Monday, January 24, 2011 THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY | hometextilestoday.com | Vol. 32, No. 3 | $8.00 NEW YORK, NY (January 24, 2010) Fashion Designer Peter Som, famous for his bold sophistication and eclectic elegance, has partnered with , the world leader in luxury linens, to create a modern, stylish bedding collection. “I’m thrilled to see my prints and inspirations transformed from the runway to bedding in the way only can,” says Peter Som. “ has a tradition of the ultimate in quality and their craftsmanship is second to none. They are an ideal partner for this evolution of our brand.” tradition of the ultimate in quality fabrics and rich colors for bedding, table and bath linens, combined with Peter Som’s mastery of sophisticated yet quirky prints create a brand new way of dressing the bed. “Peter is a rare talent,” says owner Paul Hooker, “whose vivid prints leap off the runway and translate beautifully into the home or elsewhere. We are incredibly excited about this collaboration and are delighted to be brining Peter’s unique look into people’s homes. We look forward to its resounding success.” debuts in stores March 2011. The collection is comprised of four signature beds which include sheeting, matelassés, quilts, duvet covers, accent pillows and shams. It is printed in Italy at one of the world’s most renowned print houses. The design of each bed reflects Som’s splashy yet refined ready- to-wear collections from past seasons. The collection will launch at the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Center, January 31st through February 3rd in booth . For more information on contact Steve Schneider at 732 225 6290; for more information on , visit petersom.com. ADVERTISEMENT
Transcript
Monday, January 24, 2011
THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY | hometextilestoday.com | Vol. 32, No. 3 | $8.00
NEW YORK, NY (January 24, 2010) Fashion Designer Peter
Som, famous for his bold sophistication and eclectic
elegance, has partnered with , the world leader
in luxury linens, to create a modern, stylish bedding
collection. “I’m thrilled to see my prints and inspirations
transformed from the runway to bedding in the way only
can,” says Peter Som. “ has a tradition of
the ultimate in quality and their craftsmanship is second
to none. They are an ideal partner for this evolution
of our brand.” tradition of the ultimate in
quality fabrics and rich colors for bedding, table and
bath linens, combined with Peter Som’s mastery of
sophisticated yet quirky prints create a
brand new way of dressing the bed. “Peter
is a rare talent,” says owner Paul
Hooker, “whose vivid prints leap off the
runway and translate beautifully into the
home or elsewhere. We are incredibly
excited about this collaboration and are
delighted to be brining Peter’s unique look
into people’s homes. We look forward to
its resounding success.”
debuts in stores March 2011.
The collection is comprised of four signature beds which
include sheeting, matelassés, quilts, duvet covers, accent
pillows and shams. It is printed in Italy at one of the
world’s most renowned print houses. The design of each
bed reflects Som’s splashy yet refined ready- to-wear
collections from past seasons.
The collection will launch at the New York International
Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Center, January 31st through
THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY | hometextilestoday.com | Vol. 32, No. 4 | $8.00
ATLANTA — The wintry weather that stormed into Atlanta earlier this month took some toll on the retailer traffi c at the International Area Rug Market here, suppliers said.
Many area rug companies with showrooms at the AmericasMart came to the market optimistic for business in 2011 — and with reason: Their appointment books were full, more so than they had been since the econ-omy began sagging.
Several retailers did make it, but others never did, leaving the high-ly anticipated traffi c count somewhat lower by day three of the bi-annu-al event.
See page 11 for some of the highlights from the area rug exhibitors:
Shaw Living’s Tommy Bahama designer license continues to grow with four new design additions debuting at this winter’s markets. Among them is Paradiso Paisley, a traditional concept with a bohemian air reinterpreted in a large-scale pattern.
Suppliers Unveil New Rug Collections in Atlanta
SEE ATLANTA PAGE 11
LAS VEGAS AND NEW YORK —With signs that retail continues to improve, if slowly, and that hospitality orders are strengthen-ing, suppliers are hopeful going into the New York International Gift Fair and Las Vegas Markets, which both kick off this week.
The Home Textiles Market Week portion of the New York International Gift Fair at the Ja-vits Center as well as in show-rooms participating in Gift Fair Week will feature more than 600 bed, bath, linen and home fash-ions suppliers. In addition to Ja-vits, they will be located at at Pier 94, 230 Fifth Ave., and 7 W. 34th St.
Nearly 60 exhibitors will be new to the show, and among the exhibitors returning after an ab-sence are Forza and Gerry Nich-ols. Among those expanding
Vegas and New York Gear up for Winter Markets
BLH introduces its Trafalgar duvet set during the Gift Fair this week. See pages 14-17 for additional Gift Fair introductions and pages 18-20 for Las Vegas products.
SEE PREVIEW PAGE 2
NEW YORK — When it comes to sourcing issues at the dawn of 2011, the price of raw mate-rials, particularly cotton, ranks as the top issue — just as it did a year ago.
Global manufacturers and importers interviewed during the recent Heimtextil trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, reported that customers have largely accepted the fact and are looking for work-arounds, including de-specing.
Limited cotton resources and higher prices have also put manufacturers in the driver’s seat for the fi rst time in years, many said.
“What we see this time is that the whole industry is changing,” said Mohit Jain, director of In-doCount Industries. “This is a new era in the textile industry. All customers have stated an understanding that what cot-ton is, it is – and they’ve accept-ed the cotton situation and now
we all have to fi nd ways to work around it and see what new ways we can do.”
Many suppliers said what’s lacking now is faster deci-sion-making by customers, al-though some were burned often enough last year by rap-idly fl uctuating prices that they are at least moving on partial orders.
“Obviously, the volatility of the market is always a topic of conversation, but we’re real-ly seeing the turn on the pos-itive note – let’s kind of move on from this volatility and let’s look at new innovation – and design and trend and color – and really see what we can offer to our customer because at the end of the day, that’s till what’s important. And that’s not specifi c to the US or to any country,” said Lexi Schlanden-hauff, vp of marketing and de-sign, 1888 Mills.
2 Home Textiles Today News > hometextilestoday.com
NEW YORK — The Fashion Institute of Technology Home Products Development Depart-ment scholarship event i s going to be an evening cock-tail reception during New York Home Fashions market week, rather than the traditional breakfast event.
The scholarship fundraiser, marking its 15th anniversary this year, will take place Mon-
day, March 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Blu at the Hotel Indigo at 127 W. 28 St.
The reception will honor Barry Leonard, president of Welspun USA, as well as all previous honorees, going back to its debut in 1997. Past hon-orees have been invited to attend and many are expected to be on hand.
Individual tickets are avail-
able to the reception, which is being sponsored by Leonard and Revman International. Attendees are also asked to con-tribute by sponsoring current FIT student travel to industry trade show and markets.
Information and registra-tion details are available at fi t-nyc.edu/homeproducts15 or by calling Vicki Guranowski at (212) 217-4100. HTT
FIT Scholarship Event Shifts to Evening Cocktail Format
January 24, 2011
their space are Blissliving Home, Dransfi eld & Ross, Fino Lino, Libeco Home and Versai.
“The Market’s concurrence with NYIGF, and the show-rooms’ gift markets, provides buyers with overall access to more than 100,000 comple-mentary gift, lifestyle and home lines. No other U.S. market offers such a depth of home tex-tiles and breadth of related prod-ucts,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM
senior vice president. Las Vegas is debuting the Gift
+ Home segment of the show on the 5th Floor of Building C in additional to more than 1,200 exhibitors from other home fur-nishings product categories par-ticipating in main event.
Also boosting the participa-tion of interior designers, The Interior Design Society will hold its two-day national leader-ship conference in tandem with the show Jan. 22-23.
“Our goal is to exceed the expectations of design profes-sions by not only serving as a
comprehensive, stae of the art home furnishings resource, but also as a hub for timely, relevant education and entertaining pro-gramming and events, “said Las Vegas Design Center vp Randy Wells.
