HFN The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network articles from April 2009

HFN The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network archives from April 2009

J.C. Penney goes home with Cindy Crawford.(in home)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] J.C. PENNEY HAS TURNED TO AN ICONIC SUPERMODEL TO BRAND WHAT IS POISED to be its biggest home collection yet. In September, the retailer will rollout Cindy Crawford Style, an...

Country living at Sears, Kmart: retailers tap the shelter book for exclusive home line.(in home)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SEARS AND KMART ARE going country. The sister retailers will launch a home line branded by Country Living magazine this summer. The bedding, bath, table top and furniture collection inspired by the Hearst...

Gribetz named president of Lenox.(in home)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LESTER GRIBETZ, FORMER VICE chairman of Bloomingdale's and a past executive of Waterford Wedgwood, has been named president of Lenox Corp. Gribetz reports directly to Peter Cameron, chief executive officer. In...

Tritan makes encore appearance.(in home)
April 20, 2009... AFTER ITS LAUNCH AT LAST YEAR'S INTERNATIONAL HOME & Housewares Show, Tritan copolyester from Eastman Chemical made multiple appearances at this year's show, as consumer products debuted with the new material, a BPA-free, dishwasher-safe...

Calendar.(Housewares industry)(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] April 20-23 Hong Kong Housewares Fair Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Hong Kong (852) 1830-668 hkhousewarefair.hktdc.com 21-22 Printsource New York Hotel Pennsylvania ...

Down the garden path.(trends)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tabletop continues to be inspired by nature--leaves, flowers, birds, butterflies--and all things green. Some new dinnerware patterns offer a more contemporary take on this timeless theme, while others harken back to...

The home (ad)advantage.(marketing & media)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JOHN WANAMAKER, THE FABLED DEPARTMENT store merchant, once famously said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." Although gauging the payoff of an advertising...

0 for 3.(HOME ALONE 2)
April 20, 2009... The news that Costco is shutting down its two-unit Home specialty operation doesn't exactly come as a shock to anybody paying attention. Costco has been the first to say the concept has not been a big success and its go-slow policy on...

Here's to high point.(furniture & lighting)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY CONTINUES to bear the brunt of the pain caused by the collapse of the housing market with both vendors and dealers playing it every cautiously, So, when the High Point Market opens later...

Unity, access and influence.(opinions)
April 20, 2009... Our country is on the march through tough time, hoping to see an economic turnaround in 2009. Meanwhile, our industry is focused on finding breakout opportunities to drive sales and enliven balance sheets. This year will be challenging,...

Rowe studio program continues to expand.(furniture & lighting)
April 20, 2009... THE STUDIOROWE CUSTOM ORDER UPHOLSTERY RETAIL GALLERY PROGRAM CONTINUES to expand and, according to the company, is recognized as one of the more successful ways for furniture retailers to showcase a broad selection of styles and fabrics and...

Agio.(PRODUCT ROUNDUP)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AGIO'S GRAND FLORIDIAN COLLECTION reflects a Victorian style inspired by Florida's golden era. The company said attention to detail, authenticity and understated elegance best describes the collection. The...

Loll Designs.(PRODUCT ROUNDUP)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LOLL DESIGNS' CABRIO SPORTSCHAIR sits low to the ground so "an ottoman is unnecessary and would only keep your feet off the grass," according to the company. The wide arms are designed to hold a magazine and a...

Century.(PRODUCT ROUNDUP)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CENTURY'S RICHARD FRINIER Collection is as glamorous as it is functional. Taking the outdoors to a whole new level, the Riviera line is inspired by the French Riviera's sunny, hot, dry summers and the idea of living...

Whitecraft.(PRODUCT ROUNDUP)
April 20, 2009... BASED ON THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION of the Zurich seating group, Whitecraft has introduced the Zurich dining collection. The Zurich collection's styling is a study in sensuous curves and shape, from its arched woven bases to the dramatic...

Lighting the way: vendors have high hopes for High Point.(furniture & lighting)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT'S TOUGH OUT THERE--PRECISELY WHY THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO SKIMP ON MERCHANDISING oomph, said lighting vendors headed to High Point Market. Suppliers, all a bit battle-scarred by the unforgiving economy, are...

Time for Thom: celebrity designer Thom Filicia to launch home collection, beginning with Safavieh area rugs.(floor covering)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AFTER HELPING DESIGN-DEFICIENT STRAIGHT MEN ON BRAVO'S Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and now other homeowners on the Style Network's Dress My Nest, design guru Thom Filicia will make his sense of style accessible...

