Furniture Today - May 10, 2004

Business turned choppy last year for the top furniture manufacturers and importers in the U.S. market, with about half reporting sales gains and the rest declines. Among the Top 25 sources, only three companies had double-digit sales gains in 2003, and two of those were powered by acquisitions.

• Special Report
• Exclusive Survey
• Top 25 sources register ho-hum gain of 1.2%
• Top 25 Furniture Sources for the U.S. Market
• Best, DeCoro, Pulaski lead pack of contenders
• About this survey
• Acquisitions help RTA specialists
• U.S. exports jump 14%
• Imports
• About the numbers
• New styles, materials enliven metal beds
• Fashion Bed Group adds wood to lineup
• Stickley building plant in Vietnam
• Unifi will establish subsidiary in China
• Sherwin-Williams opens two facilities in China
• Import gains ease in '03
• Milan Report
• Lacquer, polyester shine in Milan

• Store Openings
• DOTI adds franchise store in Calif.
• Seattle's Continental Furniture unveils studiorowe gallery
• N.C., Tenn. retailers debut Stressless Zone galleries
• Diamond Furniture relocates into larger Pennsauken store
• Broyhill installs four galleries

• People Today
• French Heritage honors top sales representatives
• People on the Move
• People on the Move

• Opinion Today
• Popular 'pedic' pops up across the marketplace
• For the love of blues music and good causes
• Sustainability better than 'feel-good'

• Business Today
• Same-store sales mixed
• Masco 1Q sales increase 19.3%
• Dorel's 1Q revenues surge 41.5%
• Chromcraft 1Q profits drop 31.9%

• News
• Corrections & amplifications
• IHFC owner Randall Terry dies at 69
• ADL dinner tickets still available
• IFAM planning Vegas shuttles
• Key Asian wood cost rises
• La-Z-Boy cuts value of brands
• LHFI team a mix of retail, industry vets
• Vendors like LHFI's new plan
• LHFI store brands to remain separate
• City auction to aid City of Hope
• Serta rolling out FR mattresses
• U.S., China group to air market economy issues
• BMTC, workers reach agreement
• Bedding Benchmarks
• Simmons plant tops $100M mark
• Saliture's eye for talent still paying off today
• Foamex launches three new foams
• Obituaries
• Ira Bakst, Storis Management co-founder
• Frank Stavis, retired King Koil N.E. president
• Murray Rotman, Mass. retailer
• John Rietdyk, industry sales rep

• Up Front
• BFD stores sprucing up
• City of Hope to salute Eitel, Koenig
• Levitz, Seaman's growth strategy outlined
• Simmons sells Mattress Gallery
• DOC moves to change duty levels
• ISPA asks Calif. to clear up FR 'confusion'
• Shermag shuts out workers at two plants
• Albanese VP at La-Z-Boy div.
• Connolly gets new GERS post
• Douglas appoints Davis

• Insider's View
• The first really upbeat market since spring 2000