Nov/Dec 2012—Presidents Making History

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

INSIGHTS FOR TODAY’S HOME FURNISHINGS PROFESSIONAL

NHFA

National Home Furnishings Association

WHFA

Western Home Furnishings Association

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13. On the Cover

INSIDE featuresNOW Now & Then—2013 is here!

The New Association Presidents

20.

Mad Money for Mad Men

33.

The Integrated Model

Photo © VanderVeen Photographers

13.

High Point Market Wrap-up 26.

Showroom Design Tips

28.

Hot Products from Market

yourVOICE

10.

11.

Retailer2Retailer

30.

Roving Reporter

29.

Caught on Camera

30.

InstaNOW Contest

count onIT 04.

A Message from the WHFA President

06.

08.

TechNOW—Inbox

Editor’s Letter

39.

Membership Marketplace

43.

Quick-Fire Marketing

44.

Industry Scoop

46.

Calendar

48.

The Now List

36.

Product Focus—Lighting

Photo © VanderVeen Photographers

A big, "Thanks" to our partner, High Point Market Authority for assisting us with our cover and feature story photo shots.

26.

Four Hands Showroom—Learn design tips from the Showroom Design Competition winners on page 26.

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thePlayers

Q: What are you thankful for this year?

RetailerNOW

What we are so passionate about. . .

To have the courage to pursue purposeful dialogues that challenge conventional thinking, to engage and entertain our readers by delivering content that creates a fervent following ready to change the landscape of our industry.

RetailerNOW is the magazine for today’s home furnishings professional.

Developed for a specialized community, RetailerNOW brings a unique editorial focus on progressive and relevant issues concerning the home furnishings industry in the retailer’s voice, with a focus on issues impacting retailers NOW.

Melissa Dressler Editor melissa@retailerNOWmag.com

Lisa Tilley Creative Director lisa@retailerNOWmag.com

Larry Carroll Account Manager larry@retailerNOWmag.com

I am thankful that in a serious world, I can always find something to laugh about.

—Tim

Tim Timmons Associate Publisher tim@retailerNOWmag.com

Cindi Williams Business Development cindi@retailerNOWmag.com

Contact Information:

Editorial Collaborators:

Mailing – Editorial:

Mailing – Advertising

Andrew Tepperman, Tepperman’s Carol Bell, Contents Interiors —Andrew Donny Hinton, Colortyme Marty Cramer, Cramer’s Home Furnishings Rick Howard, Sklar Furnishings Travis Garrish, Forma Furniture

3910 Tinsley Drive #101

2012 National Home Furnishings Association Officers

500 Giuseppe Ct., Suite 6 Roseville CA 95678

Marc Schewel, President, Schewel Furniture, VA Dianne Ray, Chairman, Garden City Furniture, SC Cherie Rose, President Elect, The Rose Collection, CA Rick Howard, Sr. Vice President & Treasurer, FL John Wells III, Sr. Vice President, Wells Home Furnishings, WV

High Point NC 27265 Online: retailerNOWmag.com Phone: (800) 422-3778 Advertising: (800) 888-9590 Social: facebook.com/retailerNOW

2012 Western Home Furnishings Association Officers Angel Lopez, Exec. Committee Chair, Dearden's, Los Angeles, CA Chris Sanders, President, Everton Mattress Factory, ID Valerie Watters, President Elect, Valerie’s Furniture & Accents, AZ Lael Thompson, Vice President, Broyhill Home Collections, CO Chuck Kill, Treasurer, Bedmart, AZ Tom Slater, Secretary, Slater’s Home Furnishings, CA

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Southern Home Furnishings Association

Subscription: $70/year Retailer Now, ISSN# 2166-5249 is published monthly (except March and December) by the Western Home Furnishings Association, 500 Giuseppe Court, Ste 6, Roseville, CA 95678. Application to Mail at the Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at Roseville, CA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: please address changes to: RetailerNOW, The Western Home Furnishings Association, 500 Giuseppe Court, Ste 6, Roseville CA 95678.

If you would like to stop receiving RetailerNOW, please send an email to unsubscribe@retailerNOWmag.com.

If you would like to only receive an electronic version of RetailerNOW, please send an email to gogreen@retailerNOWmag.com. © 2012 National and Western Home Furnishings Associations. Published by the National Home Furnishings Association and Western Home Furnishings Association. Material herein may not be reproduced, copied or reprinted without prior written consent of the publisher. Acceptance of advertising or indication of sponsorship does not imply endorsement of publisher or National and Western Home Furnishings Associations.

The views expressed in this publication may not reflect those of the publisher, editor or National Home Furniture Association, Western Home Furnishings Association and Western Retail Services Corp. Content herein is for general information only; readers are encouraged to consult their own attorney, accountant, tax expert and other professionals for specific advice before taking any action.

Robert Dossenbach, President, Dossenbach’s Finer Furniture, NC

Southeastern Home Furnishings Association

Wogan S. Badcock III, President, W.S. Badcock Corporation

For a complete Board of Director listing, visit retailerNOWmag.com NHFA Staff Steve DeHaan, NHFA Executive Vice President • (800) 888-9590 x6124 Karin Mayfield, Sr. Director of Membership • (800) 888-9590 x6154 Jordan Boyst, Member Services Rep • (800) 888-9590 x6132 Dianne Therry, Member Services Rep • (800) 888-9590 x6167

WHFA Staff Sharron Bradley, WHFA Executive Director • (916) 960-0345 Karpice Crawford, Membership Director • (916) 960-0346 Mike Hill, Member Services Rep • (916) 960-0263 Eric Malone, Member Services Rep • (916) 960-0291

NHFA

National Home Furnishings Association

2

After 4 years of planning a technology platform upgrade, we successfully launched it in May. I’m thankful to my entire team and their ability to manage this major disruption without losing site of growing our business.

NOV/DEC | 2012

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WHFA

Western Home Furnishings Association

England SEHFA SHFA New Chapter

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President’s Message

A Farewell Message from the WHFA President

Find Relevance, Be Responsive, Be Ready What has happened to this point? The first 10 months have been a predictable challenge for retailers and manufacturers. We have been overexposed to the political noise machine that has completely drowned out effective retail advertising especially for our members found within the swing states. Further consolidations continue to exist within our industry, most notably in the mattress category. Now two entities will control over 60 percent of the mattress business. Corporate-owned chain furniture and mattress retail stores are in rapid expansion and market share growth modes. Nontraditional and hybrid distribution channels are growing larger and increasing the competition at the retail level.

NOW WHAT? Relevance, responsive and ready are the words that we really need to know the meaning of and implement as we march into the end of the fourth quarter and into the New Year. In my travels over the last 11 months, I have witnessed a growing number of retailers that have no brand Chris Sanders differentiation or uniqueness, and do very little to differentiate themselves from Everton Mattress & their competitors. We need to walk in our own stores with the consumer’s Furniture Gallery eyes, challenge our teams and ask the question, “What can we do to be better, WHFA President in terms of product variation, service and providing a great experience?” We can also challenge our manufacturers to help the retailer with product differentiation, uniqueness, market analysis and creative efforts. Unfortunately, many retailers are left picking up the pieces due to diminishing service levels, increased product distribution and the increasing margins requested by their suppliers due to the objective of raising their shareholder value. For those manufacturers and suppliers that have taken a progressive approach to the aforementioned deficiencies I applaud your efforts!

It is important to find out what our customers want and how to cater to their request. We need to find manufacturers that will act like partners and care about your success. We need to think in terms, the store is the brand and investigate second and third tier suppliers when considering purchasing category assortments because of their eagerness to “think outside of the box” solutions and service. Don’t be a “me-too” company. Find relevance and convey your message to the consumer. As we go into the New Year, use what we have learned in the past to create a better future for the industry.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” —Henry Ford Chris Sanders,

CSanders@evertonmattress.com

Check out past issues of RetailerNOW online at RetailerNOWmag.com 4

NOV/DEC | 2012

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Editor’s Message

from the editor

It’s hard to believe that another year is almost behind us. Time is moving so fast that you blink and the world around you has changed.

Every year I like to take a few minutes to reflect and prepare for what’s ahead. One of my biggest personal achievements this year (aside from this magazine), was running in my first 5k. For 29 years, I have never been a runner—I was the person that found every excuse possible to get out of running. But last January I decided it was time to try something new, and really challenge myself. So I made a goal of running in a 5k within the year. When I crossed the finish line, it felt great knowing that I pushed myself to do something I never believed possible. Now I am preparing for 2013, and challenging myself with new goals and distances.

Melissa Dressler Editor, RetailerNOW

You should be creating goals for your business as well. While I doubt you will want to run a 5k (then again, maybe it would be fun!), what can you do to grow? This year, while better than the past few years, was still challenging for many. The consumer is holding onto their hard-earned dollars. How can you gain your customer’s business in the upcoming year?

Look at what you accomplished this year, and craft goals for where you want your company to be in a month, six months and a year. Write the goals down and post them in a place where you will see them daily. It is motivating to see check marks on what you have already accomplished and what you still need to tackle.

Sit down with each employee and review his/her past year. Create new goals that will challenge and motivate them in the upcoming year. Then work with them throughout the year to meet those goals.

Who knows what 2013 has in store, but I am hopeful that the economy will continue to recover. I am also excited to see what the New Year holds for the industry. It will be a history-making year for your Association, with two females taking the helm as NHFA and WHFA Presidents. This issue features your new Association Presidents, Cherie Rose and Valerie Watters. I am lucky to have had to chance to work with both of these wonderful ladies over the years—both are inspiring small business owners who will bring their knowledge, passion and fun to the industry.

