Furniture News Briefs For This Week

Furniture World Magazine

The Business Journal (www.bizjournals.com) reports that Russell Turner of Thomasville, Ga., a licensee for furniture manufacturer Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., is in the process of opening five stores and a distribution center in the High Point, NC Triad area. Stores in Greensboro and Winston Salem are already under construction. The distribution facility site has yet to be chosen. -------------------------------- The Cincinnati Business Courier reported that, "The Kroger Co., which has historically limited its local lineup of stores to its namesake brand, is introducing its first out-of-market concept to Cincinnati this summer with two mass-merchandise Marketplace stores." The article went on to say that the new concept to be rolled initially in two stores, "combines traditional groceries with nationally branded furniture, linens and dinnerware but not fashion-centered items such as apparel." -------------------------------- An interesting article in "Seattle Pi" that details information on Costco Home Stores can be found at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/260826_retail25.html. The article looks at the enormous success of recent Costco Home Stores and also at their policies on furniture margins (higher than their 14% maximum for other product catetories), and plans for future expansion (possibly in Billings, Montana, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Portland). -------------------------------- The San Francisco Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com) recently carried an article that looked at the effect of the Las Vegas Furniture Market on the S.F. Mart's show traffic and occupancy rates. It also looks at, "plans to revitalize the venerable 1937 Art Deco building at 1355 Market St., and the other players are not entirely pleased -- particularly with "Gifts on Six," a new strategy setting aside the building's sixth floor for knickknacks, wall items, pet products, stationery and the like." It seems that this strategy is ruffling feathers at the nearby Gift center and causing concern among the organizers of the Gift Show held at the Moscone Center. -------------------------------- Jordan's Furniture of Avon, MA, has been named by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) as a 2006 Corporate Friend of Children. Jordan's Furniture was selected because since 1998 they have been engaged in helping children in foster care in Massachusetts find loving and permanent adoptive homes. Shay Bilchik, CWLA's President & CEO, said, "We are very pleased to present this Corporate Friend of Children award to Jordan's Furniture. In today's business setting, Jordan's philosophy of corporate social responsibility and commitment to children is especially refreshing." The award will be presented to Jordan's Furniture on February 28, 2006 at CWLA's 86th Anniversary Gala Dinner, to be held during CWLA's National Conference in Washington, DC. The conference annually attracts nearly 1,500 child advocates, representatives from Capitol Hill, national child-serving organizations, foster parents, and child welfare professionals from across the country. --------------------------------