Furniture News Briefs For This Week

Furniture World Magazine

News stories about furniture from magazines, newspapers and the internet. If furninfo.com readers find additional stories of interest to our readers, please email editorial@furninfo.com. Generating Traffic In High Point: According to a recent article in The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11197886/), more High Point furniture showrooms are “seeking to boost both their own revenues and High Point's reputation as a destination for wholesale furniture buyers by staying open year-round.” The High Point Showroom Association is spearheading this effort with their show for interior designers to be held February 21-23, 2006. The article reported that 40 showrooms will remain open this year, compared with only 24 in 2005. ______________________ Tip Over Furniture Accidents: Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.org/) noted that “In an average year, nine children, usually younger than 5, are killed when household furniture tips onto them, and an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people, mostly children, are hurt.” Consumer Reports tested products from a number of furniture retailers finding that they failed to comply with voluntary standards and offered advice for parents shopping for case pieces that may pose a danger to small children. ______________________ Robbery At Unclaimed Freight: The website www.nj.com posted an article from “The Express Times” that chronicled the robbery of $20,000 from the Unclaimed Freight store, Wednesday evening after closing. Two workers were assaulted. The article noted that, “The robbery was especially daring because Unclaimed Freight neighbors the state police at Bethlehem barracks...” ______________________ Fuel Surcharges Affect Inbound Freight Rates: An article sent to FURNITURE WORLD by Tom Craig of LTD Supply Chain notes that that as of May 1, TSA member lines will calculate and adjust bunker and inland fuel surcharges monthly instead of quarterly in an effort to moderate cost impacts and make the surcharges more responsive to market conditions. Fuel surcharges, added on to base freight rates, are designed to float with prices for marine fuel and help recover sudden and sustained cost increases in a volatile market, TSA said in a statement. Carriers typically apply two surcharges, one for marine bunker fuel used aboard ship and the other for truck, rail and equipment diesel fuel used in connection with shoreside and inland operations. “Fuel prices have been so volatile in recent months that the lag time between collection of fuel price data and quarterly surcharge adjustments has made it difficult for shippers to plan their costs and for carriers to recover theirs,” said TSA Executive Director Albert A. Pierce. “Lines feel that a more timely calculation method in this kind of environment would be helpful to everyone.” TSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 11 major container shipping lines serving the trade from Asia to ports and inland points in the U.S.