I hope you enjoy learning about these two inspiring women, and work on making 2013 the best year for you, your business and your employees.

What I’m Loving…

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Melissa@retailerNOWmag.com @retailerNOW

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Tech NOW

Connect with us @ retailerNOWmag.com

1989

TechNOW & Then

The World Wide Web is invented.

TECHNOLOGY OVER THE YEARS

Christopher Latham Sholes invents and sells the typewriter prototype to Remington & Sons.

1873

1927

Life got a little more comfortable when the first air conditioning unit was created.

The first television 1939 is created. A prototype of the first digital computer is created

The first shipments 1964 of barIBM rolls out coded the first massproducts produced arrives computer in stores operating and laser 1971 system (OS/360 scanners for all you geeky The first are used email was people). to read the delivered. codes.

1974

1902

1876

1888

The first Kodak Alexander camera Graham Bell was patents the produced. telephone.

1906

Can you hear me now?

Radio broadcasts start, connecting people hundreds of miles away.

The Polaroid Camera is developed and delivers users photos within 60 seconds.

1965 The minicomputer is developed.

Since it is so small, it has an $18,000 price tag.

1947

1984

Apple releases the Macintosh.

1981 Commodore VIC-20 hits the market, the first color computer less than $300.

1975 1983

1993 Microsoft is The first The web born. cellular has 130 phone sites. network Pong becomes starts in one of the first the U.S. mass-produced video games.

The fax The inventor of machine the game goes gains on to found Atari. popularity.

1972 1987 Imagine what your kids would do if you replace Xbox for a week with Pong—lol!

Inbox

Our Reader's Email Just had a chance to go through magazine—AMAZING. Thank you to the staff for a great job! So proud of everything.

Dianne Ray Garden City Furniture, Garden City, SC

8

NOV/DEC | 2012

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Tech Now

2010

1994

Two Stanford students create “Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web” which is eventually renamed Yahoo!

2004 1999

The Blackberry is introduced and people can now access email from anywhere.

The first smart phone, the Ericsson GS88, appears. The Web has one million sites.

1997

1998

Google it —Google opens as a major Internet search engine.

Inbox

60% of all U.S. households owns at least one computer.

The dot.com bubble burst.

2000 The world can now buy iPods.

Wikipedia is launched.

Friendster, considered one of the first modern social networking sites, is launched.

2002

2003

Facebook is created and available only to college students.

YouTube begins. There are more than 8 billion Web pages.

2005

2006

LinkedIn launches to connect professionals on the World Wide Web. MySpace also launches and becomes the social network for the younger generation.

2008 Google unveils the first Android OS

Apple introduces the world to the iPad tablet. An estimated 1.97 billion people around the world use the Internet. The Internet surpasses newspapers as a primary way for Americans to get news. Pinterest launches.

2007

The first Apple iPhone is sold.

Facebook opens to the general public. Tweets start flying as Twitter opens up for business.

2009

The Internet had at least 27 billion web pages and could have had as many as 58 billion web pages. It’s almost impossible to count because of the rapid changes.

2012

Pinterest becomes the fastest site in history to break the 10 million unique user mark.

2011 Social media commerce begins to rise with the increase of smartphone and tablet usage.

2001

Our Reader's Email I just finished reading the latest edition of RetailerNOW magazine and want to congratulate all of you in the quality of this publication. I found it very informative and a publication we can all be proud of.

Jeff Child RC Willey, Salt Lake City, UT

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Your Voice

Retailer2Retailer Q Where do you see your business going in the next five years?

Colin Huges

Almira Fine Furniture Unionville, Ontario Dorian Stacy Sims

Stacy Furniture & Design Grapevine, Allen & Plano, TX

At Almira, repeat business and referrals from past customers continue to account for a large percentage of our sales. Being customer service-oriented, friends tell friends about their experiences dealing with us which fuels our sales. That said, going forward I see the growth in smartphones and Internet searches and realize we need to be constantly updating our website, social media sites, email lists as well as looking to expand into online sales, even if it is just in our local trading area.

Read the rest of Colin's answer online: retailerNOWmag.com.

We are working on our business plan to grow our business and prepare for the dynamic industry changes planned for North Texas. Stacy Furniture will continue to be the first place to shop for a wide selection of medium to high-end quality products and an outstanding service experience. We will remain dedicated to seeking out new, innovative ways to be green and reduce waste while increasing our services and efficiencies. As the economy continues to improve, we plan to readdress our expansion plans started in 2008 and look forward to building more stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

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Your Voice The International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market

Roving Reporter | LAURIE RUDD, Laurie Rudd PR “ Ho m e s n ow have two living rooms; one inside and one outside that is the biggest ro o m o f t h e h o u s e ,” s a i d Steve Lowsky, president, Pride Family Brands, cast aluminum furnishing manufacturer and longtime exhibitor, during the recent International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market held in Chicago’s famed Merchandise Mart, September 20-23, 2012. Dressing every facet of this “outdoor room” was the focus as hundreds of manufacturers and thousands of retailers converged for the only show in North America dedicated to the casual and outdoor furnishings industry.

TREND: Indoor style— Outdoor durability

Across three floors of permanent showrooms and a single temporary floor, exhibitors from around the world showcased their casual finery including patio furnishings of every construction and design style and outdoor accessories crafted for fun as well as function. Whether lighting or rugs; wicker or wood; pillows or umbrellas; fire pits or fabrics, the latest introductions featured ever expanding interior style partnered with enhanced exterior performance. Cast aluminum continued to blend elegance within outdoor while retro strap furnishings seemed to be making a come-back for spring 2013. As the category continues to grow for specialty retailers, the opportunities it offers are being recognized by traditional furnishings retailers as well.

Despite current challenges, a positive outlook prevailed throughout the showrooms. “I had been away from the show for a couple years and

A glimpse of the International Casual Furniture Market

The Patio Prom— The Casual Industry Comes Together to Dazzle & Choose Partners

recently returned,” said Gail Williams, owner Sunshine Furniture, Vero Beach, Fla. and winner of the coveted 2012 Apollo Award for retailing excellence. “I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality and collections being exhibited.

My customers are furnishing a second or possibly a third home and require that something extra. They look to me to locate the latest outdoor trends.”

TREND: One-of-a-kind spaces

One trend on display took its cue from indoor furnishings; total customization.

Retailers were introduced to lines and collections designed to deliver one of a kind retreats through growing options in custom finishes, fabrics, and features.

TREND: Beyond the casual season

Sales potential beyond Labor Day continues to be a request of specialty retailers and this year’s market provided plenty of options. Whether extending the enjoyment of the outdoors by hours or by weeks, fire features were the answer with additions in styles and function from fireside dining to chat seat grilling, the fire trend was on.

specialty and traditional furniture retailers to TriVantage’s new kiosk fabric program that includes assistance with coordinated looks and access to cut yardage.”

TREND: Textiles take center stage

TREND: Committed to casual

The bright attitude of the market was mirrored in the bright colors trending across categories. Color, however, appeared to be matched in popularity only by the explosion in overall use of textiles. Outdoor durable fabrics were featured in unique textures and weaves as well as increased applications from designer pillows to retractable awnings, outdoor lighting covers to multilayered draperies. A popular stop on the show floor included the debut of a program allowing retailers to promote performance fabric choices direct to their customers. “The consumer is looking to move outdoors,” said Suzie Roberts, vice president and business manager, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, manufacturers of Sunbrella® branded fabrics. “We have seen a tremendous response from

Off the show floor, market guests made time during the four-day event for educational seminars and annual social functions. The numerous benefits of a single category-focused showcase continued to receive high marks. “As a small business retailer, it is important that the time and resources I commit to shows pay benefits,” said Judy Singleton, owner, TropicAire, Columbia, S.C. “With everything focused on the casual industry, I am able to take advantage of my entire time here and explore everything that is available.”

With the size and potential of outdoor rooms, the 2012 Casual Market made it obvious that now is not the time to sit this one (category) out.

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Presidents

By Melissa Dressler Photographs by VanderVeen Photographers

Making History Take a few minutes to learn more about these two powerful women who are your 2013 Association Presidents.

TODAY'S WORLD isn’t the same world we lived in five years ago, 10 years ago or 50 years ago. It is continually evolving, with new trends, technologies and businesses being introduced daily. The rise of women in the business world is one of these changing trends. Women-owned businesses represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy. According to the National Women’s Business Council, the number of womenowned businesses grew 44 percent from 1997 to 2007—twice as fast as the number of maleNext year both the owned businesses. Today, there are 7.8 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., and 88 National Home percent are small businesses.

Furnishings Association Cherie Rose, owner of The Rose Collection in Los Gatos, California, will be taking over the and Western Home helm as NHFA’s 2013 President, and Valerie Watters, owner of Valerie’s Furniture and Accents in Cave Creek, Arizona, will become Furnishings Association WHFA’s 2013 President. Both women exemplify the ideals of being Association Presiare making history— dents. Each started their own businesses, have proved to be successful in a male-dominated and the spotlights will industry, and were received with open arms. be on as two female “When I first started in the industry, I couldn’t believe how welcoming people were,” Cherie Presidents take the said. “There I was, a woman-owned, first generation storeowner, that was also a single helm. While each mom at the time, and I went into an industry I knew nothing about. Everyone was welcomAssociation has had ing and helped me become the success that I am today. They were there mentoring me, their fair share of female helping along throughout the years. I think it says a lot about our industry—they took Presidents, there have me in, embraced me and helped Words of Advice me along the way. never been two in office We from a Past are really just one big family.” at the same time.