The Vegas show’s special pro-gramming kicks off Monday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. with “First Look” on the 16th floor of Building B. Designer Monica Pedersen of HGTV and home products/rends editor Julie Smith Ven-centi will guide a virtual tour highlighting hot new products at the market. HTT
NYIGF/Vegas PREVIEW FROM PAGE 1
“That’s a global issue. It’s giving the consumer what they want at the end of the day.”
Anurag Sharma, president and ceo of Deesan Industries, said higher cotton prices globally as well as higher freight prices have the potential to make some European mills more competi-tive in their home markets.
“Whatever was the [price] difference for manufacturers in Europe or India is very minimal with the high prices,” he said. “There might be an advantage for Europe with the logistics and the duty factored in.”
For U.S. companies that dis-tribute globally, there are bright spots beyond the U.S.
“I do see turnarounds in cer-tain economies,” said Stan Fra-din, president, Rockland Indus-
tries. “You know, it’s always a bounding ball syndrome, but when one ball is going up another ball is coming down. Certain parts of the world econ-omies are very good right now and producing and performing in a way that everybody seems to be happy with – certain parts of South America, parts of the Middle East, parts of the Pacifi c Rim. I do believe there’s a turn-around.” HTT
WASHINGTON — Signaling a more optimistic attitude about the economy, retailers said they are intent on expanding store counts — both domestically and overseas — and less focused on cost cutting this year.
This is according to the ninth annual Retail Horizons: Bench-marks for 2010, Forecasts for 2011 report, conducted by the National Retail Federation’s research and education arm, the NRF Foundation, and U.S. audit, tax and advisory fi rm KPMG. The report surveyed 318 retail executives representing 135 North American retail companies, including general retailers, depart-ment and specialty stores, supermarkets, restaurants and online companies.
“Retailers in 2011 will be intent on actively growing their businesses and improving customer insight capabilities, in addi-tion to continuing efforts begun during the economic downturn to stabilize operating costs and focus on fi nancial discipline,” NRF said.
The report found that 41% said that their companies intend to increase domestic store expansions in 2011, up from 25% in 2010. Additionally, 25% plan to expand overseas, up from 21% a year ago.
In turn, the number of retailers surveyed who said cost reduc-tion/cost containment will remain a companywide strategic ini-tiative dipped to 58% from 81% in 2010.
Retailers also noted that mobile e-commerce or m-commerce business strategies will be a top focus. “In fact, 69% identify this as a strategic initiative, up considerably from 28% a year ago,” NRF said.
“It’s quite obvious retailers are anxious to put the recession behind them and build upon their customer service initiatives, enhance their mobile platforms and even grow their footprint,” said Katherine Mance, executive director, NRF Foundation
Added Mark Larson, partner in charge of KPMG’s retail group: “These fi ndings dramatically demonstrate that retail expansion is back on the agenda. After several years of belt tightening, retail-ers are also ready to begin experimenting again with new brick and mortar concepts, hoping to appeal to shoppers interested in buying discretionary items once again. They will, however, move ahead with cost discipline in mind.”
Other survey highlights included:• With signifi cant changes in customer shopping behaviors,
74% of retailers in 2011 will increase their consumer insight and data gathering initiatives, up from 65% last year;
• While 56% of retailers surveyed in 2010 said customer ser-vice would be a top priority, 75% said it would be in 2011;
• The number of retailers who report using Twitter jumped from 61% in 2009 to 79% in 2010, and now an additional 18% said they are planning on using the social networking site for their e-commerce program during the next 18 months;
• In reviewing customer insight initiatives, 78% of the execs ranked customer loyalty programs first, up from 65% a year ago;
• 80% of retailers surveyed said leadership development will be a top priority in 2011, up from 69%in 2010;
• Among supply chain initiatives, greater focus will be made for optimizing the distribution network, increasing to 52% in 2011 from 38% in 2010, and for cross-docking up from 17% to 24%. HTT
NRF/KPMG Report: Retailers
on Expansion Path in 2011
Pricing SOURCING FROM PAGE 1
DALTON, GA. — Shaw Living, the rug division of parent Shaw Industries, is underway with the second phase of its rug consoli-dation plans.
Last year, the company com-pleted the first phase of this effort, consolidating rug distri-bution at its Ringgold, Ga. Facil-ity, and now all manufacturing
equipment from Shaw Living’s other sites are set to be moved over the next few months to the newly state-of-the-art Ringgold plant.
“This move will be a signifi -cant benefit to our customers, as it will improve our time to market and customer service,” explained Herb Upton, Shaw
Living director of operations. “All of our Shaw Living assets, includ-ing R&D, design, manufacturing, sales, and distribution, will now be centrally located. This under-taking demonstrates our contin-ued commitment to improving our position as a world-class sup-plier of machine-made woven and tufted rugs.” HTT
Shaw Living Embarks on Second Phase of Rug Consolidation Efforts
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OPINIONTodaY
MOS T FOL K S I N T H IS BUSI N ES S seem to be heaving a sigh of relief that Heimtex-til proved as positive as everyone hoped. No, it wasn’t boom times. But yes, the shelves
had to be refi lled and many retailers realized that high-er prices aren’t a fairy tale.
No, it was not like old times. In days of yore, Heimtextil attendees were traditional retailer and supplier/importer buyers — often bring-ing massive numbers of employees to roam the halls.
Today that population mix has changed. This year, there were the regular retailers and suppliers, albeit in reduced size of buying team, but also interior designers, architects and contract furniture buyers.
Hopefully there will be a growing understanding on the part of home textiles manufacturers about the differ-ences between the distribution of merchandise. It’s defi -nitely not a one-size-fi ts-all business.
First off, there are channels of distribution that most vendors have overlooked or ignored. For one, there is
the entire family of dollar stores — a segment that is in-creasingly moving onto the ranks of the top home tex-tiles retailers.
Then there are the supermarkets. When you consider the large regionals and independents there’s a huge vol-
ume potential in virtually every area of home textiles — except perhaps window. And I’ve seen a great many of them with few major sup-plier names attached.
There continues to be a lot more talk about contract business beyond hospitality. That’s a segment in which many in the conventional
home textiles world feel comfortable. But we’re also hearing references to assisted living,
health care, transportation and more. Closer to home there are related business segments
like kids, furniture and what seems to be a dramatically expanding opportunity — interior designers.
With traditional retail business starting to look better, this is not the time to retreat to the same-old-same-old business patterns. HTT
“With traditional retail business starting to look better, this is not the time to retreat to the same-old-same-old business patterns.”
CaroleSloanFOUNDING
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Expanding Business Segments
IN W H AT SHOU L D COM E as a surprise to no one, retailers are planning to start adding stores again.
According to the ninth annual Retail Horizons by the National Retail Federation, 41% of retailers in-
tend to step up domestic store expansions this year, up from 25% last year. In addition, 25% plan to expand over-seas, up from 21% a year ago.
As a demonstration of confidence, it’s a good thing. It’s good news for builders, one of the slowest segments of the workforce to regain jobs. And it’s good news for suppliers — more shelf space.
I wonder, though, if there’s enough consum-er appetite out there to justify ramping it all up again. Yes, there are some dense urban markets that many major retailers have failed to pene-trate, not to mention rural markets. And some retailers have begun talking about how to reach into them, most notably Walmart.
But are consumers really going to start spend-ing like it’s 2005? Over-storing, anyone? When you think about it, the bulk of the big-name store closures that rocked the industry took place before the recession. Once
the economy tanked, retailers trimmed a few stores here and there, and put ambitious store rollout plans on the shelf.
It’s not as though a bunch of stores disappeared over the past couple of years. And it’s not clear that the chains that fell did so unnecessarily. Their business went elsewhere; they went poof.
