Cabinet Maker articles from February 2008

Cabinet Maker archives from February 2008

Upholstery still tops the complaints league.
February 1, 2008... Leather dissatisfaction is still rising, but not as much as bathrooms Fabric upholstery continues to receive more complaints than any other furniture, with 14,024 objections last year, followed by leather upholstery with 11,567. The...

Crawley in the driving seat.
February 1, 2008... Jonathan Crawley has been given the task of turning around Ilva's fortunes after being appointed UK md. Although an exact date has yet to be confirmed, he will join the business during early spring. Crawley was previously The Conran...

Hardcastle promotes women.
February 1, 2008... Kate Hardcastle is setting up an initiative to help promote women in the furniture industry. The Halo director of marketing has spent the past year finding ways to champion females in the male-dominated industry. Women in Furniture...

Independents glow in the dark.(Report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A good fourth quarter performance from smaller retailers despite anxious market Furniture and furnishings was one of the best performing sectors in the British Shops and Stores Association (bssa) latest quarterly report. The monitor,...

Small shops support.(Liberal Democrat Lord Cotter to introduce new bill)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A new Retail Development Bill would require support schemes to be made available for small shops if it becomes law. The Bill would ensure that support is available for struggling `class one' shop premises, which might otherwise be forced to...

Chris Stone.(obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Chris Stone, former UK agent for Tvilium died, aged 60, on 23 January after a short illness. During the 1970s and 1980s Stone was the cabinet furniture buyer for Debenhams, before moving on in 1985 to become Stonehill and Beautility sales...

IN BRIEF: More failures.(trends in business failures)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... There was a small rise in retail business failures in the last quarter of 2007 according to business information provider Equifax. Its Business Failures Report for Quarter 4 2007, showed the retail market saw a 1.8% increase in business...

IN BRIEF: Olympic training.(British Contract Furnishing and Design Association and Business Link to team up )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The British Contract Furnishing and Design Association has teamed up with Business Link to offer a seminar to help the industry prepare for the many contracts that will be available for the London Olympic Games. The half-day seminar on 3 March...

IN BRIEF: Flammability course.(Satra Technology Centre to confirm dates for seminar)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Satra Technology Centre has confirmed five more dates for its seminars which cover flammability requirements for upholstered furniture and beds. New dates are 18 March, 20 May, 22 July, 9 September and 18 November, at SATRA's Wyndham Way...

IN BRIEF: Dolce Vita srl.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Dolce Vita srl would like it to be known that a sofa advertised in Cabinet Maker, 13 October 2006, p29, is actually the Natuzzi model, Plaza - model number 2030; UK patent N.2105323 dated 3 April 2001. Dolce Vita said that it neither...

Even bigger book.(HomeBase Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Homebase's spring and summer Big Book of Furnishings at 231 pages is 20% bigger than last year's. It is the fifth edition of the book and features furniture, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, wallcoverings, paint, bedlinen, and accessories. *...

Email trail nails ex-Crowson staff.
February 1, 2008... Fabric company uses database laws to prove two staff used company information to set up as rivals In a landmark decision, the High Court has backed designer and supplier Crowson Fabrics after it took action against two former employees....

City: Shares lift as good news filters through.
February 1, 2008... After recent disappointment Natuzzi, M&S and HRG rise Natuzzi gained 58p on low trading volumes reaching 250p ahead of this month's full-year figures. Some analysts believe that recent falls have been overdone: the shares almost halved in...

Year ends with sales fall.(sales in furniture industry)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Furniture and lighting results do not bode well for trade in 2008 Furniture and lighting sales continued to fall in December 2007, further illustrating the tough conditions for retailers. National Statistics said sales of furniture and...

New Kingfisher chief to focus on value.(Ian Cheshire)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Newly appointed Kingfisher group chief executive, Ian Cheshire, said he will focus on the customer, controlling costs and being more productive. Cheshire took over the role from Gerry Murphy on Monday (28 January). He has 20 years of...

FTSE's five-day rollercoaster.
February 1, 2008... There were spectacular dips and recoveries as the market responded to news that the Monday/Tuesday downturn was partly attributable to an unluckily timed equity sell-off as Societe Generale attempted to limit the damage caused by an alleged...

Deloitte survey warns of recession.
February 1, 2008... Retailers beware as report blames tumbling house prices for the UK's slide into economic slump The UK economy could be falling into recession, according to the Deloitte Economic Review. The quarterly survey makes grim reading for...