President Va l e r i e a d d e d , “Right off the bat, I wasn’t shy about finding help. It was still the old boys club back then. All the big guys owned the stores out here, and had the big egos, but they were wonderful mentors. I would do anything I could to be around them and ask questions.

They were all very willing to help and give me advice. I really got a lot of help from my vendors too.” 

"Listen and always take the opportunity to talk about being a member of our association."

—Dianne Ray,

Garden City Furniture, Garden City Beach, SC

NHFA 2011 President

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Cherie has always been a bright personality that brings people together. She has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that is as unique as she is, and she has successfully carved a niche for herself in an industry mostly powered by men.

Cherie has an enduring spirit that is well respected within the industry. —Lael Thompson, Broyhill Home Collections, Denver, CO

2013 NHFA President Cherie Rose

Owner, The Rose Collection Los Gatos, California

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NOV/DEC | 2012

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Presidents

"Business is coming back very strong—during the recession, having family work with me helped us survive."

2013 NHFA PRESIDENT—CHERIE ROSE Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, The Rose With the worst of the recession behind her, Cherie and her children are looking to new business opportunities, Collection is the place for tech-savvy residents including eCommerce. The Rose Collection plans to to furnish their homes with traditional products open their eCommerce business in early 2013 and offer their tech-savvy customers another way of buying with a fun and edgy twist. “The customer base furniture—from the comfort of their own homes. here in Silicon Valley is actually a very traditional “People in the Silicon Valley are very comfortable buying on the Internet, so this gives us a great opportunity to consumer,” owner Cherie Rose said, “But they want funky, fun and edgy pieces to accent it with.” keep one store location and grow our business online. I Cherie accomplishes this unique product mix by offering traditional pieces, often with European flair, and trendy, edgy accents and accessories. The mix of the styles provides for a high-end shopping environment that is trendy, hip and fresh—just like the Silicon Valley.

Always having an entrepreneurial spirit, Cherie started her first business in 1985, a wallpaper store called The Hang Up. The store eventually evolved into a home decorating center, with Cherie offering window coverings, flooring, and other home improvement items. After a client asked Cherie to start carrying upholstered goods, and she saw some initial success, she ventured into the furniture industry.

“A client of mine called asking if I would put a piece of upholstery goods in the home decorating center. I put a sofa, chair and a cocktail table in my decorating center and as a result, I started getting furniture sales. I went back to school and got my interior design degree. Then I opened my home furnishings and interior design business, The Rose Collection,” she said.

have seen the success that companies like Wayfair have had with eCommerce, and I really have embraced the idea,” Cherie said. “I know I can be competitive and still get a good ROI. People get worried because the return rate is 10-12 percent, but I am lucky to have a storefront where I can sell returned items. I will only sell items that I would be able to sell in my store anyway. We will also have a design element on the site, so we will hopefully be able to help the customer with their room layout and color schemes to get the return rate even lower. I think if we can do that, it will be a huge success.”

Having already encountered many customers who are shopping online for furniture, Cherie sees this as a natural progression for the business. Also, having her four tech-savvy children working in the business, she sees that the younger generations have already embraced this style of shopping. Her goal for the future is to have at least 50 percent of sales coming from ecommerce—with her family and Silicon Valley behind her, it is definitely a realistic plan.

Today, The Rose Collection is Cherie’s passion and she is focused on building a successful business for her children to carry on. All four of her children work in the business and it is a dream come true for her to spend each day with her family, “We all have our highs and lows together, but they are what keeps me going every day,” she added.

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A fire in 1995 forced Cherie to relocate her store to a 5,000 square foot location in Los Gatos. “I originally planned to rebuild after the fire and have two store locations,” she said.

“But the landlord of my building in Willow Glen wasn’t insured and lost the building.”

During the height of the recession, it helped to have her family work with her. While many retailers in her area were closing down, Cherie and her kids did whatever was needed to stay open, including taking pay cuts. Cherie credits her family’s hard work to their survival, “Now business is coming back very strong. Whenever the stock market does well, we do well. We have already hired additional staff and are growing.”

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Valerie has a genuine passion for our industry. She is truly a giver with an unselfish demeanor towards the effort she displays within her business and she will certainly exhibit that behavior as the next President of WHFA; her personality is contagious.

—Chris Sanders, 2012 WHFA President Everton Mattress, Twin Falls, ID

2013 WHFA President Valerie Watters

Valerie’s Furniture & Accents Cave Creek, Arizona

Presidents

"I treat my customers like family and make my store an inviting atmosphere. I am also very involved in my community."

2013 WHFA PRESIDENT—VALERIE WATTERS Valerie Watters never had any plans of owning her own business—or working in the furniture industry. As a young kid growing up in Northern Michigan, she loved reading old Westerns and dreamt of one day moving out West, marrying a cowboy and having a ranch.

At 21, and desperate for a job after moving to California, a friend encouraged her to interview for a part time position at a furniture store. Valerie went in, interviewed and was hired. “There was no training,” she said. “They just put me in the store. I didn’t even know how to open the register!”

Always being a curious self-learner, Valerie headed to the library and read every book she could find about furniture.

She talked to other salespeople and learned how to sell.

“In less than three months, they made me manager,” she added. “And of course, no training! So I went back to the library, got books on managing people and became fairly successful for their store.”

Three years after working for the company, they moved her to Arizona to open two new stores. “I worked for them for eight years, gaining immense knowledge of the industry.

But after averaging 78 hours a week, I decided to get out of the business. Of course my friends had other plans. They all said I needed to open my own store.”

Valerie toyed with the idea, and knew that if she did it she had to be unique and different from the competition.

She also reflected on her love of old Western books and antiques. Slowly the focus of Valerie’s Furniture & Accents was born. “I wanted to be higher-end, unique and different enough to not have to compete with other furniture retailers,” Valerie said. “I have always been very proud to be American, so 23 years ago I decided to primarily sell American-made products and focus on local artists and regional looks. I wanted to offer handcrafted items from Arizona, New Mexico and California—items that would make my store unique, and it did.”

In 2002, finally able to buy her own building, she moved Valerie’s Furniture & Accents to the small town of Cave Creek, just north of Scottsdale and then “went heavy duty Western.” Today, she has become known as the Western décor authority and has developed a niche of Western furnishings, “I have loyal customers that have been shopping with me since the beginning. Many of them live out of state, but every time they come into town, they stop by to say hi. I am also proud to have over 15 vendors that have grown their businesses with me for the last 23 years. It is the relationships that matter to me the most.”

Staying true to her brand, and herself, she has never swayed from her Made in American brand. “Three years ago, when business was really bad, I thought about getting some lower end furniture lines just to create some cash flow,” Valerie said. “I kept thinking I had to do it. Then one morning, I realized I couldn’t do it, because I struggled for 20 years to get the reputation of who I am, and I didn’t want to lose that. So I decided to stick to my guns and continue to be USA Made—ironically, over the last few years it has finally now become kind of the ‘in thing’.”

Sticking to her guns and being involved with her community, and the industry, has kept her successful. “I have always been involved in the community, and I have always been fair and square with people. I treat my customers like family and make my store an inviting atmosphere. Plus, I like to have fun! It may sound cliché, but good customer service is what has kept me in business, and I hope to be providing it for a long time.”

Starting off with almost nothing, Valerie opened up a small 3,000 square foot store in Scottsdale, and headed back to the library, “I did my homework, and went back to the library to learn how to open my own business. This was before the Internet, obviously! I also went to every store in the valley, saw what they did, didn’t do and then developed my own plan and ideas from there.”

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Making History, continued

The Year Ahead Both Cherie and Valerie are excited about the year ahead. As the economy strengthens, this is a great time to continue building the Association and our members’ businesses.

Valerie Watters WHFA 2013 President

"I want to share my experiences as a small retailer and my insight on the consumer.

There are opportunities for all of us to get involved in the industry. Even a small business like mine can have a presence on a national level.

I also think the fact that two women are Presidents of the Associations, in still a very male dominated industry, is a great thing. It says so much about the women in our industry as well as the industry itself. I want to set an example for more women-owned businesses to participate and get involved. It isn’t the same old boys club of the past. Hopefully people will see this with two women at the helm, and inspire them to become more involved.

My goal this year is to go to the White House. I want to share the success of small, independent retailers in our industry with the President."

Cherie Rose, 2013 NHFA President

"I am excited to bring anything I can to the table—even if it is just my enthusiasm and perspective of being a smaller store—which I think is important. Usually you see the big guys involved in the industry, and are always the leaders, but things are changing. You can be a small business and still have a huge impact on the industry. You have the same knowledge and passion. I would love to see the return of smaller, specialty stores, and encourage more women to enter the industry.

I guess if I had a platform for the year, it would be that furniture is fashion.

We need to get that message out to the consumer. Women are spending $5,000 for a Gucci purse, but they won’t spend $5,000 on a cool ottoman. It is all about image, and we need to work together to get that message out to the female consumer."

Valerie Watters, 2013 WHFA President

CONGRATULATIONS!

Cherie Rose

2013 NHFA President

& Valerie Watters 2013 WHFA President

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Advertising NOW

MAD MONEY for MAD MEN

By Bill Napier

ow N Buy e NowDA Sav DA YA A YAD

YA

Which 50% Of Your Ad Budget Is Your Agency Wasting?

M

ost marketers may know the proverbial saying from John Wannamaker—the father of modern advertising: “I know 50% of my advertising dollars are wasted, I just don’t know which 50%”?

