Home Textiles Today articles from March 2004

Home Textiles Today archives from March 2004

Sears begins new brand-based strategy.
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Sears was scheduled to embark today on yet another massive repositioning of its bed and bath merchandising program, including the pursuit of a national brands strategy that will initially bring the Martex and Utica labels to its...

JCPenney battles back with fourth quarter gain.(Business Today)
March 1, 2004... PLANO, TEXAS -- J.C. Penney Company, Inc. continued to make ground in its battle back to financial soundness in 2003. The company posted a 12.9 percent pickup in operating profit for the year and a 27.5 percent gain for the fourth quarter. ...

WestPoint Stevens chief wants to keep business a private affair.
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- WestPoint Stevens is still on track to emerge from bankruptcy some time during the second quarter, but it may not be as a public company if CEO "Chip" Fontenot gets his way. For the first time publicly, Fontenot suggested last...

Kohl's thinking less is more.
March 1, 2004... MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. -- Acknowledging that it overstocked shelves and cluttered aisles with "too much merchandise" in 2003, Kohl's Department Stores plans to tidy up its units to offer customers more ease of shopping at the expense of product,...

Britannica Home signs Bill Blass.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- After spending roughly two decades at Springs Industries, Bill Blass has inked a licensing agreement with Britannica Home Fashions and will begin showing new product at the upcoming New York Home Textiles Market. Six new patterns...

Bon-Ton appoints three executives.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. has appointed three executives to help with the consolidation and integration of the Elder-Beerman and Bon-Ton companies. James Lance was named senior vice president, chief information officer, reporting to James...

JCPenney launched ads during Oscars.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... JCPenney aired a new ad campaign during the Academy Awards. The campaign played up the company's "it's all inside" tagline by asking viewers, "Have you seen what's inside?" JCPenney touted the fact that it offers spring fashions, lingerie,...

Lowe's continues to expand.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Lowe's opened 130 new stores in 2003, and will increase that rate of expansion with 140 new-stores openings in 2004 and 150 slated for 2005, said the company's chairman and CEO Robert L. Tillman during a fourth quarter conference call. As...

Rag Shops considers alternative strategy.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Rag Shops has retained the investment banking firm of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey to provide financial advice and consider whether a sale, merger or some other corporate transaction can boost shareholder value. "There is no assurance that...

Federated predicts textiles growth.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CINCINNATI -- Textiles and housewares are expected to benefit most from Federated Department Stores' new centralized home buying system, although across the overall store there will be no significant reallocations of selling space. ...

Sunham gearing up for growth.
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Last fall, Sunham Home Fashions officially debuted its towel and rug division created from displaced industry experts ir hired several months earlier. Now the company's newest division will display products for the New York...

Caesarea unveils HydroMagic.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Bath rug manufacturer Caesarea Creations is preparing to unveil a new bath rug construction that adapts fiber technologies used in activewear. The new HydroMagic is designed to absorb more moisture and dry faster than...

Raymond Waites takes new space.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Raymond Waites Design, Inc. is opening a new design studio at 225 Fifth Ave., a move which more than doubles the amount of space it previously had while at 290 Fifth Ave. The company has remained in the vicinity of several of...

Surtex conference coming to N.Y.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Art business and design industry issues--including legal, marketing and trend information--will be presented at the Surtex Conference Program, May 16-18, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Featuring...

Evteks opens show to all.
March 1, 2004... ISTANBUL -- Evteks, the world's second largest international home textiles show, is about to get bigger--and, for the first time, has opened exhibit space to non-Turkish manufacturers. "We had some 200 companies on our waiting list, and it...

YFM hires Taylor as VP.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... EDISON, N.J. -- Area, accent and bath rug supplier YMF Inc. recently appointed Ron Taylor to the newly created post of vice president of business development to help broaden its customer base for its goods, which range from promotional to high...

Vipac opens Pakistan office.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... EDISON, N.J. -- Vipac, a 50-year old company specializing in vinyl packaging, is opening an office in Karachi, Pakistan. The office will be managed by Mazher Batla, said Vipac President Morris Abraham. Batla has over 20 years experience in...

Hoffman enters bedding, McNeil to lead.(Fabrics Today)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Hoffman Mills is expanding its Chinese liaison with the launch of a bedding division. The weaver of sheers, jacquards and dobbies is developing a new bedding fabrics division that will work with customers, primarily U.S....

