Furniture - Case Studies

Furniture Brands Wants to Focus On the Brands

2233 Thu, 05/29/2008 - 3:33pm

HIGH POINT, N.C.–While the battle goes on at the corporate level for who will ultimately control Furniture Brands International, at the furniture level the new executives running the business said they are making progress in their efforts to get the company moving in the right direction again.

Croscill’s Crossover

2233 Wed, 05/14/2008 - 3:11pm

By Nancy Meyer
NEW YORK–Croscill Home continues to venture beyond its core soft-home business with big-box retailers.
The bedding and bath company’s latest brand extension into lighting, accent furniture and pet beds is taking it to new markets, such as this month’s Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Market in July.

Among Contemporaries

2233 Thu, 04/17/2008 - 2:46pm

By Nancy Meyer
NEW YORK–Bloomingdale’s is polishing its furniture.
The upmarket fashion retailer is moving even more into the contemporary realm in furniture and home decor to keep pace with its clientele. This is being reflected this season in the mix, and will be demonstrated in a full statement in the 59th Street Manhattan flagship, which is undergoing a total renovation expected to be complete next January. The new look will be more open and flow better between style segment, which will lean heavily on modern and contemporary, officials said.

Vendors Ready to Move Ahead

2233 Wed, 03/05/2008 - 5:27pm

By Nancy Meyer
NEW YORK–If it’s anything like last year, 2008 could be a tough year for the ready-to-assemble furniture business, but vendors expect growth from new products presented at the recent Las Vegas Market.
About midyear 2007, sales of RTA stalled, mirroring the difficulties in traditional furniture and in mass retailing, sources told HFN. Distribution channels didn’t shift much. Mass merchants, office superstores and electronics chains continued to command the lion’s share of the business.

RTA Keeps Pace With Technology

2233 Thu, 12/20/2007 - 4:54pm

By Nancy Meyer

HIGH POINT, N.C.-The future of the ready-to-assemble furniture category was on the minds of manufacturers as the top guns from the major retailers were in town asking big-picture questions.

High-level executives from Wal-Mart, for instance, came to the High Point Market to query RTA vendors about what a home office will look like five years from now, and how technology advances will affect home entertainment going forward, sources told HFN. But Circuit City and many other big boxes were here, too, asking similar questions, they said.

Comparison Shopping Nets Disparity in Mattresses

2233 Thu, 12/06/2007 - 12:50pm

By David Gill
NEW YORK— When it comes to selling mattresses, the saying, “to each his own,” certainly applies, as recent visits to retailers in northern New Jersey revealed.
HFN visited two full-line furniture stores: a Macy’s Home Store and a Raymour & Flanigan, and two mattress showrooms, a 1800mattress.com location and a Sleepy’s store. The stores are located on high-traffic thoroughfares and surrounded by many chain and single-unit retailers in a variety of product categories.