I’m writing this article because of the feedback, emails and phone calls I received from last month’s article: “The Death Of A Brand as We Know It”.

The quote above speaks to the reality that many marketing programs are not easily justified on basic return-oninvestment measures, and that advertising in particular ends up being a leap of faith because it’s expensive and the direct benefits are VERY difficult to quantify, if at all… especially today!

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Advertising NOW

Your ad agency is not your best friend anymore.

A major top 100 retailer called me about the article and creative, media placement, consumer research, etc. For through our discussion it became “painfully self-evident” doing so, they mark everything up, especially the media that he had no clue what was happening with his advertising/ placement—usually by about 7 to 17.5 percent give or take. marketing strategy… except that it wasn’t working anymore Why 17.5 percent? I dunno. Maybe it’s the most agencies like it used to. As we talked, I related to him how I thought think they can get away with before anyone asks questions. consumers were “consuming media today”. I could tell, In the old days, at my former agency, we marked up all through his deafening silence, this was a “deer in the “costs” 15 percent, and then we applied an additional markheadlights” moment for him. After I thought about our up of 17.65 percent on top of that. That was then, however, discussion for a few days, I became quite frustrated and this is now and the “ad” world is very, very different today! angry that his agency was NOT his best friend anymore because they were pushing old strategies and tactics, making There are a couple different ways agencies get compensated for their “efforts”. These are: the same old MAD MONEY in the new retail world order.

For the record, I owned agencies in the 80s and 90s. We were extremely successful with clients like Gerber, PepsiCo, Ragu, General Mills and many small and large B2B clients.

I have also directed the inside marketing for several large companies, so what I’m about to share with you comes from both sides of the aisle… Agency and Client side.

You probably hire an agency for a few different reasons.

Some of which are:

Retainer Relationship: This is when the client (YOU) pays the agency a flat monthly fee that covers all their internal costs and sometimes basic media and maintenance. Outside costs are billed to the client either direct, or with that awesome mark-up I mentioned previously. This relationship, and its costs, usually have some sort of client/market exclusivity attached to it.

Project Based: This relationship is what it states. The agency gives you a budget for a “project” you requested and you hh They have a track record of growing businesses. are billed for those “agreed upon” costs. But, buyer beware, because many times these budgets change because “you” hh The landscape and multiple channels for “messaging” or the “agency” made changes to the project and as such, are confusing and you need someone to help guide someone has to pay for those changes… and that would be and direct your store’s messaging. you! Agencies Love this, because you’re already financially vested and getting more for the project, especially if it’s your hh You just don’t have the time to learn and invest in idea, creates incremental income. This is what we refer to a this confusing landscape. “plum” assignment.

So here are my thoughts, or should I say “RANTS” about A combination of the above: This is where you pay a how your agency is not your best friend anymore, if they monthly fee which covers the basics: open communication, even were in the first place. strategy discussions and some basic creative and then you pay for the tactics as you agree to them… yep, that 17.65 Basically, ad agencies and marketing firms are glorified percent-plus thing. salesmen and middlemen—they make their MAD MONEY off of MAD MARK-UPS and commissions.

Here’s my problem from the discussion I had with the retailer. His agency was still selling him on traditional media: If you check Adweek, Advertising Age, Brandweek, etc.

TV commercials, radio commercials and print (ROP or accounts are listed by “billings” or how much clients spend circulars).

They had a website, but the agency did not help on media each year… or how much YOU spent with them. manage that or offer any “new media” advice or strategies…

When an agency takes on a client, they usually handle

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Advertising NOW

OUCH! This is a MAD MONEY approach to marketing for the MAD MEN. Ok, I agree that we need to maintain some sort of a presence with traditional media channels, but not as a primary marketing medium anymore. Did you know that print advertising revenues today equate to what they were in the 1950s?

Why you ask? DUH, no one reads newspapers anymore in this soon to be extinguished marketing medium.

The same is quickly becoming true with traditional TV/cable. Have you read the articles about consumers “disconnecting” from cable?

In June, Netflix streamed 1 billion shows with no commercials. My cable lets me “catch up” on missed shows with minimal or no commercials.

My DVR lets me skip through commercials, so who makes out here? The MAD MEN armed with all that data that promotes reach and frequency, but increasingly, these numbers, in my opinion, are becoming much more curious/dubious than fact.

Now what really gets me about this is what agencies are doing to our retail base. I would say the media messages for home furnishings are as creative as 22

NOV/DEC | 2012

...you’re paying for tired, overdone pedestrian tactics with no new strategic ideas just recycled ideas for every day

dirt, or worse. Anyone can create a 50 to 70 percent off everything, maybe change out the graphics with some Presidents, a turkey, New Year hats, or an American Flag. Add a shamrock, some fireworks, some Holiday themes along with a back to school program and you have your “year’s marketing plan”…and I just gave it to you for free!

Now we add to that some dude screaming to “Buy Now, Save Now”… yada, yada and you have a recipe for sameness and irrelevance. Come on people, if you yelled at your girlfriend or wife to, “Do something now”, etc., please write back to me with: How that works out for you… don’t bother, I already know!

Yep, that’s what you’re paying for: tired, overdone pedestrian tactics with no new strategic ideas just recycled ideas for every day. But what really upsets me is some of these agencies have multiple clients in multiple markets and guess what? They/ you are paying for this agency’s services: retainer, project, etc., and guess what they/you are getting for your investment? The same strategy, same creative and the same lame results they sold to their Client “A”, but with a different voiceover and end tag. Why? Because each client is in a different market (MSA) and they don’t see the recycling. I call that “churning & burning”, more MAD MONEY for them, need I explain more? I could make an ugly “price-off” commercial with moving pictures, copy and voice on PowerPoint and it would be equal to, or better than, what you’re paying these agencies for! (I have a PowerPoint presentation with all of these attributes on my LinkedIn profile. It took me three hours to make.) www.retailerNOWmag.com

Advertising NOW

So, have I hit a nerve yet?

When I was in the business, our platform was to “teach our clients” everything we knew, as we expected them to teach us everything they knew. By doing this, we created a true partnership. The free flow of ideas and critiques forced us to think smarter, be different and very relevant just to keep their business. We always challenged pedestrian ideas—always. We believed that our customer and our business with them would get ambushed with better ideas, better creative and better results if we did not consistently, “Set the standards by which the competition competes.”

Today, in our industry, it’s not the case. MAD MEN are comfortable because their clients are NOT informed or educated as to changing consumer dynamics, the changing media dynamics and so much more that is happening at lightning speed in retail today. They want it this way!

Why, because they haven’t invested in learning the new paradigm and they’re comfortable with what they know and how it has consistently delivered MAD MONEY to their bottom line. If this was not the case, they wouldn’t accept “pedestrian” as your brand’s messaging strategy. I know this to be true, because 90 percent-plus in this industry have no strategy or tactics as it pertains to the Internet because the agencies and the marketing people don’t want to go out of their comfort zone for their clients.

So, you still don’t believe me? Check out your agencies Internet/web presence. This is the client’s “first face” of an agency, and it’s their primary calling card to potential new business opportunities. It shows them who they are, what they do, how they do it and who they do it for; with case studies and more. I’ll bet you their web and Internet presence is old, tired, boring and non-inspiring. I’ll bet they have not invested in their own business to bring it into the last decade, much

less today, using all of the awesome technology afforded to businesses today. This is the first flag, for if they don’t take pride in their own brand, how can they justify taking your money for your brand? Ask them that hard question: Why haven’t they led by example? (I’d love to hear the excuses and secretive rationale they would have for this).

I’ve written tons on the changing consumers, Generation X and Y, and how they consume information, where they get it from, and how they interact with it. The problem is that this industry isn’t adapting to it, and I believe the protection of the Mad Man’s income has a lot to do with it. OK, you, their customers, are also responsible because you allow this to happen because you are not educating yourselves!

The fact is: Mad Men want to keep you hooked on “Outbound (Traditional) Marketing” when in fact today it’s about “Inbound (New Media) Marketing”. They don’t want to change, because they don’t want to invest in the paradigm shift.

That costs money and takes away from their comfy revenues/profits. As such, by not leading by example, they only provide and recycle “what they know”, stifling new ideas, new revenue streams and new brand opportunities for your retail business.

A strategic plan should have everything in it.

It should be a complete landscape with the S.W.O.T & P.E.S.T analysis. This should be reviewed in every quarterly meeting and updated immediately after those meetings with any changes relative to competitive environment, the economy, new products and more.

OK, you’re saying you have Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I bet your agency charges you between $500/month to $8,000/month to manage these for you. I don’t even want to talk about this, the strategies and tactics implemented on these platforms infuriates me, and I’ve already written a ton on these subjects in this magazine or in our retail blogs.

So, what do you do?

STEP ONE: Get a marketing person “on-staff” that is a real marketing person, not a furniture person that came up through the ranks, for that’s all they know: furniture! This person must have knowledge, experience and the creative expertise to manage and direct the efforts of your brand and the agency. Continued on p.24 

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Advertising NOW

MAD MONEY for MAD MEN Yep, this will cost money to do, especially if they are good at their job. But, if they are really good, you will save a ton of money by not paying all that money to the agency. A great marketing person directs the creative, the copy and the execution—saving many hours that the agency previously billed you for. Soon, you’ll find much of what you paid the agency for can be done in-house, limiting your agency to great creative and strategy on demand.

Make sure this person’s success and failures are tied to the agency’s success and your lift/profitability. This person should be extremely knowledgeable about how old media is bought and placed as well as new media and future “trends”.