One also has to consider online shopping, which has been growing at a more rapid clip than any other format and made explosive gains during the 2010 holiday season. In addition, mo-bile shopping is on the rise — and there retailers are rightly stepping up their efforts.
In the NRF survey, 69% of retail execs iden-tifi ed e-commerce and m-commerce as strategic initiatives — up from 28% in 2010 — and many plan to invest in consumer insight methodology, data gathering and social networking.
Certainly, that’s where a big part of the fu-ture lies. It will be interesting to see to what ex-
tent Wall Street – which has long used store counts as a key yardstick of growth – rewards expansion in the ether-sphere. HTT
JenniferMarks
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“In what should come as a surprise to no one, retailers are planning to start adding stores again.”
If They Build it, Will Shoppers Come?
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All I’m askin’Is for a little despec when you come home, just a little bit.
Hey baby, just a little bit.”Aretha, you had it right, baby. All this
home textiles industry wants is just a lit-tle despec. As in, despecing the product to within an inch of its very life … and then maybe a few micrometers more.
With raw materials costs approaching the national debt level and no end in sight to future increases — I’ve replaced the il-legal substances I was growing on my ter-race with a fresh window box planting of cotton — every supplier from the Caroli-nas to Karachi is trying to fi gure out a way to take something else out of their products and cut their manufacturing costs.
“D-E-S-P-E-C,Find out what it means to me. D-E-S-P-E-C,
Take care, TCB”The reasons for this activity are of course obvious. Everyone is
terrifi ed of being the fi rst to raise prices in a nightmare game of tex-tiles chicken. This for a product that the consumer buys once every three to fi ve years — at best — and for which she isn’t exactly keep-ing count of prices the way she does for a gallon of gas, a loaf of bread or a Starbucks mochachino.
“I ain’t gonna’ do you wrong while you’re gone Ain’t gonna do you wrong, ‘cause I don’t wanna’ ,
All I’m askin’”Is for a little despec when you come home, just a little bit.”
But there’s another reason for all of this and it’s got nothing to do with fear. It’s all about ignorance. As in ignorance on the part of the consumer who doesn’t know any better about what makes a good textiles product and what makes a piece of garbage.
And that’s because there’s been nobody out there telling her. As the industry slowly but surely cuts back on marketing, advertis-ing and virtually any kind of direct informational contact with its end-users, she gradually became conditioned to buy based on some vague understanding that more threads were good and low prices even better. It was kind of a variation on the old light beer pitch: More fi lling, less cost.
So now she goes into a store and sees a wall of towels and hasn’t a clue why one costs $3.99 and the seemingly similar one next to it is $9.99. Carded? Combed? Pima? Dobby? You might as well be talking Martian (as in the planet, not the stores.)
So, you could give her a bag of tissue paper and as long as it was a big bag, with a lot of stuff in it and had a pretty picture on the package she will buy it because she doesn’t know any better.
“I’m about to give you all of my money And all I’m askin’ in return, honey
Is to give me my profi ts When you get home.”
This is the profi t margin scenario the home textiles industry has adapted: make crap and sell it for less. Mind you, it’s a not a bad model and lots of companies in lots of industries have gone the same route. It works.
But there comes a point where you just can’t despec any more, and that’s about where the industry fi nds itself at now. There is nothing else that can be taken out of the products — no more picks, no more threads, no more hems, no more stitches. Nothing.
Something has to give and it has to be prices. “Oh, sock it to me, sock it to me,
Sock it to me, sock it to me.”
Just a Little Despec, Just a Little Bit
WarrenShoulberg
PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
January 24, 2011
GARDENA, CALIF. — Softline Home Fashions has hired Diana Peña operations manager.
Peña, who had been with Victoria Classics, will report to Maria Tolentino, general man-
ager. Her five years of supply
chain experience and fl uency in both the English and Span-ish language “will strength-en Softline’s operation and re-
inforce its ability to meet the needs of its customers,” the company said in a statement. Softline produces ready-made curtains, decorative pillows and fabric by the bolt. HTT
WARE, MASS. — Berkshire Blankets has appointed Scott Maddalene senior vp of sales.
Maddalene was most recent-ly senior vp Ralph Lauren/mar-keting at WestPoint Home.
Prior to that, he was senior vp sales for the U.S. home di-
vision of international trading house Li & Fung. Before that, Maddalene was with WestPoint Home, WestPoint Stevens and JP Stevens for over 25 years. He held a wide variety of senior management positions, includ-ing vice president sales for the
eastern region, managing direc-tor of WestPoint Stevens (Eu-rope) Ltd., vp merchandising Ralph Lauren division, and vp merchandising for both the bed and bath area. He began his textiles career at Wamsut-ta. HTT
Maddalene Joins Berkshire Blankets
W H I T E P L A I N S , N .Y. — Brunschwig & Fils, a 111-year-old distributor of upper-end wall coverings and upholstery fabrics, has filed for Chapter 11 bank-ruptcy protection but may be rescued by competitor Kravet Inc.
The White Plains, N.Y.-based Brunschwig & Fils listed assets of $10.9 million and debt totaling $18.4 million, accord-ing to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court here. The company’s largest unse-cured claim for $3.4 million is
to the Pension Benefi t Guaran-ty Corp.
The family-owned company cited a decline in sales of 35% in 2009, followed by a 30% de-crease in 2010. The company at-tributed it to lack of consumer spending.
Meanwhile, Kravet has of-fered $6.5 million in cash plus other considerations. Brunschwig wants other offers by March 3, with an auction not more than two days later to see if anyone will top Kravet’s offer.
Brunschwig said it has no
plans to close its 17 showrooms in the U.S. and three abroad, where it offers 17,000 fabrics and 12,000 wall coverings to the trade.
“The restructuring is a busi-ness decision that will not affect the quality of our products, or present and future orders,” said Brunschwig ceo Olivier Pear-son said in a statement. “Our relationships with the lines we represent remain intact and the Brunschwig & Fils Design Stu-dio is creating new patterns for future release.” HTT
Kravat May Buy Brunschwig & Fils out of Chapter 11
Softline Hires Peña as Operations Manager
WOOLRICH, PA. — Outdoor lifestyle products manufactur-er Woolrich Inc. has extended its partnership with pet product company PM&J to create a new line of pet beds and other pet goods for the U.S. market.
Set to debut in mid March during the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla., the initial pro-gram will comprise pet beds for retailers nationwide.
Woolrich and PM&J already market a line of pet products to-gether in Europe, which they have offered for the past few years together.
Available in small, medi-
um and large sizes, the new pet beds are designed to offer sup-portive comfort for pets while acting as decorative additions to the homes of pet owners. Each piece will don any of a number of Woolrich iconic fabrics, such as buffalo check, plaids, herring-bone patterns, and sherpas.
Later this year, the line will expand into leashes, carriers, and pet apparel.
“PM&J’s pet line will be de-signed to blend with the nature inspired décor that Woolrich Home is known for,” said Sha-ron Kepley, licensing manager of home furnishings for Wool-
rich.The PM&J pet bed line
is intended to complement Woolrich’s existing brand part-ners and their products, which include: JLA Home for top-of-bed, textile wall art and pillows; Lynn Haney Collection for handcrafted Santas; Mohawk Home for fl oor coverings; Pic-ture Source for wall art; Rowe Pottery Works for hand-crafted pottery and garden décor; Shad-ow Mountain for case-goods; Shady Lady for handcrafted lighting and accessories; and Whitecraft for indoor and out-door furniture. HTT
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Atlanta Market
Round-UpShaw Living
Shaw Living debuted its new HGTV-branded area rug program, which is divided into two sections. The fi rst is an assortment of rugs made of PET fi ber from recycled plastic beverage bottles, the fi rst time Shaw employs this fi ber for rugs. The collection spans 20 whimsical and brightly colored patterns, such as the starburst Mia, the striated Dakota, a shadow fl oral called Charlotte, and the elegant paisley dubbed India, among several others. A 5-by-8 is set to retail for $329.