Views by Chris Everist.
February 1, 2008... Reaching the end of a week at Interiors Birmingham at last allows some time for reflection, particularly on how much the marketplace has changed. A trade show allows that quick snapshot in time - an overview of what and who is changing in this...

Talk: Do you think we are heading towards a recession?
February 1, 2008... `No. We have doubled turnover in the past year. Interest rates will come down and stabilise. The US property crash will not hit here as badly as people think. The problem is people talk themselves into a recession.' Stephen Richardson,...

CM COMMENT - Leader: Premium firms must thrive.
February 1, 2008... When an independent retailer falls by the wayside, the blame is often put at the door of multiples. But the biggest threat to the independent furniture retailer does not come from the chain stores - unless a retailer is short sighted enough to...

CM COMMENT - Let's demolish the glass ceiling.
February 1, 2008... Kate Hardcastle's initiative to champion and encourage women in the furniture industry is a bold and positive step (see p3). There is little doubt that inside the furniture industry most of the more influential people are men, holding senior...

ANALYSIS - Entrepreneurs' sigh of relief.(Capital gains tax)
February 1, 2008... Although business organisations and small companies welcome the CGT amendments, they fear relationships are damaged, reports Deven Pamben The Chancellor of the Exchequer's climbdown over changes to capital gains tax (CGT) has been welcomed...

STORE MANAGER - Restraining the rivals.(Interview)
February 1, 2008... Jonathan Exten-Wright and Ashleigh Robertson look at how you can prevent your staff from leaving and then competing against your business Employees inevitably gain knowledge of their employer's general business strategy, specific technology...

RETAIL EXPERIENCE - Interior motives.
February 1, 2008... If you're not offering your customers a decent cappuccino while they mull over their purchases, you may be missing an opportunity. Hazel Davis discovers how furniture buying is evolving into a grand day out for many consumers There was a...

PREVIEW - IRISH FAIR: Dublin dash.
February 1, 2008... Retail floorspace in Ireland has more than trebled in the past five years, so it's little wonder that Ireland's buyers make a beeline for The Furniture and Home Accessories Fair Furniture retailing in the Republic of Ireland has, until...

RETAIL SCOTLAND - Tough start to 2008.
February 1, 2008... Retailing north of the border is as tough as the rest of the UK - for the chains as well as independent firms. Rachel Connolly takes a look at the figures Retail in Scotland is suffering along with the rest of the UK, with only 0.4%...

RETAIL SCOTLAND - Blue Marmalade has eco-friendly edge.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... One company defying the recent slump is Blue Marmalade in Edinburgh, which specialises in creating environmentally friendly contemporary furniture and furnishings. Trent Jennings, technical director believes its success is down to there...

CM OFFCUTS - Do it now, says a manufacturing professional.
February 1, 2008... John Baldwin is programme director for UKfirst, the furniture industry forum What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis? I work with a wide range of furniture organisations across the entire supply chain on improvement...

CM OFFCUTS - Clint sues for a fistful of dollars.
February 1, 2008... Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood is suing a furniture company after it produced a line of chairs called The Eastwood. Palliser Furniture in Canada has been accused by the actor of illegally trading on his name without his permission. ...

CM OFFCUTS - Chair power.
February 1, 2008... Halo has designed five chairs for the Spice Girls which were backstage at the Manchester Evening News Arena when they performed there last week. Mel B, Mel C, Geri, Emma and Victoria have had their personalities captured and encapsulated into...

DeCoro targets the doubters.
February 8, 2008... President advised to speak out against freefall rumours from `jealous people' DeCoro has hit out after weeks of rumours that the company was in freefall. Speaking exclusively to Cabinet Maker, Luca Ricci, DeCoro president said he was...

DPA creditors await their fate.
February 8, 2008... David Paine Associates Ltd (DPA) will have a creditors' meeting on Wednesday 13 February where a decision will be made on whether the firm goes into liquidation. As reported last month, Glen Dixon md had been in discussions with insolvency...

More stored.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Habitat has launched a storage collection that encourages customers to rethink their living spaces and to make a feature out of storage. As part of its spring collection, the company has concentrated on subtle concealment of unsightly clutter,...

Buick pays out for sales letter.
February 8, 2008... Sterling subsidiary settles with Lynch for undisclosed sum over `copied' invitation Sales promotion firm Lynch Sales Company has received damages from Buick Furniture for breach of copyright. Buick, in Montrose, is part of the Sterling...