They should spend their time “focused” on inbound marketing, the creative, the channels and the results. Knowing the product is not a requirement, that’s for the buyers and merchandisers. Knowing how to get the product to the right consumer and create leads to your salespeople is their job description. Their compensation should be tied to your business success and not limited, but open ended. The more you succeed, the more they should succeed.

Demand transparency. Know what everything costs, how you are billed, what you are billed, their mark-ups, everything. They know your profits/margins, it should be reciprocated. All concerned should be fully vested in each other’s

success and profitability. That’s what a partnership is.

Yes your agency, if they’re any good, needs to make money. They should be paid for creative, brand platforms and copy. If they do it right, they should be paid handsomely for it. If you’re paying for strategy, you should pay them for a strategic plan and its results. A strategic plan should have everything in it. It should be a complete landscape with the S.W.O.T & P.E.S.T analysis. This should be reviewed in every quarterly meeting and updated immediately after those meetings with any changes relative to competitive environment, the economy, new products and more.

A strategic plan is not about media buys, the media schedule, costs and placements. That part of the plan is about tactics, not strategy. Strategy is not everything is on sale—that platform is a cop out and if that’s all they’ve got, fire them. Their compensation should be tied to your business success and not limited, but open ended. The more you succeed, the more they make. Yep, it’s sort of like piecework in furniture, the more you make, the more you make.

There is so much more I could RANT about here, but we have a limited space to do so. I could write a book about this for I am passionate on setting those standards by which the competition must compete… and you should be too!

About Bill Napier: Bill is a specialist in creating, guiding and deploying successful marketing B2B & B2C solutions integrating traditional marketing strategies with the web and social media. He has worked in the home furnishings industry for over 12 years, as the chief marketing officer for some of the industry's largest manufacturers and creating some of the largest promotions ever launched within the industry. Contact Bill at bill@social4retail.com, (612) 217-1297or www.social4retail.com.

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NOV/DEC | 2012

www.retailerNOWmag.com

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Design Tips FOUR HANDS SHOWROOM—People's Choice Award

SURYA SHOWROOM— Fashion Focus Award

By Susie Slipperfoote

You go to Market to buy new products and learn about the new trends, but it is also a great opportunity to get new showroom design inspiration. You need to keep your store fresh to attract today’s consumer and manufacturers are often on the cutting-edge of new design trends.

For the last five years, High Point Market Authority has been honoring those manufacturers that excel in providing superior showroom design during the Fall Market Showroom Design Competition. This year’s winners are: Bernhardt, Best of Market Award; Surya, Fashion Focus Award; and Four Hands, People’s Choice Award.

RetailerNOW caught up with the winners, and got these four tips on how to bring their award-winning ideas into your store.



Transport Your Customer Years ago, Bernhardt’s Creative Director, Ron Fiore, was in Paris when a store stopped him in his tracks. Large iron doors separated those on the outside from the warm, inviting store featuring a library where people were enjoying their coffee.

The environment was warm and inviting—drawing the person from the outside, in.

Inspired by this scene, Ron wanted to create that same inviting feeling in Bernhardt’s High Point showroom. The entryway was turned into a large library, with large-scale bookcases, furniture, and layers of accents. The whole feeling was a romantic scene that drew in Market-goers.

“Focus on something that is aspirational in your store,” Ron said. “It doesn’t have to be a library—that is pretty aggressive. But think romantically and think about transporting your customer’s mindset. Where would you want to be transported?”

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NOV/DEC | 2012

www.retailerNOWmag.com

Design Tips BERNHARDT SHOWROOM—Best of Market Award

All Photos © VanderVeen Photographers

 Focus With every new design idea, you always need to keep in mind basic design principles. Whether you are creating a lifestyle vignette or an entryway, make sure there is focus to it. “Humans can only handle so much at a time, and the eye can only handle so much detail,” Ron said.

“You may have good settings, but if there is no attention to the focus of it, it will not work.

Sets of threes always seem to work.”

Give the customers a show—and make sure it looks fantastic from every direction. “People always pay attention to the forward, but not the other way. Those sightlines are important as well. Make sure all of your displays look great from the front, and back,” he added.  Fashion, Fashion, Fashion

 Upcycle Your Merchandising Displays

“Fashion should be important in our industry, even though it isn’t always. We are an extension of fashion into the home,” said Satya Tiwari, owner of Surya. Surya showcased the connection between furniture and fashion by creating a dress crafted entirely of their rug swatches. Displayed on a mannequin, the dress featured the latest styles that are found in women’s fashion apparel.

Looking for innovative, and inexpensive ways to add flair to your merchandising displays? Take an idea from the Four Hands showroom, which featured upcycling displays—a hot trend where you convert wasted materials into something new and usable. In the Four Hands showroom, upcycling could be seen in displays made out of paper bags, old paint cans, stones, books and more.

“It is about connecting the dots for the consumer, and showing “We realize budget is a huge thing for the retailer, and the them the fashion behind a piece,” Satya added. “When a consumer, so we tried to get creative,” said Cameron Cook, customer walks into your store and sees products that reflect public relations manager with Four Hands. “We had employthe styles she is currently wearing, there is a subliminal ees bring in empty milk cartons, egg crates, beer cans, wine bottles—even corks—and make fun displays throughout the connection to the fashion.” showroom.”

An easy way to keep the latest styles in your store is by freshening up your accessories every season. Also talk to the Have your employees bring in old items from their house, or customer about her fashion style and how she sees that style find some old pallets in the warehouse, and have a fun DIY afternoon creating unique, innovative displays. reflected in her home.

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Market Wrap-up

HOT PRODUCTS

A FEW GREAT PIECES FROM THE OCTOBER HIGH POINT MARKET

CR LAINE | crlaine.com From the Fifty Shades of Green collection— Emerald City, the Claybourne Sofa has the look.

CHELSEA HOUSE | chelseahouseinc.ocm Celtic Knot Lamp, Lisa Khan Collection.

THEODORE ALEXANDER | theodorealexander.com Words Take Flight, a louro preto veneered & aluminium aeronautical writing table.

THIBAUT |

WESLEY HALL |

thibautdesign.com

wesleyhall.com

The shaped bottom rail of the Bedford Chair adds a special touch to this slipper chair.

From the Manor Ottoman Collection a rectangle inset top in a leafy shade of green.

HICKORY CHAIR | hickorychair.com Hampton's Alice Secretary breathes new life into a classic cabinet design.

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www.retailerNOWmag.com

Market Wrap-up

HOT PRODUCTS

KAS RUGS | kasrugs.com

JS@HOME |

Bali Collection—Hand-tufted transitionals in poly-acrylic blend. Plum-black mosaic and black city view.

The Lakeshore Cocktail table in the Lakeshore Collection by JS@Home.

Caught on Camera

Our Roving Reporters (that’s you!) were everywhere during High Point Market— sending us the sites and sounds from the event. Check out what you saw during the Fall High Point Market!

Check out more of your Market photos at www.retailerNOWmag.com/click/photos

@johnrichardcoll: Loving Lavender and Eglomise #hpmkt #subscribeNOW

@mkwinnette: La-Z-Boy...

Go Tangerine Tango #hpmkt

@ramarketing: Check out this #besocial group in the @RAMarketing @furnsocialspot @BestBuyDirect booth! #subscribeNOW

@impeccable_nest: Me & Candice Olson! #hpmkt #subscribeNOW

@taraceaconcept: Guests & photos #subscribeNOW #HPMkt

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Market Wrap-up

Insta

Seeing Market Through Your Eyes Six lucky readers were given the opportunity to take over the RetailerNOW Instagram and show us High Point Market through their “lens”. This fun and interactive contest put the spotlight on you, the reader. The social media community voted and these are the top photos from each day!

DAY ONE—Samantha Shaffer, R&A Marketing Samantha joined R&A Marketing last June and has been busy spreading her love of social media to the retailers she helps as an Account & Social Media Specialist.

Good Morning #hpmkt

Anyone know if these will take you on a magic carpet ride? @retailerNOW #hpmkt

@bestbuydirect at the @ngnow Ignite Session #hpmkt @retailerNOW

DAY TWO—Julie Browning Bova, Julie Browning Bova Designs As a seasoned professional, Julie Browning Bova has worked in the design industry for over 20 years, collaborating with esteemed individuals to strengthen her craft and is well-known for her equestrian-inspired product design.

#HPmkt Info center—all smiles this morning in the information center!

Ready to answer all your questions and assist with your market experience!

Crisp red & patterns of blue at Stanford Furniture! 435 N Wrenn

#Equestrian details from Julie Browning Bova Home Collection for Stanford Furniture— #HPmkt 435 N. Wrenn

DAY THREE—Dana Helms, SocialNorth Dana brings 10 years of experience in the home furnishings industry—from retail to cutting-edge technology and recently became the Social Media Community Manager for the social media strategy firm, Social North.

Cresent Fine Furniture #hpmkt hosting. @WithIt event for competitive intelligence seminar

30

Celebrating @decormentorlisaferguson with the #elevate wall @socialnorth via @themrshelms and @juliarosien

NOV/DEC | 2012

Great end to a great day! #fourhands #hpmkt

www.retailerNOWmag.com

Market Wrap-up

A Special Thanks to our partner High Point Market Authority

DAY FOUR—Bradley Clifford, Bradley Clifford Design Bradley is a nationally known interior designer with over 20 years experience in the design and home furnishings field. He recently closed his showroom, Bravado Home & Design to focus on an e-commerce site, his new furniture brand and his steady interior design business in Portland, OR and Dallas, TX. Beautiful chair by @ThayerCoggin Refreshing to see original designs from the past being reintroduced.