Technology could help curb counterfeiting.(Fabrics.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- High-tech help could be on the way for American textiles producers in the ongoing intellectual property war against counterfeiting and fraud. Applied DNA Sciences here, a provider of DNA-embedded security solutions, and the...

Fabrics industry gets a little more fragrant.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CHICAGO -- It smells... good! Decorative fabrics and a host of fabric-applied products now can have a scent of their own. Z-Tex, a converter of decorative and upholstery fabrics, as well as a dyer and finisher of fabrics, has launched...

Interiortex on the move.(Swatch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Interiortex, the recently formed converting business headed by fabric industry veteran Bill Zales, has moved to 60 Madison Ave. The new showrooms and office also are the North American headquarters for Texoprint, the...

And the winner is ...(Scholarships.)
March 1, 2004... All I can say is thank God for JCPenney and Federated Department Stores. I don't know what the industry's scholarship fund-raising events would do without them. During the upcoming New York Home Textiles Market, the Fashion Institute of...

Skipping the middleman.(Column)
March 1, 2004... Direct imports. The two words consuming the retailing and supplier side of consumer products more and more are definitely on the radar screen of the players on either side of the aisle. Witness Target's publicly stated goal for 2004 of...

FIT to honor executives during New York market.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- The Fashion Institute of Technology will honor merchants from Bloomingdale's, JCPenney and Macy's Home as part of its eighth annual Scholarship Awards Breakfast here during the New York Home Textiles Market. Eric Salus,...

Lowe's has strong fourth quarter.(Business Today)
March 1, 2004... MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Building same-store sales at a rapid pace, while growing margins and paring costs, Lowe's Companies Inc. drove fourth-quarter profits up more than a fourth (27.6 percent), to $1.9 billion from $1.5 billion last year. ...

Retailers celebrate President's Day.(Business Today)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Getting a lift from President's Day sales, same-store retail sales for the third week of February came in well ahead of plan, most notably at the nation's department stores, The Redbook Average reported. Same-store sales...

Confidence sags amid job worries.
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Plagued by anxiety about a weak job market, Americans grew more wary about the economy during February, their confidence plunging to its lowest level since last October, The Conference Board reported. The widely watched...

Home Depot profits near 40 percent.(Business Today)
March 1, 2004... ATLANTA -- Building same-store sales at a rapid clip, while widening margins and cutting costs, The Home Depot Inc. drove fourth-quarter profits up by 38.6 percent, to $15.1 billion from $13.2 billion last year. Sales at the nation's...

Hancock profits slide 14 percent. (Business Today.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... TUPELO, MISS. -- First-quarter profits at Hancock Fabrics Inc. fell by 14 percent, to $7.6 million from $8.8 million last year, hampered by sliding same-store sales and a run-up in inventories. Overall sales inched up by 1.1 percent, to...

Federated profits jump 35 percent.(Business Today)
March 1, 2004... CINCINNATI -- With stronger margins, lower costs and improved inventory controls offsetting sluggish holiday sales, fourth-quarter profits at Federated Department Stores Inc. raced a million last year. Sales in the Christmas quarter were...

Wall Street watch for the week ended February 26, 2004.(Business Today)(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS CLOSE % CHG % CHG. COMPANY 02/26/04 THIS WEEK YEAR-TO-DATE Burlington Industries * (0) 0.00 0.00% 0.00%...

TJX blows out fourth quarter.(Business Today)
March 1, 2004... FRAMINGHAM, MASS. -- The TJX Companies, Inc. concluded 2003 with a 55 percent increase in fourth-quarter net income, which topped $238.7 million. The off-price retail firm also posted a 51.5 percent rise in its operating income, which reached...

High expenses lead to bad year at Kohl's.(Business Today)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. -- In what Larry Montgomery, chairman and CEO, admitted was a "disappointment," Kohl's Corporation experienced a rare down year in 2003. The Mid-western retailer's net income fell 8.1 percent last year, to $591.2 million;...

Essence of elegance: Sferra enhances brand image with updated logo and new showroom.(Advertisement)
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Sferra is taking luxury to the next level. Founded in 1891 as ah importer of the finest Italian luxury linens, Sferra is renowned for providing superior quality and sophisticated styling in bedding and table linens. The company...