The other HGTV grouping is made of Shaw’s own “EverTouch” nylon, making the rugs recyclable. Hitting a higher price bracket of $579 for a 5-by-8, the pieces come in more than a dozen upscale designs and more muted palettes, including the over-scaled Patina pattern, the patchwork skin Kalahari, the tribal Juneau and a transitional fl oral called Eastern Market.
Capel RugsCapel Rugs presented a custom rug option to a broader customer beyond the high-end market with its new “Creative Concepts by Capel” collection of natural fi ber made-to-order styles.
Allen Robertson, vp of sales, said the company has made it a simple three-step process. First, shoppers choose from six bases: cane wicker, white wicker, grassy moun-tain, raffi a, bramble, and sisal. Then, they select a border fabric, either from Capel’s library of 100 fabrics or one of their own. Finally, they pick a size and/or shape.
The prices are $400 for a single fabric bordered rug and $500 for a rug featuring multiple fabrics on the bor-der.
Also new at Capel was the “Convertible” collection of reversible rugs. Comprising seven rugs, each features two designs — one on each side — that apply the same palette for more decorating options within the same color story. Made in India, Convertible rugs are priced at $700 for a 5-by-8, which Robertson noted is a 40% sav-ings from buying two rugs.
Surya Inc. In the spotlight at Surya Inc., which celebrated its 35th anniversary during market, is a newly enhanced mar-keting effort for retail customers. A new quick-ship pro-gram allows customers to order any of the company’s 200 best-selling rugs and have them delivered to their doors within 72 hours or less. The program spans “our regular meat-and-potatoes designs, but it also includes a lot of newer trend styles and some of our branded offer-ings like Candice Olson,” said Seth King, vp of sales and marketing. The idea is to offer instant gratifi cation to shoppers.
The company is also revamping its catalog, which features all 1,500-plus rugs in improved photography set-tings — “corner shots that show the true color and tex-ture of our rugs, and not just a fl at shot that sometimes doesn’t really represent it.”
The catalog will launch April 1.
KarastanBuilding on the reaction to the Karastan Studio collec-tion of nylon rugs that launched January 2010, Karastan
Rugs came to market with 10 additional transitional and contemporary designs.
Made domestically like all of the company’s other area rugs, Karastan Studio rugs offer a more modern design as well as an affordable price point — via its nylon construction — at $499 for a 5-by-8. Its woolen traditional counterpart, Karastan Original, typically retails for $999.
Still focused on the high-end customer, Karastan also brought a new offering for its Original line to mar-ket. Under the new “Iconoclast” design grouping, three new patterns are contemporary and meant to reach a broader, younger luxury consumer.
Oriental WeaversOriental Weavers is expanding its staple cross-woven construction offerings with the new Odyssey collec-tion. Made using a “complicated manufacturing pro-cess” largely unique to the company, this collection’s rugs depict an abrashed design effect and employ up to 36 colors. The machine-made Odyssey has been two
years in the making. Its design portfolio spans traditional through contemporary and in between. A 5-by-8 is set to retail for $349.
Colonial WilliamsburgColonial Williamsburg marked a milestone this mar-ket with the launch of a partnership with a third-party designer Kate McRostie. Williamsburg has tradition-ally worked with its licensees to create collections using design elements from the brand’s archive. But with McRostie, Williamsburg is developing new patterns and designs inspired by its archives and legacy rather than exact representations.
McRostie has created Embroidered Garden pattern for a collection with C & F Enterprises that spans sev-eral cross-coordinated categories — top of bed, decora-tive pillows, accent rugs, kitchen towels, monogrammed embroidered linen guest towels, wall art and tabletop.
Embroidered Garden will be expanded into more product categories with other Williamsburg licensees for future markets.
SafaviehSafavieh feted the launch of its new Ralph Lauren pro-gram at Atlanta market. The program comprises two col-lections that offer a fresh, reinterpretation of the long-standing brand’s signature layered looks that incorporate preppy traditional plaids and tailored menswear patterns with ticking stripes and organic elements. The idea was for Safavieh to work with the brand to create inspired looks rather than literal translations for a new approach to Ralph Lauren Home’s area rugs.
The fi rst is Ralph Lauren, which spans 25 patterns in varied constructions — 18 hand-knotted, two hand-hooked, two leather patchwork, and three fl at-weave —
for a total of 65 skus. The more high-end of the licensed line’s two groupings, the rugs are set to retail between $2,000 to $12,960 for a 5-by-8. Ralph Lauren rugs are made in India, Pakistan, Tibet, China and Belgium.
The more casual counterpart, the Lauren Ralph Lauren collection makes up the second grouping in the line. Made in India, China and Belgium, the 40 skus here fall under 15 patterns and various construc-tion, including fi ve hand-knotted, two fl at-weave, three sisal weave, two hand-tufted, one hand-loomed, and two power-loomed. Retail price points range from $960 to $2,880 for a 5-by-8.
Both groups are made to work hand in hand with each other via related color stores and loosely tied design themes.
Designs for the Ralph Lauren segment include: East-wood, a 100% wool Heriz center medallion inspired by the antique rugs used to complement traditional Ralph Lauren lifestyle interiors; and Taos, a wool cut and loop that combines Sumak and Peshawar weaving to create a modern expression of an American Indian motif.
In the Lauren Ralph Lauren group, new patterns include: Cliff Stripe, a cut and loop weave in hemp and jute in a casual stripe inspired by a classic mattress ticking stripe; and Lancaster, made of hemp and jute in an open and airy interpretation of a Persian rug in an eco-friendly rug for casual interiors.
MomeniMomeni stepped up collections and its average retail price points for the fi rst time in more than two years at the Atlanta market.
Austin Craley, vp of sales, told HTT: “Pricing has been very important, which is why we’ve introduced new collections like Dream, Belmont and Royal, which all are set to retail for less than $300.”
But as raw material prices continue to climb paired with what seems to be an improving economic climate, Momeni also came to market with three new collec-tions — Berkshire, Gramercy and Sensations — that are priced on a higher bracket of $449, $389 and $439, respectively.
Berkshire is a plush India-made hooked grouping in lively color schemes.
Gramercy represents “the hottest construction we’ve been showing [in Atlanta market],” Craley said. These are hand-loomed rugs that the company described as loom-knotted because of their special tex-ture and style interpretation, and are made in India of 100% wool. Looks include striates, stripes, carved looks and others.
Sensations, which Craley called “another hit this market,” is a wool-and-viscose story that employs a machine-made base with hand-tufted accents. HTT
Safavieh’s new Ralph Lauren Rugs program is divvied into two groupings – the more upscale Ralph Lauren, and the more casual Lauren Ralph Lauren – the latter which includes transitional looks like this hemp-and-jute Persian pattern titled Lancaster.
Oriental Weavers USA, Inc.introduced its Odyssey collection at the recent Atlanta market.
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NEW YORK — The New York Chapter of The International Furnishings and Design Asso-ciation (IFDA) is set to pres-ent its “Color Forecast 2012” during the upcoming Inter-national Gift Fair and Home Textiles Market Week here at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
Doty Horn , di rec tor o f color and design for Benjamin Moore, will present the com-pany’s 2012 Color Pulse Pro-gram and will offer the limited-edition book specially priced for seminar attendees. Crys-tal Gentifello, editor-in-chief of Rue Magazine, will discuss how consumers are interpret-
ing color trends in their homes and how online publishing is changing the way readers receive information.