Great new custom finishes at #VanguardFurn #hpmkt "Make it yours" by #MichaelWeiss

Afternoon pick me up!

Orange #chevron. #hpmkt Suites @ MS, M-8029

Last one! Post #hpmkt getaway? Suites @ MS, Ground Floor

Check out this ray of morning sunshine. #sherrill furniture #RetailerNOW #hpmkt

Color my world. #massoud #hpmkt

Beautiful ottoman by #HickoryChairco

DAY FIVE—Sarah Berndt, Da Ming Kai, LLC Sarah is the Marketing & Sales Director for Da Ming Kai (DMK), a sourcing and manufacturing company that connects buyers and suppliers here and abroad.

#hpmkt at Happy Hour! Suites @ MS Fred Conlon at Sugarpost 1-427

DAY SIX—Dorian Stacy Sims, Stacy Furniture & Design Dorian has worked in the furniture industry for more than 20 years—working extremely hard to build her family business of Stacy Furniture & Design into what is now a multi-store retail organization with over 200 employees.

Chaise to the left chaise to the right.

Too cute and comfy! #hpmkt #sammoore #furniture #chaise

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From our Family to Yours

Waverly is our new contemporary lifestyle furniture collection, designed for those of you seeking well-made furniture with modern features at an affordable price.

www.cresent.com • Twitter: @cresentfurn

S oli d Fu r ni t ur e wi t h a Co ns cien ce

NowAffiliates & Then

the INTEGRATED MODEL Our Industry’s Only Hope for Success

By Barry Abraham

I

t is no question that the home décor industry must change in order to survive. The various nodes of the marketplace—manufacturers and retailers—are increasingly struggling and going out of business. As one recent commenter exclaimed on one of my Crunch Time blog posts, “the distribution network of the 20th century is dead.” But is it, really?

As part of that shift, retailers must recognize that the consumer’s buying behavior has changed forever and now begins online, and therefore their manufacturing partners must move their products to online channels if they hope to survive. However, this move must not harm the physical store’s business, either.

In addition, manufacturers must recapture control of their Retailers have seen their customer’s buying behavior change brand’s channel and content distribution, while practicing drastically, visiting online channels when they start shopping, discipline when it comes to their pricing models. Thus, instead of driving from store to store. The widespread and creating pricing parity between physical stores and Internet easy access to information available on the web has resulted retailers. in insidious shopping behaviors (like showrooming), which DISTRIBUTION wreak havoc on retailers. Meanwhile, manufacturers are watching their generational retail relationships die off After the manufacturer’s products are present and available through store closures and downsizing, which in turn places online, the next critical step toward a successful integrated extreme cost pressures on their businesses. Consequently, the model is through the level of a manufacturer’s control over consumer is losing the designing expertise and supportive the distribution of its brand and content. relationships retailers have to offer.

In this Digital Age, anyone can scrape your website for This all too common scenario is a broken model. The status images and product descriptions for ‘inventory’ on their quo will only cause these businesses to join the ever-growing own low-end retailing website. Unfortunately, brands ranks of bankrupt brands and shuttered stores. have turned a blind eye to scraping practices in the hopes that the resulting traffic from this additional exposure will If the traditional retailing ecosystem is to survive, retailers increase their sales. When your products are promoted on must come together with manufacturers and designers for any unsanctioned site, the brand that you’ve spent decades tighter collaboration and standards. These disparate industry developing and shaping is easily damaged or destroyed— stakeholders must join together in an integrated model in almost in an instant. order to succeed in these rapidly changing times.

And it’s not just the content-scrapers out there that can THE INTEGRATED MODEL harm your online reputation. Control is first achieved when Integrated models are not entirely unheard of in home manufacturers choose their sanctioned retail partners wisely. décor. Ethan Allen, Restoration Hardware, and others have Your sanctioned partners should be only those retailers who adopted these operational models where all content, pricing, understand the value of brand control, while following a and distribution is consistent across all retail platforms. higher standard and upholding industry best practices. That For these companies, it doesn’t matter where the customer means to avoid sanctioning just anybody and everybody goes—to the physical store, an ecommerce retailer, or the who’s willing to do one or two deals per year. manufacturer itself—she receives the exact same messaging, It doesn’t stop there. Brands must administrate their product content, advertised price, etc. This integrates all content and the access to its use. Content is king, especially of the market nodes into a seamless shopping experience, online where a company’s ability to be found by potential building trust and purchase confidence for the consumer. customers is directly linked to the quality and search-ability This successful model is available to our nation’s retailers and of their content. For manufacturers to survive in the online brands, but in order to capture it they must embrace the world, they must place tighter controls on their content change together and shift to a fundamentally new model of (which includes images and product descriptions) to create business operation. that trust and value consistency that consumers look for.

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33

Now & Then

Your brand has taken generations to build. Don’t allow those who will ultimately cause harm to your brand and your retail ecosystem to succeed with content-scraping practices.

Supervise and protect the use of your content. With good partnerships and a controlled message, you will create consistency to the brand promise you offer your consumers, and trust within the buying community.

PRICING Finally, an integrated model can only work if there is parity of pricing across all retail channels. Currently, online retailers can charge significantly lower prices than their brick-and-mortar retail counterparts, a condition which has resulted in insidious customer shopping behaviors like showrooming.

Albeit most online retailers must provide free shipping which will drive up their cost and sales price.

Pricing policies should allow for the extra overhead and costs that physical retailers experience with a lower pricing multiple. Conversely, these policies should enforce a slightly higher multiple for Internet retailers to create a comparability of price conclusion for the customer, no matter which retail channel she’s shopping. This creates pricing parity.

Even if the advertised price on the eCommerce platform is lower than the physical store’s, the customer may be more comfortable with a slightly higher price. This contentment exists because she is able to address questions, returns, and other information with a real, local person instead of a ‘robot’ (the Internet). Therefore, because it is at parity across all retail channels, the price is balancing on the customer’s choice of channel and the level of risk she is willing to undertake.

In order for the balance to continue, manufacturers should also be

34

NOV/DEC | 2012

disciplined when it comes to following the policies and enforcing them in the marketplace. They must be disciplined about stopping and penalizing violators that advertise a slashed price.

There are examples of how Minimal Advertised Price (MAP) policies are enforced; manufacturers would set a MAP price, such as $200 for a dining chair, and would enforce that price to ensure that retailers, both offline and online, do not advertise to sell that chair for $195. If a retailer does advertise below that price, they are penalized. Samsung already has policies in place and charges dealers penalty fees if they advertise below their lowest allowed price. Other manufacturers have informed their retailers that if they advertise a lower price than MAP allows, the brand will decline to fill orders—outstanding or future—for that retailer.

...it doesn’t matter where the customer goes—to the physical store, an eCommerce retailer, or the manufacturer itself—she receives the exact same messaging, product content, advertised price, etc.

It’s critical to note that MAP is all about setting a consistent, baseline advertised price. Manufacturers who attempt to govern the price at checkout or enforce a Manufacturer’s Recommended Price (MRP) could be treading on dangerous legal ground, since price-fixing and similar practices are illegal in many cases.

By incorporating and enforcing a standardized advertised pricing model like MAP across the entire industry, brands create a fair and competitive

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marketplace for all of their retail channels.

THE END GAME Governance of brand and content distribution, and creating pricing parity all requires discipline and a commitment to our industry’s future.

Manufacturers must work all online channels as effectively as they would work their brick-and-mortar channels, policing all of the digital aspects of their business to ensure conformity to and consistency of content and pricing policies. They must take swift action against those who are causing a disruption in the new integrated business model.

In turn, retailers will have a net increase in their sales volumes, because close collaboration and strict adherence to standards creates an environment of fair and balanced competition in the marketplace. However, this can only occur if retailers work closely with manufacturers to maintain pricing discipline and report retailers who choose to carp the market.

The integrated model can work effectively to mend the damage our industry has seen over the last decade or more. We can be successful and strong once again, with such a commitment to collaboration toward mutual growth and prosperity.

Barry Abraham is a sales and marketing strategist, speaker, seminar leader, and entrepreneur who has been a veteran of four start-ups and VP of sales and marketing for two international technology companies.

In 2005, Barry took a hiatus from the technology industry and founded the first fully automated granite countertop manufacturing company in the Pacific Northwest. He went on to found PureHome.com, a social trading hub for the home decor industry, which integrates manufacturers, retailers, and Pure Home's patent-pending contextual search technology on a platform designed to improve the user experience of the home decor consumer. Barry is currently the CEO of Pure Home Corporation, and lives in Kirkland, Washington with his amazing wife and two awesome teenagers.

MORE ON EVERY LEVEL

Las Vegas Market January 28–February 1, 2013 TO DAY ’S TOTA L M A R K E T P L AC E www.LasVegasMarket.com

Reimagined. Reenergized. Reinvented.

This is the new Las Vegas Market — join us.

Winter 2013 brings you a more inspired buying experience filled with:

More new lines to make your store stand out

More introductions to excite your customers

More emerging trends to freshen your offerings

More exciting home furnishings, accessories and décor resources than ever!

To learn more and register: www.LasVegasMarket.com

Member Marketplace

WAM inventory Financing E N GR With competitive Centralized billing O

PR

Flexible Terms and Annual Rebates Put YOU back in the Driver’s Seat Exclusive Member Benefits

Centralized billing provides you with

✔ Pre-approved Credit Lines

more flexibility and control at your

✔ No Fees – FREE to all WHFA members

fingertips. Easy online access allows you to manage your credit line, make

Qualified Members will have the choice*

payments, check due dates and search

❍ Extended Re-payment terms—

invoices. Simplify your accounts payable

✔ 30/60/90 day scheduled liquidation

and make one regular payment to

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multiple vendors using the fast and

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❍ One payment for multiple invoices/suppliers

❍ Annual rebates back to you**

friendly BSF central billing system.