Shoppers rely on lies to gain refund.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Retailers are handing out #119m a week in refunds, with eight out of 10 shoppers admitting to returning products. Research carried out by Total UK also found that around 22.8m Brits would bend the truth to get their cash back, going as far...

IN BRIEF: John Lewis sales up.(John Lewis Partnership PLC.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Furniture and homewares helped John Lewis to a 4.8% rise in sales during the half year to 26 January. The department store finished the six-month period marginally below the 5% increase on last year, with Christmas and clearance making up for a...

IN BRIEF: House prices static.
February 8, 2008... House prices stayed unchanged in January compared with the month before, according to the Halifax bank. The value of the average UK home remained #197,244. The country's biggest mortgage lender predicts that the market will remain flat for the...

IN BRIEF: Repossession risk.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Four out of five lenders believe the number of home repossessions will rise this year, according to a survey by Moore Blatch, a law firm specialising in repossession proceedings. As many as 40% of lenders anticipated that repossessions would...

IN BRIEF: Ikea unveils prefab.
February 8, 2008... A new generation of pre-fabricated homes by furniture giant Ikea are now on show. The BoKlok concept homes, which could help resolve the UK's affordable housing crisis, were unveiled in Gateshead, Tyneside. The first six of 93 units are almost...

LEZ threat looming.
February 8, 2008... Furniture retailers could be adversely affected after the introduction of a low emission zone (LEZ) in London. The Forum of Private Business has warned that small firms could face extra costs and more should be done to help them adjust. ...

Rough roll-out.(Rough Sawn)(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... CPW Furniture has expanded its Rough Sawn collection for 2008. The chunky, straight cut collection offers coffee tables to improve variety, as well as a widescreen television unit. Keeping the theme of entertainment, the Rough Sawn media chest...

Mydeco makes visualisation easy.
February 8, 2008... Website from Lastminute founders lets customers compare prices and `see' items in 3D in their homes A new furniture website plans to revolutionise the industry, showcasing more than a million items from independent retailers as well as...

Legals - Liquidator appointments:.
February 8, 2008... Paragon Business Products Ltd, manufacturer. Co no: 02453691. Liquidator: John Alexander and Melvyn Carter both of Carter Backer Winter, 21 Buckle Street, London. Appointed: 23 January. Ixia Furniture Ltd, manufacturer. Co no: 05881744....

Legals - Administrator appointments:.(Andrew Wood)(Christopher White)(Nigel Fox)(Carl Jackson)(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... The Wright Kids Stiff Ltd, Sheffield. Co no: 05388043. Administrator: Andrew Wood and Christopher White, both of The P&A Partnership, Sheffield. Appointed: 21 January. Bathroom Warehouse Winchester Ltd, retailer. Co no: 3204271....

Legals - Final meetings:.
February 8, 2008... Independent Furniture Consultants Ltd. Co no: 4473946. Venue: Gibson Hewitt, Park Court, West Byfleet, Surrey. Tel: 01932 336149. Furniture Warehouse (UK) Ltd, retailer. Co no: 03744533. Venue: Brazennose House West, Manchester. ...

Furniture export orders look good.
February 8, 2008... High end British products are the choice of the wealthy in Russia and the Far East in particular Furniture companies are seeing the benefits of exporting British-made products. The latest quarterly Regional Trends Survey from the CBI...

Ex-display kitchen firm advert criticised.
February 8, 2008... Alan Ford, trading as Kitchens, has been told not to advertise ex- display kitchens unless it can prove they are available. A regional press advertisement stated: `Old Ex-Display Kitchens to Clear. Example ivory shaker kitchen including...

Fabric fantastic.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Derwent Upholstery has launched its Amelia model. The British designer and manufacturer revealed the piece at Interiors Birmingham, and said it had been well received. The company added that it would continue to `create new products and provide...

Getting ready.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Danish retailer Jysk has finally acquired sites as it plans to open in the UK. As reported last year, the company, with a presence in 29 countries, planned to open 10 stores in the UK by April 2008 (CM, 13 Apr 2007, p3). It is not known the...

Five new stores fail to slow slide at LoL.(Land of Leather)(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Latest update show sales down 15.4% on the year as consumers remain wary of buying furniture Latest figures confirm Land of Leather's predictions of tough times after it reported a 15.4% fall in like-for-like sales in the 23 days to 27...

Views by Simon Briault.
February 8, 2008... Chancellor Alistair Darling's changes to plans to reform capital gains tax (CGT) are very good news for small businesses after a long campaign by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). In last year's Pre-Budget Report Darling announced a...