The event is scheduled Jan. 31 in Room 1A02-03 at the convention center, which is located on 11th Avenue and West 36th Street. It begins at 8:30 a.m. with a continental
breakfast, which will be fol-lowed by the presentation from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Ticket prices for early birds making their purchase through Jan. 26 are as follows: $30 members, $5 guests, $15 stu-dent members, and $20 stu-dents. Tickets purchased Jan. 27 through 31 are: $40 mem-
IFDA to Present Color Forecast 2012 at NYIGF
January 24, 2011
bers, $55 guests, $25 student members, and $30 students.
Reservations can be made by calling (212) 686-6020 or emailing [email protected].
All IFDA members who reg-ister for this event will receive a complimentary badge – a $50 value -- to the New York Inter-national Gift Fair/Home Tex-tiles Market Week presented by George Little Management. HTT
WHITTIER, CALIF. — Leggett & Platt Consumer Products Group will be hosting a special ongo-ing contest during the upcom-ing winter 2011 Las Vegas Mar-ket for retail buyers to win iPads, $100 casino chips and more when they visit the company’s showroom.
Leggett & Platt’s contest is being aligned with the com-pany’s launch of its advanced application of the MicroSilver BG antimicrobial technology in its newest product introduc-tion, the SilverShell antimicro-bial mattress protector. Silver-Shell inhibits 99.9% of germs, protecting a mattress from stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew that cause fabric deterioration. The antimicrobial technology uses natural elemen-tal silver to inhibit germs.
Spinning off from that is the company’s new SilverShell Wheel Spin contest, in which retailers shopping the compa-ny’s showroom can enter to win any of a variety of prizes, includ-ing iPads, $100 casino chips (usable at any Caesar’s Enter-tainment casino in Las Vegas), and a night at the movies for two, compliments of Leggett & Platt. In addition, each partici-pant will have a chance to take home a new SilverShell antimi-crobial mattress protector.
Leggett & Platt’s World Mar-ket Center showroom is in space B-1326, and its contest will run Jan. 24 to 26, the fi rst three days of the market. HTT
Winter Market in NYVisit us at the New York Int’l Gift Fair to discover our complete Spring/Summer 2011 collection. Schedule an appointment by calling (866) 95 BLISS or email us at [email protected] our complete SP11 collection before the show at http://www.blisslivinghome.com/wholesale/
New York Int’l Gift Fair - Jan 30-Feb 3 Booth #7823, Javits Center, 655 West 34th Street
SHOW SPECIALSThis market, we are pleased to offer stocking customers 20% off show orders over $1000, and 30% off show orders over $5000. No minimums for all standard orders. Join us for Bliss Happy Hour at our booth in New York on Monday, Jan 31st from 4-6pm.
a global touch for the modern home
london calling spring & summer 2011by blissliving® home
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1. DownRight’s Logana comforter is made of Batiste fabric, which weighs at least 25% less than other weaves. The comforter is woven in Europe and filled with either 800+ fill power Siberian white goose down, or 980+ fill power Canadian white goose down.
2. Kumi Kookoon’s new line of cashmere throws is framed with a border of silk charmeuse.
3. Pendelton’s Navajo bedding puts a contemporary spin on imagery from 19th Century Navajo rugs.
4. Amity Home’s Catalina collection is made of 100% linen in India.
5. Domay’s Sherpa throws under the “Hotel by Domay” brand are available as double-sided Sherpa or Sherpa reversing to mink.
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6. Bliss Living’s London Calling features a charcoal screen print on white cotton sateen. Available either as duvet set or comforter set.
7. Ann Gish introduces the Lapiz Byzantine duvet cover and euro shams with quilted velvet coverlet and velvet pillows in the steel colorway.
8. Cococozy is launched its first home furnishings line, a collection of bespoke linen pillows, drapery, bedding and cotton knit throws.
9. Yep Yup pet beds are made in the United States of cotton canvas, dyed and printed using water-based inks.
10. Wallace’s new Papaya dec pillow is designed and made in the United Kingdom.
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1. Jacanda Living’s embroidered, cotton percale boudoir covers are made by a small group of women living in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
2. Textillery Weavers’s Bamboo collection now includes the colors of granite and platinum in a contemporary group of menswear patterns.
3. Soul Soup introduces new poetry-inspired textiles that are a natural brand extension of the company’s prints, greeting cards, and books.
4. Rococo is showing a collection of brightly colored and whimsical decorative pillows.
5. LinenMe linens are available in about 30 colors for table linens, curtains, pillows and other soft furnishings accessories.
6. Glory Fibers is showing more than 70 pillow designs that are hand-painted on silk, including themes from modern painters as well as geometrics, beach, reef and wildlife scenes.
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7. Chilewich is offering its first oval tablemat in the classic Mini Basketweave in a choice of 10 colors: dark walnut, dill, espresso, gravel, light grey, linen, parchment, soapstone, tomato and turquoise.
8. Serenity Fair’s new cashmere tree print throw is double-faced in ivory and camel with four-inch fringe on two ends.
9. Allem is introducing several new table linen designs including Aqua Splash, with a hand-screened print on cotton poplin.
10. Protect-A-Bed’s new BugLock Bed Bug Protection Pack is designed to offer big box specialty store retailers a system to address the bed bug issue.
11. Zoocchini’s zebra hooded towel package brings plush-toy play to bath time.
12. Michaelian Home is introducing new hand-hooked rug designs as part of its Appalachian Collection. Rugs range from 2-ft. by 3-ft. to 9-ft. by 12-ft. and include runners.
13. Sustainable Threads introduces a line of fair trade, hand-woven napkins made by women of the Bodo tribes of India.
14. Brita Sweden makes its U.S. debut with colorful collections of table linens, such as Lisa, seen here, as well as kitchen towels and rugs.
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1. Hallmart is making a bold black-and-white statement for the bedroom with its new Carrington collection.
2. Home Source International is presenting its Bamboo bedding collection, which features its new “box” design in the company’s two new colors – black pearl and berry.
3. Softline Home Fashions’ Romance collection gets into the mood with its eco-friendly, water- and stain-repellent antimicrobial fabric. Available in 23 colors,
the collection comes as a ready-made curtain, decorative pillow or by the bolt.
4. C & F Enterprises’ Hotel collection spans three new decorative pillow designs – Paris, Arc and Hotel, the latter seen here. The pieces come in the 18-inch square size.
5. Daniel Stuart is introducing several new decorative pillow styles, including two Patchwork designs – a heart, a peace symbol, and a flower, as seen here. All come as 18-inch squares.
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6. Kimlor’s Browning Buckmark bedding collection is made of 100% cotton. Its components include comforter sets and sheet sets, window treatments, decorative pillows, and shower curtains.
7. Manual Woodworkers and Weavers is introducing its French Chateau collection of decorative pillows and matching throws, as seen here. This damask throw features French architectural style details with cursive calligraphy and an elegant tone-on-tone scheme. Additional woven styles feature a fleur de lis pattern.
8. Hudson Industries’ SenseGel pillows are designed to give tridimensional gel elasticity through a new memory foam technology for a cooling, soft surface. The company created five styles of these pillows – Anatomic, Contour, “SnoreNoMore,” Ultimate Side Sleeper, and MultiUse.
9. Denali’s new Denim Daisy is a denim-, sage- and cream- colored floral pattern in micro-plush acrylic. Double sided, this piece is made in the USA and is machine washable.
10. Leggett & Platt’s new SilverShell antimicrobial mattress protector inhibits 99.9% of germs, which the company said protects the mattress from stain- and odor-causing bacteria and from mold and mildew.
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1. Rizzy Home / Home Texco has expanded its bedding line with Aragon, a retro pattern in lime green, white, and cool gray colorways. The company layers contrasting fabrics, textures, and custom details for a spring look.
2. Couristan’s new cream-and-silver colored Vivienne design is being added to the Pavé collection. Vivienne is inspired by antique Parisian fabrics and features a soft floral pattern framed by an intricate arabesque motif.