Nautica signs with four new partners.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Nautica Apparel, the licensing division of Nautica Enterprises, has entered into partnerships in the home arena with Zorlu USA, Welspun USA, Berkshire Blanket and Kaltex Home. The first two licensees will be replacing programs...

Springs Industries and WestPointStevens continue to fill the cart.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- The country's two largest home textiles mills still have a big presence in hi/low market baskets at the top 10 home textiles retailers, according to Home Textiles Today's third annual market basket report. Springs Industries...

Rose Tree Linens inspired by Oscar de la Renta.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Using the designer's homes in Connecticut, the Dominican Republic and here as inspiration, Rose Tree Linens will launch seven beds in the Oscar by Oscar de la Renta Collection at the New York Home Textiles Market later this month....

Homestead steps into the limelight.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- As a supplier of private label retail brands, Homestead has stayed behind the scenes--even when it was making news, such as the acquisition of Guildford Industries' home fashions in 2002 or the thwarted effort of its parent company...

MSO [Martha Stweart Omnimedia] considering Martha's fate following verdict.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- As HTT was going to press on Friday afternoon, the jury in Martha Stewart's obstruction of justice case returned a verdict of guilty on all four counts. Stewart now faces up to 20 years in prison. Shortly before 4 p.m. Friday,...

Gottschalk's wooing Hispanic market.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... FRESNO, CALIF. -- Back in black after an unprofitable 2002, Gottschalk's is moving into 2004 with plans to re-emphasize key brands, launch new private label initiatives in apparel and begin building a solid base of Hispanic customers,...

America's Stores promotes Keller.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -- Will Keller has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager of the TV shopping network America's Store, a sister network of TV and Web retailer HSN. Keller has served as HSN's senior vice president of...

Sadove gets additional Saks post of COO.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- Retailer Saks Incorporated has appointed Steve Sadove, vice chairman of Saks Incorporated, to the additional post of chief operating officer. George Jones, president and CEO of Saks Department Store Group; Fred Wilson,...

For the record.(Correction Notice)
March 8, 2004... In the Feb. 16 article "Go West old industry," a comment attributed to Sam Samani, vice president of sales for Pacific Coast Home Furnishings, should have read, "It is currently bringing in more than 30 containers this month for spring,...

Saks testing new approaches.
March 8, 2004... BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- New prototype stores are on the way for the Saks Department Store Group, corporate parent Saks Inc. revealed last week during the company's fourth quarter conference call. Saks will open two stores thin fall reflecting a...

Shaw promises 'surprises'.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... DALTON, GA. -- Six months after creating a new brand and logo, Shaw Living is moving to flush out more of a total-home package with a variety of new product category entries to be announced at the New York Home Textiles Market later this month....

Richloom Home Fashions eyes efficiency.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Richloom Home Fashions, the rapidly growing division of Richloom Fabrics Group, has reorganized itself to become more operationally efficient as well as trend right. Steve Markowitz has joined the company as business manager for...

Too Inc. finds Justice.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... NEW ALBANY, OHIO -- Justice, the two-month-old apparel retail chain by Too Inc., has included in its offerings a narrow line of soft and hard room decor items that cater to its 14- to 16-year-old target customer. Too Inc. is also the...

Jaba USA perched for elimination of textiles quotas.
March 8, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- Jaba USA, a subsidiary of the China-based Jiaobao Group, is positioning itself for an anticipated influx of business following the expiration of U.S. textiles import quotas in January 2005, according to the company's vice...

Ashvyn to debut lines at N.Y. show.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... LONDON -- A nine-month-old home textiles development firm will launch its first lines for the U.S. market during the New York Home Textiles Show later this month. Ashvyn is positioned as a mid-level core basics brand for independent...

Turkish company launches U.S. division.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Egeria USA, a division of Turkey-based towel and robe manufacturer Tumteks, recently opened an office and showroom in New York to expand its U.S. business. Jeff Shaffer, Egeria rice president of sales, said the company is...

Westone grows into new showroom.
March 8, 2004... HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Home textiles manufacturer Westone recently signed a five-year lease on a 4,100-square-foot showroom at 230 Fifth Ave., which will be ready for viewing during the upcoming New York Home Textiles Market. Westone formerly...