No BrandSource membership required *Based on suppliers participation **Annual rebates of 10 basis points to WHFA members financing a minimum of $100,000 in a calendar year.

Call Today for a complete listing of participating manufacturers.

CALL YOUR MEMBERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE TODAY AND GET STARTED!

NHFA

National Home Furnishings Association

36

NOV/DEC | 2012

Retailers East of the Rocky Mountains, call (800) 888-9590 www.nhfa.org

WHFA

Western Home Furnishings Association

Retailers in the 12 Western states, call (800) 422-3778 www.whfa.org

NHFA SEHFA SHFA

South Eastern Home Furnishings Association

National Home Furnishings Association Southern Home Furnishings Association

www.retailerNOWmag.com

WHFA

Western Home Furnishings Association

SEHFA SHFA

South Eastern Home Furnishings Association

Southern Home Furnishings Association

Retailer of the Year

2 0 1 3

Gala & Awards Presentation April 22, 2013 NHFA’s prestigious Retailer of the Year Awards are awarded annually.

Any active member of the home furnishings industry may nominate one or more candidates.

Two (2) Awards will be presented: • Retailer with a sales volume under $10 million • Retailer with a sales volume $10 million or above The recipients are selected for their outstanding contributions to the home furnishings industry, exemplary service to the community and personal business achievements.

My nominee for NHFA’s 2013 Retailer of the Year is: Name Company Address City Telephone (

)

State

Zip

Fax (

)

Email

Fax this form to (336) 801-6102 or email Odetta Wash at owash@nhfa.org. DEADLINE: December November 30, 2012.

7, 2012

Who may nominate a candidate?

Who selects the Retailer of the Year?

Any member of the home furnishings industry may nominate one or more candidates for Retailer of the Year. National Home Furnishings Association solicits nominations from members of the Association, NHFA sponsoring manufacturers and suppliers, International Home Furnishings Representatives Association, and the industry trade press. Others also are invited to participate.

A Selection Committee evaluates each nominee based on the three criteria. Members of the committee may include: NHFA Board officers; a sponsor manufacturer; an industry supplier; a past recipient of the award; a principal of the International Home Furnishings Representatives Association; and a representative of the home furnishings industry press.

Who may I nominate?

How is the selection process carried out?

Nominees must be stocking dealers or employed by a store selling furniture to the consumer on a day-to-day basis. Only members in good standing of NHFA are eligible. Officers of NHFA’s Board of Directors are ineligible for nomination and remain so until three (3) years after the completion of their terms.

Each nominee must complete a questionnaire detailing his/her achievements, and it must be accompanied by supporting documentation such as testimonials, newspaper clippings and letters of commendation. The questionnaires and documentation are provided to the members of the Selection Committee, and each member then independently rates the candidates on a point system using the three criteria. Scores from each Selection Committee member are added together and the honor goes to the nominee receiving the most points in each category.

What factors determine the recipients?

Candidates are evaluated on these criteria: • Contributions to the industry • Community Service • Personal business achievements and company leadership

National Home Furnishings Association 3910 Tinsley Drive, Suite 101 • High Point, NC 27265-3610 • (800) 888-9590 • www.nhfa.org

INDEPENDENT FURNITURE RETAILER

PROFITABILITY + SECOND CHANCE + QUALITY OF LIFE

PROFIT MANAGEMENT PROMOTIONS

For more photos visit www.retailerNOWmag.com

Affiliates Product Focus

Spotlight on Lighting

An Inside Look at Today’s Top Lighting Trends

By Jack Johnson

For many retailers, lighting is a go-to category. It’s a product that turns easily, provides a simple add-on sale, and it’s a fashion item consumers can get excited about.

Any designer will tell you Couture that lamps and lighting are For the more glamorous, cosmopolitan the final touches that tie design aesthetic, there’s Couture—a look a room together. Just as that is at once luxurious and attainable, jewelry completes an outfit, shimmering and solid. Lamps in this lighting completes a space. direction help dress up a room and are sure While every room needs a to attract attention. Shiny metal finishes, light source, gone are the glass, mirrors and crystals are used to create days where standard overhead light fixtures ambiance and drama. These light fixtures suffice. Instead, today’s decorative lighting add sparkle to a room the way jewels adorn choices help consumers express their a fashion ensemble. personal taste and enhance their rooms’ décor—while giving retailers opportunities Color Studio for greater profitability.

Following the growing trend of painted finishes in home furnishings, Color Studio On-Trend Looks brings color to lighting. From complex Knowing the looks today’s consumers neutrals to bold hues, a new palette of want is the first step to selling lighting colors and techniques can be seen in today’s successfully. Our lamps are designed lighting trends. Lamps in the Color Studio around four unique consumer-driven direction are designed to embrace color— lifestyle directions we’ve identified: Casual either by complementing or contrasting Expressions, Industrial Evolution, Couture with a room’s surrounding fabrics, finishes and Color Studio. Here’s a look at the and furnishings. Plus, watch for new colors unique personalities of these four lighting debuting in lamp shades as well. trends: The ‘Best’ Lamp Casual Expressions Whether it’s a table lamp, floor lamp, accent This trend covers a wide variety of styles lamp or buffet lamp—the ‘best’ lamp is and materials while addressing an attitude always the one that sells. An important of everyday elegance and relaxed living. key to suggesting the best lighting fixture The attitude is all about ordering dinner in, for your customer is determining their staying at home and cocooning. For this design preferences and the overall look direction, lighting is laid-back, yet beautiful. of their room. If their style is traditional, Glass, metal, and wood are all used to recommend fixtures that have more create appealing updated silhouettes that timeless appeal and classic linen shades. If range from classic to transitional. Also look they prefer a contemporary look, seek out for natural materials such as shells, twine, clean lines, reflective surfaces and drum rattan and ceramics. shades. Transitional style preferences—the majority of today’s consumers—can be Industrial Evolution satisfied with a variety of materials and This look is relatively new on the scene and silhouettes that look updated but still fit has a hip, edgy vibe that is popular with within the growing lifestyle design aesthetic. younger generations. It has a decidedly urban flair and is characterized by reclaimed Regardless of a store’s product assortment wood, weathered finishes, aged metal or price points, lighting proves to be an hardware and repurposed materials for an excellent source of incremental sales. Not industrial-inspired look. There’s nothing only are lamps a necessity in most rooms fussy or frilly with this direction. Lamps of the home, they’re also a fashionable that complete this look are bold, distinctive and full of character.

The Couture look in lighting from Stein World epitomizes glamour.

Just as with mirrors and accents, lighting offers retailers unlimited revenue opportunity.

accessory that adds style and personality.

And, consumers love the fact that they can take home their lighting purchase immediately.

Jack Johnson is Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Stein World. With the unique vision to change the way home accents are designed and marketed to today’s consumers, Stein World creates and delivers lighting and accent furnishings from around the world. To learn more, visit steinworld.com.

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39

making it BIG

keeping it EASY

Sheraton New Orleans

HOME FURNISHINGS INDUSTRY

www.theHFIC.com

CONFERENCE June 2-4 • HFIC 2013

June 2-4, 2013

NHFA WHFA

National Home Furnishings Association

Western Home Furnishings Association

Our Associations gratefully recognize all of our supporters whose dedication and committment has strengthened our industry.

Acuity A. Mutual Insurance Company Advertising Concepts of America Affordable Furniture AICO/Amini Innovation Corp.

American Express American Leather Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. Aspenhome Associated Volume Buyers Banner Marketing Becker Designed, Inc. Bernards, Inc. Best Home Furnishings Braxton Culler, Inc. California Furniture Manufacturers Assoc.

Capital Marketing Concepts Cargo Consolidation Services Celerant Technology Century Furniture Century Lighting Coaster Company of America Color Ad Cory Home Delivery Service Craftmaster Furniture, Inc. Cramco, Inc. Davis Direct DĂŠcor-Rest Furniture Ltd. Delivery Solutions Diakon Logistics Diamond Mattress Co. Dom Granat DSI Companies Ekornes Elements International Elite Leather Emerald Home Furnishings

Flexsteel Furniture of America Furniture Options Furniture Wizard FurnitureDealer.net GE Capital Great American Furniture Services Guardian Products Guardsman/The Valspar Corp.

Harden Furniture Company High Point Market Authority Holland House Homelegance USA Home Furnishings Business Magazine Hooker Horich Parks Lebow Advertising Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Innovative Delivery Systems James Parker Insurance Associates Jofran Sales, Inc. Julius M. Feinblum Real Estate, Inc. Kincaid King Hickory Furniture Co Klaussner Home Furnishings Lane Home Furnishings Lazar Industries Lea Liberty Furniture Lifestyle Enterprises Linon Home DĂŠcor Products Magnussen Home Mail America Massood Logistics Med-Lift Mobility MicroD, Inc. Mohawk Finishing Products, Inc.

NHFA

National Home Furnishings Association

WHFA

Western Home Furnishings Association

Myriad Software Natuzzi Americas, Inc. NetSertive Nourison Industries Okinus Credit Solutions Pacific Furniture Dealers Phoenix A.M.D. International, Inc. Profit Management Promotions PROFITsystems Protect-A-Bed Restonic Mattress Corp.