3. Karastan is “Stepping into Art” with this painterly abstract rug in earth shades, an addition to the company’s Artois Collection of Wilton woven two-ply nylon rugs.
4. Foreign Accents’ Charcoal Chic design is power-loomed in a high-quality frise weave construction. It is made in Belgium of 100% polypropylene.
5. The Rug Market is launching Lumiere, a new design addition to its Expressions collection of tufted polyester rugs made in China. Inspired by the streets of Paris, the new design joins the earlier “Love” and “Tour de Eiffel” patterns introduced earlier.
6. Springs Creative Products Group has created the new Sleepskin mattress product, which the company gleaned from proven performance fabrics used in sports and active lifestyles.
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For complete information, contact:Joe Carena, Show Manager, [email protected] (203) 329-9553
Warren Shoulberg, Publisher, Home Textiles [email protected] (646) 805-0226
Global Interiors Home Collection Show
March 13-17A Must-See DestinationSpring NY Home Fashions Market Week
If your fi rm is targeting the U.S. market, you must attend the March Market in NYC, and Home Textiles Today offers the best combination of showroom space and promotion available.
1. Surya Inc. is launching the new Moderne collection with designer Bob Mackie. Inspired by his costume and formalwear designs, these hand-tufted New Zealand wool rugs feature faux silk highlights. Moderne rugs are made in India.
2. Mohawk Home is expanding its licensed collection with Woolrich with several new designs, including this one titled Cedar Run.
3. Ebisons Harounian Imports is launching its new Urth collection, which spans seven antique Persian and Anatolian designs in four color combinations.
4. Rizzy Rugs is showing Avant Garde, a Tibetan hand-knotted and hand-spun semi-worsted rug made in a New Zealand wool and viscose blend. Designed for the high-end market, a 5-by-8 is set to retail for $1,799.
5. Oriental Weavers/Sphinx’s new Montego collection from Egypt uses a palette of citron green, terra cotta, bright mineral blue, fresh ivory and deep cocoa brown. Giving a modern twist to classical design, these 100% polypropylene machine-made rugs are made to complement outdoor living areas.
6. F.J. Kashanian Rugs new Indo-Peshawar collection of handmade rugs from India comes in a variety of designs, like this one titled Maharaja in the aqua-and-ivory colorway.
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Encouraged by an improved sales pace in the back half of 2010, area rug suppliers are march-ing into the New Year with a bevy of fresh looks set to roll out at the various winter markets kick-ing off in January.
Suppliers said they are rapidly fi lling their appointment books for the markets, giving them cause to feel assured that buyers are returning to their showrooms to write orders and stock their shelves with new products in the coming months.
Whether traditional or modern, new looks are meeting somewhere in the middle with many nature-inspired palettes and organic design elements dominating the season’s trends.
“We are seeing big trends in tonal and textured looks,” explained Steven Peykar, principal, Saddle Brook, NJ-based Nourison. “So we have developed a number of new lines that utilize multiple textures, whether by using different yarns or different constructions like hand-made with cut-and-loop textures or others.”
Here is a sampling of some major rug suppliers’ latest product introductions for winter 2011. HTT
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1. Nourison’s Lake rug is hand tufted in the company’s heaviest dense wool pile. Made in India, its construction is 75% New Zealand wool and 25% viscose. Designs are transitional and abstract.
2. cmi is launching seven new collections, including Olivera. These pieces employ Thimbleberries fabric colors and durable alternating braid construction. Made of 70% polyester and 30% cotton, Olivera reversible rugs come in dusty shale, soft black, vintage blue, light parsley, cranberry blend, and warm chestnut.
3. Company C’s new Mayfield rug, seen here in the cream colorway, is part of the Summer Brights collection of painterly floral hooked rugs made of 100% wool.
4. 828 International Trading Co. is introducing the Ellington collection of traditional and transitional styles. Made in India, these 60-count wool-and-silk rugs are hand-tufted and acid washed and feature some hand-carved details.
5. Shaw Living’s designer collection with Angela Adams grows this market with the addition of Modern Comfort, a grouping of machine-woven U.S.A.-made rugs constructed of the company’s “EverTouch” nylon fiber.
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1. The Rug Market’s new Expressions collection comprises designs that are “all things trendy, hip and sophisticated” with looks like this one titled Whirl. These synthetic fiber rugs are being added to the company’s Ecconox line of value-priced products.
2. Capel Rugs’ new Daisy Climber Vine is one example of several rugs by designer Kevin O’Brien. Made in India, this collection is hand tufted from pure wool.
3. Harounian Rugs International is adding various new designs to its growing private label program of hand-crafted rugs made from wool and/or synthetic fibers. These skus are made to order to retailers’ specifications, including custom sizes, colors, and qualities.
4. Creative Home Ideas’ Figaro is a two-color cut and loop accent rug. It features a latex non-skid back, and is machine washable.
5. C & F Enterprises Inc. is introducing the Parfait collection of hand-hooked washable rugs and matching decorative pillows. Designs are seasonal, like this seashell pattern.
6. Momeni is expanding its machine-made offerings with several new collections as well as design additions to some existing, including the Sensations collection.
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MATTHEWS, N.C. — Former Goody’s chief Paul White has been named senior vp of apparel, home and seasonal at Family Dollar.
He will report to Dorlisa Flur, evp and chief merchandising offi -cer.
Before serving as president, ceo and director at Goody’s, White held senior merchandis-ing positions at Shopko Stores and The May Company.
“With Paul’s leadership, we will further improve merchan-dise selection and in-store presen-tation of these dynamic areas of our assortment,” said Flur. HTT
White to Head Home at Family Dollar
WEST CHESTER, PA. — Claire Watts has been named to the newly created position of ceo for the U.S. at QVC.
The move will allow com-pany president and ceo Mike George focus on expanding QVC’s global operations.
“Since joining QVC three
years ago, Claire has had an extraordinary impact in mak-ing QVC a leading and innova-tive multichannel retailer,” said George.
Prior to joining QVC, Watts spent 10 years at Wal-Mart, where she most recently ulti-mately becoming executive vp
of merchandising overseeing apparel, jewelry, accessories and home. She began her career in the May Company’s Executive Training Program and went on to hold senior merchandising and product positions at Paul Harris, The Limited and Lands’ End. HTT
Watts new QVC ceo for U.S.
January 24, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS — Fabric industry veteran Tom Carter has been named national market manager to over-see the sales force for newly launched fabric converter Vision Fabrics, a division of J. Ennis Fab-rics that offers fabric solu-tions to bedding, drapery and furniture manufac-turers.
Carter was most recently president of West-gate Home Furnish-ings for fi ve years and previously was senior partner with the sales agency representing Joan Fabrics Corp for six years.
He in his new role, he is actively recruit-ing a national sales
force for both residential furni-ture manufacturers and retail fabric markets.
J. Ennis Fabrics’ mandate for the new Vision Fabrics division of J. Ennis Fabrics “is to revo-lutionize the traditional fabric converting business into what customers have always wanted; excellent customer service and stocked fabrics available in rolls and cuts.” HTT
DALLAS — Mid- to high-end area rug supplier Loloi Rugs has hired longtime industry player, Keith Arlinghaus, as the com-pany’s new Northeast regional sales manager.
The appointment is effective immediately.
“Keith is a longtime friend and I am so proud to have his analytical and professional expertise available to us at
Loloi,” said Amir Loloi, owner. “His unparalleled retail expe-rience is an incredible asset to us, something we’ve never had before. He has always been a collaborative and effec-tive business partner and I’m just thrilled to have him on board.”
Arlinghaus has been a retail buyer since 1975. Over the past 36 years in the business, he has
worked as an associate buyer at Federated, a buyer at Lazarus Department Stores/Federated, a buyer at Rich’s/Lazarus/Gold-smith’s/Federated, and most recently as the senior buyer for area rugs at Macy’s, a post he held for six years until his retirement in January 2010.
