At Home in Lillian August


2233 Fri, 11/14/2008 - 12:41pm

By Barbara Thau
Lillian August is a specialty home store with lots of specialties. The Norwalk, Conn.-based, five-unit chain with an eye on expansion features an upscale home furnishings mix with styles ranging from old world to traditional to modern glamour.
An artist and textiles designer by trade, founder Lillian August’s licensed home goods, such as furniture, lamps and fabrics, pepper the store.
The Lillian August home brand is also marketed at independent retailers and interior designers via manufacturer partnerships, such as one with Hickory White furniture.

Cost Plus World Market Gets a Makeover


2233 Fri, 10/24/2008 - 2:50pm

By Barbara Thau
It’s earthy, bohemian, global and a bit iconoclastic—and that’s exactly what it wants to be.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, Cost Plus World Market is wrapping up a merchandising overhaul that has made the 299-unit chain more like its very first store at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, Barry Feld, chief executive officer, told HFN.

Shopko's Specialty Delivery


2233 Fri, 09/05/2008 - 1:11pm

The home department of ShopKo’s new prototype in Green Bay, Wis., takes a cue from specialty-store retailing and is striking a resonant chord with shoppers.
“It’s doing better than the other home stores” in the 136-unit, Midwestern discount chain, Rod Ghormley senior vice president and general merchandise manager of home, told HFN.
The prototype bowed in March and introduces a more feminine color scheme, softer lighting designed to romance the merchandise and an airier feel that “invites [shoppers] to peruse the store,” he said.

Laneve Puts the Accent on Fashion in Home


2233 Thu, 04/17/2008 - 2:28pm

NEW YORK–Bloomingdale’s is undergoing a psychic shift to think more like a fashion house.
The heightened push to deliver rarefied fare at a faster clip could result in an exclusive home partnership next year—a first for the department store, Joe Laneve, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of home, told HFN.

Leading the Way At Bloomingdale’s


2233 Thu, 04/17/2008 - 2:27pm

By Barbara Thau
NEW YORK–In 2002, Bloomingdale’s had lost some of its tony sheen.
The retailer known for glitz and glamour had gotten too promotional. Its assortments had slipped down market.
“We decided that we were not going to win playing in the mainline department store arena,” Michael Gould, chairman and chief executive officer, told HFN.
That’s when Gould decided it was time to trade up the business and push it into the league of Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

J.C. Penney Looks to Hit a Home Run With American Living


2233 Wed, 02/20/2008 - 5:01pm

By Barbara Thau
PLANO, Texas–American Living hits J.C. Penney shelves this month and it’s the retailer’s biggest home launch ever.
While it may seem strange that J.C. Penney is putting so much stock in a previously unheard-of brand, the line comes from Global Brand Concepts, a division of Polo Ralph Lauren. Although the Lauren name is nowhere on the product, J.C. Penney is confident that the merchandise’s feel and presentation will cue shoppers that American Living is unmistakably Ralph, Penney officials said.

MoMA, Conran Shop Spring Forth With New Collections


2233 Fri, 02/08/2008 - 5:52pm

By Barbara Thau
NEW YORK–Spring has sprung for trend-setting, modernist retailers The Conran Shop and the Museum of Modern Art Design Store as the merchants unveiled their new collections for the season.
Both lines play up humor, color and contemporary design.
The highlights of MoMA’s spring mix are its exclusive Destination Alessi and Destination Japan programs, Bonnie McKay, director of merchandising, creative and marketing, told HFN.

Williams-Sonoma Does a 360 Turn


2233 Wed, 01/23/2008 - 5:01pm

By Barbara Thau
NEW YORK–Williams-Sonoma has earmarked e-commerce as a massive growth opportunity, based on strong early results from its Project 360 marketing platform.

Costco Home Keeps Plugging Away


2233 Fri, 01/11/2008 - 5:00pm

By Barbara Thau
BELLEVUE, Wash.–Five years after launching its first store in Kirkland, Wash., Costco Home is still in test mode.
Today, the two-unit home furnishings spinoff of the nation’s leading warehouse club chain is deepening its commitment to serving up high-end merchandise with a “wow” factor as it looks to woo more Costco loyalists to the home subbrand, Pat Callans, corporate vice president of home and business delivery for Costco Home, told HFN.
“We still consider Costco Home to be a format we’re tinkering with,” Callans said.