Boulud & Smith cook up new line.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- A pair of New York City restaurateurs--home textiles industry veteran Park B. Smith and internationally renowned chef Daniel Boulud--recently joined forces to cook up a designer line of kitchen textiles that will hit stores this...

2004 market basket report.
March 8, 2004... 2004 Market Basket Report BED BATH & BEYOND Opening price point Bedding Price Manufacturer Queen sheet set $24.99 Rainbow Linens Queen bed-in-a-bag 59.99...

Pine Cone Hill looks to the '40s and '50s for inspiration.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... PITTSFIELD, MASS. -- Pine Cone Hill introduced several new looks this spring inspired by the fashions of the 1940s and 1950s. New offerings include Palm Beach Lily, Corsage, Daisy-Mae Eyelet and Polka Dot sheeting and blankets. The Palm...

Surtex honors the best, brightest.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The winners of the Surtex 2004 International Student Design Competition have been selected from nearly 100 entrants representing 15 schools worldwide. Winners of this year's competition, themed "Creative Collection,"...

Venus Textiles promotes von Walstrom.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... FOOTHILL RANCH, CALIF. -- Venus Textiles recently promoted Vivie von Walstrom to a newly created position, director of design and marketing. She reports to Raj Patel, president. Von Walstrom was most recently executive vice president,...

IFDA to review January shows.(The International Furnishings and Design Association's trade show.)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- The New York chapter of the The International Furnishings and Design Association will host a review of the January 2004 trade shows. The event will take place on Thursday, March 11, in the New York Gift Building, located at 225...

Capel doubles showroom.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... TROY, N.C. -- Area, accent and bath rug supplier Capel is doubling the size of its showroom at 112 Market Square in High Point, N.C., to almost 12,000 square feet. Capel said the additional space will allow the company to better display...

Price pressures plague suppliers.(Kitchen textile report: 2004.)
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Consistent with what the top five category players reported for their own financial results last year, the kitchen textiles industry experienced zero growth in 2003 when retail sales remained flat at $446 million. Carrying the...

Specialty stores save table linens.(Table linens report: 2004.)
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Like its sister product category kitchen textiles, the table linens category experienced unchanged retail sales in 2003, coming in at $603 million again. Mounting concerns in January 2003 seemed to paint ah ugly picture for the...

Tips for newcomers.(The home textile market.)(Column)
March 8, 2004... Just as buds are said to be the harbingers of spring, the appearances of new home textiles suppliers on the scene are the harbingers of the New York Home Textiles Market. Like crocuses popping through the soil, they herald the imminent...

Changes from top to bottom.(Retail trade.)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Looks like this will be a big year for change at retail. It's already started out like gangbusters with the Federated move to central buying and merchandising for the home store. One thing that never carne up in the early details of that...

Orian expands S.C. distribution center.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... ANDERSON, S.C. -- As part of an $8 million capital investment plan announced last year, machine-woven-area and accent-rug supplier Orian Rugs is beginning construction on a 130,000-square-foot addition to its manufacturing and distribution...

Saks profits top 20 percent.
March 8, 2004... BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- Helped by sharply widening margins and stronger sales, Saks Inc. pushed fourth-quarter profits up by 20.1 percent, to $81.8 million from $68.1 million last year. Earnings would have been even stronger but for $18.3...

Same-store sales near 6 percent.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- With momentum building steadily throughout the month, same-store retail sales shot up by 5.8 percent during the fourth week of February, easily beating plan and the performance of the three prior weeks, The Redbook Average reported....

Manufacturing up for 9th straight month.
March 8, 2004... TEMPE, ARIZ. -- In continued good news for America's smoke-stack economy, manufacturing activity grew in February for a ninth straight month, if at a somewhat slower pace than during January, reported the nation's purchasing managers. The...

Retailers report gains in same-store growth.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Helped by brisk sales of spring apparel, most notably at full price, American retailers reported unexpectedly strong same-store sales during February, with the long-battered department store segment making its strongest gains in...

Costco earnings up 25 percent.
March 8, 2004... ISSAQUAH, WASH. -- Lifted by stronger sales and interest income, and getting a further boost from a drop in store-closing costs, Costco Wholesale Corp. said earnings jumped by 24.6 percent, to $226.8 million from $182.1 million, during its...