In his new position, Arling-haus will be responsible for managing sales efforts in the
Northeast region of the coun-try, stretching from Maine to Washington D.C. But his ter-ritory will also includes Ken-tucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.
In addi t ion to his sa les responsibilities, Arlinghaus also help Loloi further develop its sales, delivery efforts, strategic programs, product forecasting and other startegies.
“I tried to be retired for almost a year,” said Arlinghaus. “I love the rug business and I love being busy. In coming out of retirement, I couldn’t be happier to be working with Amir and his team of talented designers and sales profession-als. They are among the best in the industry. It doesn’t hurt that the owner is my dear friend. It’s the icing on the cake.” HTT
NEW YORK — The National Retail Federation announced during its 100th Annual Con-vention and Expo here the addition of two retail executives elected to serve on its board of directors.
They are: Karen Katz, ceo of The Neiman Marcus Group; and Bob Myers, ceo of Sheplers, Inc. Each will serve a three-year term.
Additionally, the following
were elected to the NRF board as representatives of the Associ-ate Member Advisory Council to serve one-year terms each:
• Bill Gonzalez, general manager, worldwide distribu-tion and services, Microsoft
• Kim Goodman, president, merchants services Americas, American Express Company
• Karen Lowe, general man-ager, global retail industry, IBM Corporation
“As NRF continues to evolve as an organization, we will rely on the leadership that these executives have demonstrated throughout their extensive careers,” said Matthew Shay, NRF president and ceo. “Cohe-sively, our board of directors rep-resents the breadth and diversity we see in the retail industry and we look forward to utilizing their knowledge and experience in the years to come.” HTT
MI N N E A P O L I S — Target has appointed Tony Fisher president of Target Canada on the heels of its acquisition of Zellers. Fisher, who has been with Target since 1999, was most recently vp of merchandise operations.
Target has acquired leasehold interests in up to 220 Zellers stores and will also open 100 to 150 Tar-get stores in Canada beginning in 2013.
“Tony has a strong sense of Target’s unique culture, mer-chandising strategy and brand and a proven record of delivering results,” said Michael Francis, chief marketing offi cer of Target Corp. and executive committee sponsor of Target Canada. HTT
Target Taps Fisher for Canadian
Operations
Loloi Rugs Hires Former Macy’s Rug Buyer, Arlinghaus, for Regional Sales Manager Post
TOM CARTER
Vision Fabrics
Tom Carter Joins Vision Fabrics
NRF Adds to Board of DirectorsCALHOUN, GA. — Rugs, furni-ture and home textiles source Rizzy Home has hired Tim Donahue as director of business development and Scott Evans as creative director for textiles.
Donahue, a rug industry vet-eran, was with Milliken Residen-tial Flooring for 21 years in posts including national sales director, Northeast regional manager and national accounts manager.
“Tim brings a wealth of
knowledge to Rizzy Home and will be an integral component of our sales management team,” said Mark Ferullo, vp of sales.
Evans has 12 years of design experience, most recently as creative director at American Varsity.
Rizzy Home, a division of Riztex USA, has world head-quarters in India and is a man-ufacturer of rugs, home textiles and furniture. HTT
Two Join Rizzy Home
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MARKET KICKOFF PARTY
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Warren Shoulberg at [email protected] or 646-805-0226.
NEW YORK — Same-store sales dipped slightly during the second week of January, according to the Johnson Redbook.
Aggregate comps for the week ended Jan. 15 rose 2.5% af-ter gaining 2.8% a week earlier. Same-store sales for the depart-ment store sector were up 3.5%, while discounter comps increased 2.0%.
“Year-end clearances dominated sales activity, and soft goods continue to outperform hard goods, with cold weather driving de-mand for winter outerwear and accessories,” said Catlin Levis, Red-book analyst. HTT
Same-store sales
Cold Weather Drives Comps
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Consum-er confi dence was at its highest in nine months, as almost one third of shoppers surveyed by BigResearch said they are “very confi dent/confi dent” about the chances for a strong economy in the New Year.
The consumer research fi rm surveys more than 8,000 shop-pers each month for its Con-sumer Intentions & Actions Sur-vey.
For this latest survey, con-ducted Jan. 4 to 11, almost a third, or 32.2%, or respondents said they are very confi dent/con-fi dent, compared to December’s 27.3% rate and January 2010’s 30.0%.
The highest reading in re-cent memory was April 2010’s 32.9%.
More related findings show that in January, more than a third (35.1%) asserted the econ-omy will rebound to pre-reces-sion prosperity. That’s a drop of more than five points from the 40.8% who said the same
back in Jan. 2010. One in three (33.7%) said they don’t believe the economy will make a full comeback, up from a year ago (30.3%). And nearly as many (31.2%) just aren’t sure, increas-ing slightly in one year’s time (29.0%).
“Interestingly, but not surpris-ingly, the recession had varying effects on consumers, depend-ing on age,” BigResearch said.
Those 18-34 are particular-ly concerned with savings com-pared to their older peers. The 35-54 age group is concentrat-ing more on budgeting and din-ing out less, while the chief con-cerns of those 55-plus revolve around credit card usage.
Post holiday, with credit card bills arriving in mailboxes soon, “consumers are also reevaluat-ing what they really need rath-er than what they want,” Big-Research continued. In January, more than half (55.2%) said they are zeroing in on the necessities when shopping, rising from a month ago (52.7%). In terms of
practicality, though, consumers are pulling back less so than a year ago (60.2%).
At re t a i l , Home Depot (28.0%) and Lowe’s (25.2%) “continue to hammer the com-petition” in the home improve-ment/hardware segment, Big-Research said. Walmart (5.2%), Menards (4.0%), and ACE (2.7%) follow in the single dig-its.
Consumers also seem to be greeting 2011 “with a more up-ward 90-day outlook compared to Jan. 2010 and Jan. 2009,” Bi-gResearch found in its Diffusion Index – whoch evaluates con-sumers who say they’ll spend less subtracted from those who will spend more. With the ex-ception of the seasonal lawn & garden category, all others – in-cluding linens/bedding/draper-ies and home décor -- declined from Dec. 2010, “as shoppers stow their holiday spending mindsets.” All categories remain depressed compared to pre-re-cession January 2007. HTT
BigResearch: Consumer confidence in January is the highest since April 2010
NEW YORK — A survey of more than 9,200 U.S. shoppers found that the top 10 major retailers offering the best customer ser-vice continues to include the likes of JCPenney, Kohl’s and Nordstrom.
The sixth annual NRF Foun-dation/American Express Cus-tomers’ Choice survey was con-ducted by consumer research fi rm BigResearch in September 2010, and the results were an-nounced Wednesday at the An-nual Retail Industry Luncheon during the National Retail Fed-eration’s 100th Annual Conven-tion and Expo here.
This year’s top 10 retailer providers of customer service are:
1. Zappos.com 2. Amazon.com 3. L.L.Bean 4. Overstock.com 5. Lands’ End 6. J.C.Penney 7. Kohl’s 8. QVC 9. Nordstrom 10. NeweggWhile many of these com-
panies are not new to the list, newcomer for 2010, Newe-
gg jumped fi ve spots from last year to join the top 10 for the first time. “Continuing to im-press shoppers with their stellar service,” NRF noted, are: Ama-zon.com, L.L.Bean, Overstock.com, Lands’ End, JCP, Kohl’s, QVC, and Nordstrom.
This annual survey is de-signed to gauge consumer atti-tudes toward retailers’ customer service and to provide a listing of the top customer service re-tailers.
“In a time when many re-tailers are competing on price, customer service becomes an outstanding way to stand out in the eyes of the consumer,” said Kathy Mance, NRF Founda-tion executive director. “These retailers have done a great job of distinguishing themselves from their competition.”
