minnesota and Wisconsin communities. Among the communities contacted were Gays Mills and the towns of Bergen and Shelby in Wisconsin; and Brownsville, Goodview, Houston, Minnesota City, Rushford, St. Charles and Stockton in Minnesota.
Wanek praised municipal officials’ cooperation in the effort.
“As Ashley did to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina two years ago by donating more than $1 million to the American Red Cross, we are today trying to help people devastated by these floods to ‘pick up the pieces’ and get back to a normal life,” she said.
“Many of our employees and their families have been affected by this flood, and Ashley wants to show them and flood victims devastated by this tragedy that we support them and their recovery efforts,” said Ron Wanek, Ashley chairman, whose family settled in Minnesota’s Winona County in the mid-1800s.
Ashley is the nation’s largest furniture manufacturer.
September 19th, 2007
New catalog adds designer lines in bedding, accents
By Susan Dickenson — Home Accents Today
Sears Simply Indoors catalog for Fall 2007 arrives in mailboxes this month. This catalog and virtual edition of Sears home collection, the retailer’s third, has expanded to include new bedding, furniture and home accents from Ty Pennington Style and the Jane Seymour Home Collection, rugs from Surya and Kathy Ireland, more kitchen and cookware products, and 24 pages of outdoor furniture and accessories.
The last quarter-section of the 108-page book, viewable online at www.sears.com, brings in Sears’ outdoor collection of furniture, grills, accessories and storage solutions, resulting in a “Simply Indoors” titled catalog that now includes a “Great Indoors” section of furniture, housewares and appliances for inside the home, and a “Simply Outdoors” section of everything needed for outdoor living.
The cover, made of recycled paper, features Whole Home Autumn Splendor harvest-themed dinner service with coordinating accessories ranging in retail price from $3.99 for napkins to $89.99 for the 16-piece dinnerware set. Twenty-nine pages of furniture and bedding collections reflect more pattern and color combinations, warmer tones, a few wintry plaids and Mountain Lodge ebony-finished bedroom furniture.
New Ty Pennington Style offerings include contemporary living, dining and bedroom collections in a suite that ranges from Pennington’s bamboo accessories to the quiet blue and green textures of his Jardin bedding collection ($179.99 for queen comforter and sheet set) to the black and white living room furniture and retro bedding collection inspired by “groovy living room curtains” purchased by his mother from the 1971 Sears catalog.
New to Simply Indoors is the Jane Seymour Home Collection, featuring the actress and author’s English Court cotton bedding ($79.99 for pillow to $549.99 for king comforter set), art pillows adapted from Seymour’s original floral paintings, Abbey Stone tapestry-inspired bedding, and her 700 thread-count pima sheet sets ($199.99, queen).
Eight selections from Kathy Ireland’s rug collection, made of 100% Olefin, retail for between $249 and $499. Rug selections from Surya’s Dream, Crowne, ($314.99) and Bombay collections ($934.99) of hand-tufted New Zealand wool are also scattered throughout the book.
Paint color keys corresponding to Sears’ paint line are depicted for some of the vignettes, and a “Color Your Way DVD Visualizer” for previewing colors is offered as a catalog item for $6.99. Most of the items are available only through the catalog or online, and prices are in effect through Jan. 31, 2008.
September 19th, 2007
by Mairi Beautyman
Over 1,000 employees will be added to the manufacturer’s China operations.
Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a major player in the Asia Pacific region. With the transaction, announced last Friday, Steelcase will purchase all of the stock of Ultra Group Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ultra Group Holdings, for a cash purchase price of $13.28 million (subject to post-closing purchase price adjustments).
UGCL owns all of the assets associated with the Ultra office furniture business, which both manufacturers and sells seating, desks, systems, and storage products, serving both China and beyond. In March, Ultra’s fiscal year sales revenue was approximately $38.4 million, Steelcase reports. Ultra will continue operating as an independent organization, under the same management team.
Expected to close in the third fiscal quarter of 2007, the deal will bring over 1,000 people to Steelcase’s China operations.
“This acquisition will not only increase our scale of operations and market share in Greater China, but will also provide broader capabilities in distribution, product portfolio, and manufacturing to support the expansion plans of our customers throughout Asia,” says James P. Hackett, Steelcase president and chief executive officer.
September 19th, 2007
Company to take part in Green Seminar during Casual Market
Casual Living
According to recent research, more than 40% of American women will go out of their way to help the environment – and Groovystuff believes that can include buying outdoor furnishings that are environmentally friendly.
Groovystuff is a Dallas-based manufacturer of residential furnishings crafted from reclaimed teak wood. Introductions at this week’s International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market include the Double Adirondack Swing Chairs crafted from antique plows and bark wood; outdoor benches, tables and occasional sets crafted from the root bulb of teak trees; and an exclusive debut of the marriage between Made In America wrought iron frames from Charleston Forge combined with the live edge teakwood tops from Groovystuff.
“The root bulb on a 50-year-old teak tree can be up to 15 to 20 feet in height,” said Chris Bruning, vice president of Groovystuff. “The farmers in Thailand dig them up to re-cultivate the land for farming. Conventional wisdom has always led them to burn these root bulbs which is horrible for the environment and contributes to the greenhouse effect evident in the lowland hills of South East Asia.”
To encourage reclamation, Groovystuff employs local furniture factories to collect, shape and work these root bulbs into sustainable furniture. The result of this work in progress can be seen at the Chicago Casual Market.
Groovystuff has just completed a second independent audit from the Forest Stewardship Council to certify the chain of custody on select products in its catalog. The program evaluates the source of the wood and the handling procedures once the wood has been recovered. All information is verified through an audit before certification is granted. The process is both time consuming and costly but Bruning believes it is essential.
“We have the ability right now to raise educational awareness in the casual furniture industry,” Bruning said. “Education is the key to stewardship.”
Bruning, along with Norman Hamilton, publisher of Casual Living magazine, and Mike Italiano, president and CEO of The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability, will present a “green” seminar, Increasing Your Sales, Profits & Market Share in a “Green” World, Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 9-10 a.m. during the Casual Show on the 2nd Floor, Merchandise Mart Conference Center.
September 19th, 2007
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