Talk - Do your customers bend the truth to get their cash back?(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... `Yes. Customers say they're blowing bulbs. So we put the lights on to test it and it doesn't blow the bulb in our shop. But customers are adamant they've called electricians out. Usually it's because they've decorated and they don't want that...

Leader - Forget the kids - there's hidden talent in staff too.
February 8, 2008... A friend of mine is a computer animator working in Los Angeles on projects for the movie giants of Hollywood. His sister is a lawyer in London. Their parents live in the South-West of England and run a successful furniture business. ...

ANALYSIS: Don't ignore blood suckers.
February 8, 2008... Bed bug infestations are on the increase, with retailers and manufacturers that transport furniture now becoming vulnerable, reports Deven Pamben Retailers and manufacturers are not taking seriously an issue that could be costly to their...

STORE MANAGER: Keep in touch with maternity law.
February 8, 2008... Maternity law is a minefield for the mother-to-be and her employer as rights are extended, report Jonathan Exten-Wright and Thomas Stansfield In December 2004 the Government published its report, Choice For Parents, The Best Start For...

STYLE & TRENDS: BAROMETER - Eyes on.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... The Source, a new section at Interiors Birmingham, provided an environment for pioneering furniture and interiors products from a specifically British viewpoint Mark Evans, The Art Cartel creative director Evans handworks detailed...

PREVIEW: FAR EAST - Eastward bound.
February 8, 2008... In less than a month, many of the world's key furniture and interiors buyers will descend on the Far East, as the international show season kicks off in Malaysia and finishes up in China via Singapore and Thailand For all the talk of the...

REGISTERING DESIGNS: Protect your most precious assets.
February 8, 2008... Register your designs before showing them at trade shows, say Simon Clark and Gavin Llewellyn in the first of a series of articles on intellectual property Furniture companies top the list of industries which have filed Community Design...

INTERVIEW: SHAUN DAVIES - Build better brands.
February 8, 2008... Shaun Davies says firms need good marketing and PR and his quest is to move furniture retailers out of their comfort zone, reports Rachel Calton Shaun Davies set up marketing consultancy Media Lounge to help furniture companies develop and...

CM OFFCUTS: Speaking the right language to customers.
February 8, 2008... Orpha Griffin is customer service manager at Barlow Tyrie How did you get into this industry? By coincidence really. I applied for the position of German-speaking customer services as I felt it important to keep my languages going. I...

CM OFFCUTS: Norwich bug alert.
February 8, 2008... Norwich City Council is having to rechannel resources from fighting anti-social behaviour, in the form of graffiti and fly-posting, into dealing with bed bugs. The city is becoming infested with the mites. Five years ago the authority had...

CM OFFCUTS: Look who's designing now.(Brief article)
February 8, 2008... Hollywood actress Diane Keaton, who has starred in classic films such as The Godfather, Radio Days and Annie Hall - as well as turkeys such as The First Wives Club and Look Who's Talking Now - is launching a range of furniture. The actress...

Foam cost rise hits industry.
February 15, 2008... Similar letters from four foam producers sent in same three-week period Manufacturers and retailers are likely to feel the pressure as the four big foam manufacturers slap between 8% and 15% on the value of foam products. Between 20...

Cameo poised to shut down South Wales manufacturing.(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... Sofa Brand International's volume manufacturing arm Cameo Sofa is set to shed 115 jobs and close its Treforest, South Wales, factory. The firm is in consultation with its 180 employees about the restructure, which could see as many as 35...

Lesson in lighting.
February 15, 2008... John Cullen Lighting will be hosting a series of seminars to show how lighting techniques can transform the home. Focusing on energy saving, Sally Storey, John Cullen Lighting design director will present the seminars. To coincide with the...

ScS and Reid in jobs talks.
February 15, 2008... UK furniture retailers set to make staff redundant as sales fluctuate ScS and Reid Furniture are each in the middle of consultation processes, with both retailers set to cut jobs. ScS is working through a 30-day consultation, which...

Danish anger over design classics for all.
February 15, 2008... Classic Furniture 4U has angered the Danish furniture industry by announcing the possible opening of a showroom in Copenhagen. The Wembley-based manufacturer sells reproductions of design classics, including copies of pieces by the...

IN BRIEF: `Modest' rise in sales.
February 15, 2008... Homewares and furniture sales saw an improvement in January, according to the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) Retail Sales Monitor. The report found that the sector `showed a modest improvement but remained difficult'. Overall, UK sales rose...