Added Christopher Hollins, vp, American Express Global Merchant Services: “It’s been our honor to present this award with the NRF for many years now. One of the most inter-esting trends we’ve seen is that the list of retailers continues to evolve as customer service changes with the times.” HTT
NRF Foundation/AmEx Survey Finds JCP, Kohl’s Among Top
in Customer Service
Johnson Redbook IndexSecond week of January, year-over-year % change
WEEK ENDED 1/8 1/15 1/22 1/29 MONTH TARGET
Department stores* 4.0 3.5 3.8 2.7Discounters 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.5Redbook Index 2.8 2.5 2.7 2.6*Including chain stores and traditional department storesSource: Johnson Redbook Index
WASHINGTON — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major re-tail container ports is expected to be up 8% this month over last year, as reported by the month-ly Global Port Tracker report re-leased by the National Retail Fed-eration and Hackett Associates.
“While the economy clear-ly began to recover in 2010 and drove up cargo volume as re-tail sales improved, maintaining that momentum in 2011 could be diffi cult,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vp for supply chain and cus-toms policy. “Consumers faced with continued high unemploy-ment are expected to focus more on necessities than discretionary spending. Retailers will continue to carefully gauge consumer de-mand and adjust import levels ac-cordingly.”
U.S. ports handled 1.23 mil-lion twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in November, the latest month for which actual num-
bers are available. That was down 1.6% from October as stocking up for the holiday season wound down, but up 13% from Novem-ber 2009. It was the 12th month in a row to show a year-over-year improvement after December 2009 broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year declines.
One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.
December was estimated at 1.16 million TEU, a 7% in-crease over December 2009. January is forecast to stay at that level, but the fi gure will repre-sent an 8% increase over Janu-ary 2010. February is forecast at 1.14, up 13% from a year earli-er; March at 1.18 million TEU, up 9%; and April at 1.21, up 7%. May is forecast at 1.24, down 2% from last year.
The fi rst half of 2010 totaled 6.9 million TEU, up 17% from the same period in 2009. The full year is estimated at 14.8 mil-
lion TEU, also up 17%. The 12.7 million TEU seen in 2009 was the lowest since the 12.5 million TEU reported in 2003. The 2010 number remains below the 15.2 million TEU seen in 2008 and the peak of 16.5 million TEU seen in 2007.
“Our projections for 2011 re-main firm, albeit not at the lev-els of the recovery rates of last year,” said Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates. “Growth in the upper single-digit levels can be expected, particularly on the West Coast.”
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consult-ing fi rm Hackett
Associates, covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Ta-coma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. HTT
NRF: Retail Container Traffic to Rise in January
January 24, 2011
htt110104_031_032 30htt110104_031_032 30 1/21/2011 11:14:50 AM1/21/2011 11:14:50 AM
31 Home Textiles Today> hometextilestoday.com
Calendar
January24 – 28Las Vegas MarketWorld Market Center, Las Vegas (702) 599-9621www.lasvegasmarket.com
25 – 27SurfacesMandalay Bay Convention CenterLas Vegas(866) 860-1975www.surfaces.com
29 – February 3 New York Home Textiles Market Week At the New York International Gift Fair, Jan. 29 - Feb. 3 At 230 Fifth Avenue, Jan. 30 - Feb. 4 At 7 W New York, Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 (800) 272-7469www.nyhometextilesmarketweek.com
29– February 3New York International Gift FairJacob K. Javits Convention Center, Pas-senger Ship Terminal Piers, New York(800) 272-7469www.nyigf.com
30 – February 3CGTA Gift ShowToronto International Centre; Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, Canada(416) 679-0170www.cgta.org/Assoc/Home.aspx
30 – February 2IntirioFlanders Expo, Gent, Belgium+32 09/24 38 450www.intirio.be
February2 —4Tex Trends IndiaPragati Maidan New Delhi, India+91-124-2708082textrendsindia2011.com
6 – 10Spring FairThe National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, UK(609) 921-0222www.springfair.com
7 – 10 TexworldParis Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, Paris, France+33 155 268 989www.texworld.messefrankfurt.com
11 – 15AmbienteFrankfurt Fair & Exhibition Center, Frankfurt am Main, Germany(770) 984-8016www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt
27 – March 2ASD Las VegasLas Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas(310) 481-7300www.asdamd.com
March12 - 14The Atlanta International Fine Linen and Home Textiles Market & The Atlanta Spring Gift, Home Furnishings & Holiday MarketAmericasMart, Atlanta(404) 220-3000www.americasmart.com
13Home Textiles Today’s New York Winter Market Kick-off PartyThe Penthouse Lounge and Rooftop Garden at 230 Fifth6 p.m- 8 p.m.(646) 805-0226www.hometextilestoday.com
14 – 18 New York Home Fashions MarketHome Fashion Products Association(212) 297-2122 (Kellen Co.)www.homefashionproducts.com
16 – 18Interstoff Asia Essential—SpringHong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong KongMesse Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. (852) 2238 9917www.interstoff.messefrankfurt.com
24 – 27Dallas Total Home & Gift MarketDallas Market Center, Dallas(800) 325-6587www.dallasmarketcenter.com
22 – 24Domotex asia/CHINAFLOORShanghai New International Conven-tion Center, Shanghai, China+86 21 6247 7668www.domotexasiachinafloor.com
April2 – 7 High Point MarketInternational Home Furnishings Center (IHFC), High Point, N.C.(336) 869-1000www.highpointmarket.org
June 1 – 3Interior Lifestyle (Ambiente/Heimtextil/HomeDesign) JapanInternational Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight), Tokyo, Japan+81 3 3262 8453www.interior-lifestyle.com
5 – 8 Showtime Fabric FairMarket Square, Textile Tower, High Point, N.C.(336) 885-6842www.itma-showtime.com
WANTED - WELL KNOWN, ESTABLISHED MANUFACTURER OF BASIC NATURAL & SYNTHETIC
FILLED BEDDING, IS LOOKING FOR A SELECTED FEW SALES REPRESENTATIVES THAT HAVE EXTENSIVE
EXPERIENCE & SUCCESS IN SELLING MAJOR RETAILERS. PLEASE SEND RESUMES TO: [email protected]
HELP WANTED
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERBRENTWOOD ORIGINALS is seeking a CFO to be based in the
corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. Experience in the home furnishings fi eld is a plus but not a requirement. Must have experience with all aspects of corporate operations. Responsible for strategic oversight of the fi nancial
resources of the company including accounting, taxes, insurance, and internal controls. Compensation commensurate with experience.
Product Development ManagerMajor New England based manufacturer seeks a Yarn Product
Development Manager. Candidate will be responsible for the development of new consumer yarns for the knitting/crotchet industry and marketing
the product to major distributors and retailers. Interested & qualifi ed applicants, forward your resume and salary history to:
hr@pfi sleep.com
Calendar
July 13 – 20 The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings MarketAmericasMart, Atlanta, GA(800) ATL-MART or (404) 220-2435www.americasmart.com
15 – 18 (TBD)The Atlanta International Area Rug MarketAmericasMart, Atlanta, GA(800) ATL-MART or (404) 220-2437www.americasmart.com
31 – August 3ASD/AMD Las VegasSands Expo Center & Las Vegas Con-vention Center, Las Vegas, NV(310) 481-7300 www.asdamd.com
August 1 – 5Las Vegas Market World Market Center and Pavilions Las Vegas(702) 599-9621www.lasvegasmarket.com
13 – 18 New York International Gift Fair
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Pier 94, New York(914) 421-3200 www.nyigf.com
14 – 18New York Home Textiles Market Week7 W New York, 230 Fifth Avenue, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY(800) 272-SHOWwww.nyhometextilesmarketweek.com