Wall Street watch for the week ended March 4, 2004.
March 8, 2004... HTT Stock Index * 2875.8 +2.70% NASDAQ Industrial 2055.1 +1.11% Dow Jones Industrials 10588.0 +0.07% S&P 500 1154.9 +0.87% Greatest gains during the week ...

Gottschalk's is back in black.
March 8, 2004... FRESNO, CALIF. -- Swinging back to profitability from a year-before loss, Gottschalk's Inc. recorded fourth-quarter earnings of $8.4 million, compared with a year-before loss of $4.6 million. The upturn came after closing unproductive stores,...

BJ's earnings up, but just barely.
March 8, 2004... NATICK, MASS. -- With weaker margins and rising costs offsetting a double-digit gain in sales, BJ's Wholesale Club Inc., a Northeast no-frills retailer, pushed fourth-quarter earnings up a skimpy 1.5 percent, to $49.2 million from $48.5 million...

Despite headlines, Stewart profits.
March 8, 2004... NEW YORK -- Even though the personal legal woes of lifestyle impresario Martha Stewart are taking a heavy toll on her magazine and television operations, her various merchandise lines continue to click with consumers, and helped her company to...

Amazon swings into textiles jungle.
March 15, 2004... SEATTLE -- Amazon is planning to turn up the heat on its home textiles business, targeting the segment to become one of the retailer's largest growth categories this year. "We believe there are unique ways to drive business online," said...

Sure Fit files for bankruptcy; a prelude to reorganization ...
March 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- Hammered by the high cost of building its rapidly growing catalog and Internet business, and at the same time shifting much of its production overseas, Sure Fit Inc., the nation's largest supplier of slip covers, last week filed for...

Dan River expands better bedding fines.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- Dan River will roll out additions to its Lilly Pulitzer, Supreme Dimensions and Alexander Julian lines in time for the New York Home Textiles Market. Its showroom will feature a four-lifestyle setup that reflects casual,...

CHF shows harder side in collection.
March 15, 2004... NEW YORK -- A year after launching its first collection of window hardware, CHF is pushing ahead aggressively in hard goods with decorative shelves, shades, privacy panels and expanded window hardware selections. "We have used our window...

Target may put Mervyn's and Marshall Field's on the block.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Target Corporation may sell its Mervyn's and/or Marshall divisions, hiring Goldman Sachs to help evaluate its options, said the company. Specifically, Target stated the possibility of the sale of one or both of the divisions as ongoing...

Bad quarter but good year for Bon-Ton home.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... The home department at regional department store chain Bon-Ton Stores Inc. was one of the four weakest categories in sales during the fourth quarter but one of the top six over the year, the company reported during its fourth-quarter and...

Belk retires from CEO spot.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... John Belk, chairman and CEO of Belk, Inc., will retire from the company effective May 26, after 50 years as its top officer. Belk's board of directors named him chairman emeritus of Belk, Inc. at its regular meeting last week in Charlotte....

Kohl's promotes Bonning.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Kohl's Department Stores has promoted Ken Bonning to executive vice president of logistics. Bonning oversees the company's distribution centers and the transportation of merchandise from suppliers to stores. Bonning joined the company...

Overstock.com launches online discount club.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Overstock.com, an online outlet store that sells discounted brand-name products, has launched Club O, an online discount club. "We created Club O for avid bargain shoppers," said Patrick Byrne, president of Overstock.com. "For customers who...

Penney readies bigger Queens store.(Retail briefs)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... JCPenney will grand open a new three-level, 200,000square-foot store in the New York borough of Queens, with 50 percent more space than the store's current location, on March 26. The Queens Center store, which replaces a 14-year-old anchor...

Jo-Ann to reduce promotions.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... HUDSON, OHIO -- In its transition from turnaround to growth, Jo-Ann Stores has reduced its level of clearance and promotional activity, restructured its superstore prototype, and will reconfigure its finished seasonal goods assortment, reported...

ShopKo working to position products better.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... GREEN BAY, WIS. -- ShopKo Stores Inc. has transitioned the the fashion bedding and bath assortments at its ShopKo unit, the company reported during its year-end and fourth-quarter conference call last week. ShopKo also said it is taking similar...