IN BRIEF: Rate cut welcomed.(Interest rates)(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... Business groups have welcomed the Bank of England's decision to cut interest rates by 0.25% to 5.25%. The British Retail Consortium, the CBI and the British Chamber of Commerce all applauded the move, hoping it would assist the business...

IN BRIEF: Better manufacturing.
February 15, 2008... Ukfirst will hold a manufacturing excellence course in partnership with The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. The three-day course will focus on the concepts of lean manufacturing to streamline business and increase competitiveness within...

IN BRIEF: David Pell Associates.
February 15, 2008... David Pell Associates Ltd, also know as DPA, would like to make it known that it has no involvement with David Paine Associates Ltd, which is also known as DPA. David Pell Associates has been trading normally in the UK since 2000, operating...

BhS pays lamp firm over design.
February 15, 2008... BhS has settled a dispute with design company Porta Romana in relation to copyright infringement of a lamp base. The high street retailer paid an undisclosed amount to settle the matter out of court. It also undertook to withdraw the...

Greenapple gets even sweeter.(Greenapple to launch new brand Lychee)(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... Greenapple has launched a brand called Lychee, sourcing products from the Far East. The launch coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the St Albans company, which designs and distributes glass furniture, lighting and accessories. The...

Extra stores boost Magnet.(sales of Magnet Inc.)(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... New Trade store rollout adds sales but profits slow overall Store rollout and a streamlined range of products helped boost trade at Magnet - helping sales at Swedish parent company Nobia. Fourth quarter UK results, which focus on sales...

City: Natuzzi gives up recent gain.
February 15, 2008... Continuing weakness in US and costly expansion hit share price Natuzzi lost 34p to 216p, giving up much of the recent gain, ahead of Q4 figures due later this month. Analysts fear the effects of continuing weakness in the US, where third...

No more business rates - for some.
February 15, 2008... Around 120,000 small businesses will not have to pay rates from April 2009. Furniture retailers will be some of those to benefit after a deal was thrashed out by the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Conservative Party, which will...

City unimpressed by rate cut.(interest rates cut)(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... The City responded bleakly to the latest interest rate cut. The FTSE100 rallied half-heartedly and then fell back, losing 151 points on the day. The cut failed to satisfy any of the conflicting interests. Some commentators were exasperated by...

Letter: DPA staff have been shut out by landlord.(Letter to the editor)
February 15, 2008... In response to the article last week, `DPA creditors await their fate' (CM, 8 Feb, p3), the directors of David Paine Associates Ltd (DPA) would like to apologise to its customers for the lack of written contact. However, this has been made...

Letter: Think value for money and invest locally.(Letter to the editor)
February 15, 2008... I am writing with regard to reading Mike Spencer in your Views section (CM, 25 Jan, p8). I am recently retired but still read Cabinet Maker. I am still amazed that value for money is not at the forefront of everybody's thinking in the...

Barlow Tyrie catalogue.
February 15, 2008... Barlow Tyrie has made its 2008 season catalogue available as a download from its website at www.teak.com. The brochure presents Barlow Tyrie's most diverse range of outdoor leisure furniture to date and widest use of material. Although...

Views by Mike Clare.(trends in home furnishings industry)(Brief article)
February 15, 2008... What is this British retail obsession with `like-for-like'? Most retail articles I read, most interviews I hear, are all about like- for-like - I don't hear the same passion or interest for growth or profit, as if these are dirty words and...

Talk: Are you happy to accept the increase in the price of foam?(Alan Wheatley of Instyle Furniture )(John Goodchild of Foamtec )(Graham Shillito of C&G Furniture )
February 15, 2008... Prices of foam have risen between 8 and 15% this month. Are you happy to accept the increase and will you pass the price rise on to your customers? `No, I won't be happy and, I suppose, yes, I would pass the price rise on to the customers....

Leader: Time for a fabric comeback as leather loses its shine?
February 15, 2008... It has not been the best of weeks for the upholstery sector. Cameo looks set to stop manufacturing in South Wales, ScS may have to lay off up to 70 staff and foam prices are on the rise. Again. It is not the first time that upholstery has...

ANALYSIS - Covered against copying.(Copying processes)
February 15, 2008... Design theft dogs the furniture sector, but there are steps designers and manufacturers can take to keep the pirates at bay, reports Ramita Navai Counterfeiting, pirating and copying cost the UK economy a staggering #10bn last year....