Surya gets divine design.(floor covering)(rugs and carpets)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE LINED UP OUTSIDE THE SURYA showroom for a chance to meet television personality Candice Olson at the last High Point Market, and Surya is hoping that its new collection...

Carpet One campaign supports Breast Cancer Research.(floor covering)
April 20, 2009... WITH CARPET ONE FLOOR & HOME'S newest welcome mat campaign, everyone--even the family dog--can both celebrate spring as well as help The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society. Retailing for 24.99 ($34.99 CDN in...

Survival of the fittest, by design.(opinions)
April 20, 2009... As we prepare for High Point Market, it is important to get inside the minds of our retail customers. The rug industry began this process earlier this year when 20 leaders of the Oriental Rug Industry Association (ORIA) held their own version...

The bold and the beautiful.(floor covering)(rug and carpet industry)
April 20, 2009... AT THIS WEEK'S UPCOMING HIGH POINT MARKET, RUG MANUFACTURERS ARE FEELING blue--as well as brown, sage and a host of other trendy hues, as their latest patterns will be unveiled and in a variety of materials. And even if the numerous...

What's in store for the spring tabletop show: it's springtime, and the tabletop industry is undergoing its own form of renewal as the show gets underway this week.(tabletop)
April 20, 2009... LONGTIME PLAYERS LENOX AND WATERFORD WEDGWOOD BOTH COME TO THE SHOW (AS LENOX CORP. AND WWRD Holdings, respectively) under new ownership, with fresh infusions of capital and a spirit of new beginning. New tabletop companies guided by longtime...

Libbey courts the wine enthusiast.(tabletop)
April 20, 2009... WINE DRINKING IN AMERICA CONTINUES TO GROW IN POPULARITY, and Libbey is positioned to tap into that trend with its many wine-related introductions this spring. At the Housewares Show in Chicago last month, Libbey made a strong wine...

HFN 2009 award excellence: and the winners are....(housewares)(Home Furnishings News)
April 20, 2009... IF ONE HAD THE TIME, THE RESOURCES AND THE MATHEMATICAL skills, it's possible they might be able to come up with a count of the number of new products introduced at lest month's International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago. The total would...

Hope is in the air.(opinions)
April 20, 2009... What was the one word I heard the most while walking the aisles of the annual International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago last month? It was "hope," as in I "hope" that the economy bounces back soon or I "hope" that my company's products...

Brandl speaks: IHA president Phil Brandl shares his thoughts on the housewares industry.(housewares)(Interview)
April 20, 2009... HFN SPOKE WITH PHIL BRANDL, president of the International Housewares Association, to get his views on last month's International Home & Housewares Show, and about the health and future of the industry. Now that it's over, what is your...

Housewares show highlights.(housewares: wrap-up)(Company overview)
April 20, 2009... THE PRESSURE WAS ON VENDORS TO MAKE A SPLASH AT THE recent International Home & Home Housewares Show in Chicago. As retailers looked for attention-getting new products to help pull them out of the doldrums, numerous exhibiting vendors came...

Plugged-in java: coffeemakers in the small-electrics segment raised the bar on design and technology at the Housewares Show.(housewares: coffee & tea report)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NOT EVEN THE TOUGH ECONOMY COULD SHORT-CIRCUIT THE INNOVATIVE flair of vendors of electric coffeemakers. Exhibitors in this category at the International Home & Housewares Show unleashed their creativity in...

Time for tea.(housewares: coffee & tea report)
April 20, 2009... AS THE TEA-DRINKING TREND GAINS MOMENTUM IN the United States, the number of products that cater to the beverage continues to grow. Housewares and tabletop manufacturers are now focusing on tea-related products and are coming up with more...

Labeled for growth: springs, WestPoint Home look to their brands to reestablish their prominence.(textiles)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ONCE THEY WERE THE TWO DOMINANT COMPANIES IN THE TEXTILES business. Today, they are trying to hold on in an increasingly difficult and competitive market. They are Springs Global and WestPoint Home--the two...

Flower power.(HFend)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spring sprang at Macy's Herald Square flagship in New York with its 35th annual flower show. Tabletop companies designed elaborate table settings to mark the occasion

Tea-Off!(World kitchen)(Brief article)
April 20, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was tea time for World Kitchen at the recent International Home & Housewares Show, s the company announced the winners of its first Tea-Off! tea kettle design competition, which drew 237 entries from 23 countries....