Furniture Today - May 23, 2005

The furniture and home furnishings community had a plethora of product and ideas to digest here last week, including the debut of I Salone, a mini-version of the famed Milan, Italy, furniture show, which ran concurrently with the long-established International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

• Industry Numbers
• The Brick's 1Q sales up 16.5%
• Leon's sales rise 8.7% in 1Q
• Sleep Country Canada 1Q sales up 7.6%
• SCI 1Q revenues up 3%, net income off 4.7%
• Bombay 1Q sales slide 1.2%

• News
• Tradewins is HOM's top vendor
• Natuzzi trimming jobs
• Office wholesaler launched
• Wickes to rev up growth
• Foam price hikes vex bedding mfrs.
• Masten looking to Eastern European sources
• Reyes, McRae promoted in AICO marketing moves
• England taps two sales VPs
• Ashley ads with cartoon cat honored
• French Heritage honors Cattich, other top reps
• Fla. store has N.C. warehouse
• Vegas product info due June 17
• Globe Express opens Ningbo logistics office
• Mealey's sets free furniture for a soldier
• Lady Americana heads to Vegas
• Broyhill lays off more than 100
• Offi acquires Canadian producer Pure Design
• Office shipments up 17% in 1Q
• Promosedia set for Sept. 8–11
• Haworth receives honorary doctorate
• Crypton calls for Loominary award entries
• Far East sources headline TIP
• Fabric group sets 36th annual convention for July 19–24
• Singapore show attendance rises slightly
• Malaysian furniture fair attendance up
• Indigo textile show joins Première Vision show, Expofil
• U.S. exhibitors do well in Singapore
• Fairfield Chair gives first top sales award to Beasley
• Habersham wins kudos from chamber
• ISPA, SPSC on honor roll
• Target previews O'Brien collection
• Havertys promotes 3 execs
• Franken joins Henredon
• Moriarty to head Brown Jordan
• AFECOM building U.S. sales team
• WithIt examines leadership
• Davis event to benefit City of Hope
• Grehan retiring as longtime head of innerspring group
• Flexible Foam develops new cushioning
• Storis signs up three new Vision R8 clients
• GERS is finalist for IBM award
• Global Link ranks among fastest growers
• Research helps Wickes hit 'sweet spot'
• Natuzzi reassigns Midwest sales territory
• Quality scores at Scoperta
• Attendance off at Proposte show; buyers cautious
• N.Y. interiors show debuts in '06
• Ethan Allen recalls 7,000 dining tables
• Bedding Benchmarks
• Hypnos makes a Keen addition to its team
• Stylution ready to hit U.S.
• Rothman sales associate wins Spring Air prize
• Obituaries
• Obituaries

• Special Report
• Retail Profile
• Canada's Finesse tests 'Total Home Concept'
• Finesse branches out with Montreal store
• Top 100 Furniture Stores
• Top 100's sales jump 7.6% in 2004
• Specialists still dominant
• Expansion continues at brisk pace
• Gallery, Select Comfort lead way in performance
• How the Top 100 report is compiled
• Bedding majors enjoy 9.7% gain
• Single-source networks post 12.3% increase
• Who's who among the leading stores
• Furniture¦Today' Top 100 Furniture Stores of 2005
• Furniture stores to watch

• Editor's Desk
• Gennet redux?

• People Today
• ISPA elects Orders chair for 2005–2006
• Lady Americana taps Shaikh as director of marketing
• Diamond promotes Dollarton to VP of merchandising
• People on the Move
• People on the Move

• Store Openings
• Broyhill installs two galleries
• Thomasville opens in Idaho

• Opinion Today
• Globalization forces entire industry to sharpen its competitive edge
• Furniture First elects officers, selects new supplier partners
• It's not simply New York's ICFF any more

• Bedding Today
• Consumer Reports stirs pot with mattress buying article

• Insider's View
• Shouldn't housing boom be gold mine for furniture?