SAP Retail Serta Mattress Companies Simmons Sleep-Ezz Source International, Inc./4 Sales Finance Sourthern Motion Sphinx by Oriental Weavers Standard Furniture Steve Silver Co. STORIS Surya Tempur-Pedic The TV Shield The Uttermost Company Tidewater Finance Company Tropic Survival Advertising & Marketing TruckSkin, LLC Twin Star/Classic Flame Tyler Net, Inc. United Furniture Industries Valassis, Inc. Vaughan Furniture Co. Versatile Systems Wahlquist Management Corporation World Market Center Zenith Global

SEHFA SHFA

South Eastern Home Furnishings Association

Southern Home Furnishings Association

New England Chapter

To become an industry partner contact:

National Home Furnishings Association | 800.888.9590 Western Home Furnishings Association | 800.422.3778

Quick Fire

Barriers to Traditional Advertising Methods

 3,000 Messages

Your customers receive an average of 3,000 branded messages a day through a wide variety of assorted medias— online and offline. This does not mean 3,000 opportunities for our message to be heard. This means 3,000 opportunities for our message to be lost.

 Convergence of Content, Search and Social Social is how customers hear about you, search is how they find you and content is how they qualify you. None of them alone are strong enough to succeed, but together retailers can use these tools to deploy an awesome online marketing strategy.

Online Conversations Start with Traditional Media As of 2010, online advertising only accounts for 14 percent of advertising spending nationwide while traditional medias accounted for the other 86 percent. That means there are eyeballs still absorbing traditional media and that is the greatest driver towards online activity. A mention that you’re online in a news broadcast or newspaper ad can help drive activity to your online storefront.

How do you overcome these barriers? Three easy steps:

1

Storefront=Online Storefront: Ensure that your online properties are the best that your budget can buy. Just like equipping your store with the best that you can buy your online properties need to reflect that as well. The consumer cannot see your storefront if your online presence does not reflect that storefront.

2

Online=Offline: Synergy between online appearance and offline messaging is more important than ever. Making sure your messages speak clearly and loudly on your online properties is just as important as selecting the right traditional medias to spread your message. Any blip in this synergy in one way or the other can lead to a lost sale.

3

Shareable: Does your message offline have the ability to be shared?

The consumer controls the message the moment we promote it. With that knowledge, ensure that she has the ability to share it with her social community and what she is sharing makes sense.

You can’t build a house by starting with the roof, and you can’t start converting online customers to your customers without setting the foundation for success.

Quick-Fire Marketing is brought to you by R&A Marketing. Armed with more than 25 years of furniture retail marketing experience as a full-service traditional and digital marketing company, R&A is the industry’s premier agency for retailers in the home furnishings and appliances/electronics industries. Visit us on the web www.ramarketing.com or email us at info@ramarketing.com.

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43

The Scoop

the scoop Sleepless in Lake Havasu Michael Alan Furnishings and Serta Mattress Co. sponsored their fourth annual 24-hour Sleepless in Havasu for a Cure Fundraiser. This year’s event raised $25,206 to benefit the Cancer Association of Havasu's low cost Mammogram Screening Program.

The event was held at Michael Alan Furnishings on Friday, September 28, where over 33 people obtained pledges to sponsor them in staying awake all night long. The event kicked off at 5 p.m. with the Bosom Buddies Cancer Survivor group, and was a night full of fun, including a silent auction. The event was also the kick off for the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and Health Fair held on Sat. Oct. 6 at the Aquatic Center.

With one out of eight women diagnosed with breast cancer, the Cancer Association of Havasu was able to fund $86,000 in mammogram screening for women in the community.

Bob’s Discount Furniture Grants a Total of $45,000 to Cultural Arts Programs in Nine Schools from Maine to Maryland Bob’s Discount Furniture, through its Bob’s Outreach program, recently announced the winners of its seventh annual Celebrate the Arts Contest, which will award $45,000 in cultural grants to nine schools across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. The money will be used to support and maintain the schools’ dance, music and fine arts programs during the 2012-13 school year.

Each year, Bob’s Outreach receives thousands of submissions and randomly selects one K-12 school in each of the nine states (Conn., Maine, Mass., Md., N.H., N.J., N.Y., R.I. and Va.) where Bob’s Discount Furniture stores are located to win a $5,000 grant. In coming weeks the Bob’s Outreach Team will visit each winning school to award the grants and visit with students and faculty.

This year’s winners are: • East Catholic High School, Manchester, CT • Oxon Hill Middle School, Fort Washington, MD • Ponaganset Middle School, North Scituate, RI • Sebago Education Alliance, Buxton, ME • St. Anna School, Leominster, MA • St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, Alexandria, VA • Virginia Road Elementary School, North White Plains, NY Top Image: From top to bottom: Jeanie Morgan, Carole Cathcart, Arlene Polster, Evie Cistaro, Carrie Hemme, Chris Cooley & Vanessa Liesen 44

NOV/DEC | 2012

• Washington Elementary School, Lyndhurst, NJ • Winchester School, Winchester, NH

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The Scoop

Tepperman’s Promotes Masoud Negad to VP of Operations & Supply Chain

Sleep Train Charity Golf Classic Raises a Record Breaking $600,000 for Foster Kids Themed Annual Fundraising Event Donates Cash to Ensure Foster Youth Can Participate in Extracurricular Activities Sleep Train, Sacramento, CA, hosted its 6th annual Charity Golf Classic on September 26 to raise money for foster youth. The fundraiser collected a record-breaking $600,000 to provide foster children with the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities like playing sports, learning a musical instrument, going on a class field trip, or attending summer camp, where they are often reunited with siblings. This year’s event puts total donations at over $2 million since the event began six years ago.

The private 80s themed fundraiser drew in more than 400 participants who wore their best decade-inspired attire including leg warmers and MC hammer pants and featured an eighteen-hole golf tournament, costume contest, and live dinner auction.

“While the theme was fun, the reason for the annual fundraiser is serious—raising money to help current and transitional age foster youth participate in those life events that help shape us all, as well as assisting emancipated youth who are aging out of the foster system,” said Dale Carlsen, CEO and Founder of Sleep Train. “Within 18 months of aging out of the system, up to 50 percent of foster youth becomes homeless. An experience such as playing on a sports team can create a competitive nature and provide the self-confidence that helps them persevere on their own.”

Tepperman’s is pleased to announce that Masoud Negad has been promoted to Vice President of Operations & Supply Chain. In this role, Mr. Negad will join Tepperman’s executive leadership team and will be responsible for supply chain, logistics, warehousing and home delivery for the Windsor-based furniture, mattress, appliance & electronics retail chain.

“I’m extremely pleased that Tepperman’s was able to fill this new position from within our existing team of talented leaders,” said Andrew Tepperman, President.

“We’re very proud of Masoud’s accomplishments. With this addition to our executive team, we’re the strongest we’ve ever been and our retailing future becomes that much more exciting.”

4th Annual NHFA New England Chapter’s Holiday Bash Take a moment to celebrate the holidays with industry friends. Open to all members of the home furnishings community.

December 12, 2012 6:15pm – 9:00 p.m.

At Papa-Razzi Trattoria 155 Worcester Road (route 9) Framingham, MA 01702 paparazzitrattoria.com Door prizes Music by Max No cover charge Complimentary food & drinks

RSVP: Joe Quintal New England Chapter President Rotmans, Worcester, MA jquintal@rotmans.com Or Odetta Wash – NHFA owash@nhfa.org (800) 888-9590 ext. 6116

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Calendar

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE INDUSTRY EVENTS Photo © VanderVeen Photographers

Showtime December 2-5, 2012 High Point, NC Itma-showtime.com

Heimtextil January 9-12, 2013 Frankfurt, Germany Heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com

The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market January 9-16, 2013 Atlanta, GA Americasmart.com/gift/jan-2013

Imm Cologne

Street Scene High Point Market

January 14-20, 2013 Cologne, Germany imm-cologne.com

Dallas Total Home & Gift Market January 16-22, 2013 Dallas, TX Dallasmarketcenter.com

Las Vegas Market January 28-February 1, 2013 Las Vegas, NV Lasvegasmarket.com

62nd Edison Furniture & Accessory Market February 3-5, 2013 Edison, NJ Kemexpo.com

Export Furniture Exhibition Malaysia March 6-10, 2013 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Efe.my/2013

thoughtfully designed for the way people work • play • relax Visit us in Las Vegas (WMC B801) • aspenhome.net

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NHFAad.2012.thirdpage.indd 1

www.retailerNOWmag.com 11/1/2012 10:17:47 AM

Ad Index

IMPORTANT! GO ONLINE TO UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION OR YOU WILL LOSE YOUR FREE INDUSTRY SUBSCRIPTION www.RetailerNOWmag.com

TM

ADVERTISER

PHONE

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PAGE#

Ashley Furniture Industries

(608) 323-3377

ashleyfurniture.com

Aspenhome

(602) 442-5600

aspenhome.net

www.facebook.com/aspenhome

@aspenhome

12 46

Cresent

(615) 975-4862

cresent.com

facebook.com/cresent.furniture

@cresentfurn

32

Emerald Home Furnishings

(800) 685-6646

emeraldhome.com

facebook.com/EmeraldHome

High Point Market

(336) 869-1000

highpointmarket.org

highpointmarket.org/facebook

Home Furnishings Industry Conference

(800) 422-3778

TheHFIC.com

homefurnishingsconference/facebook

Las Vegas Market

(888) 962-7469

lasvegasmarket.com

www.facebook.com/wmclv

@worldmarketctr

35

MicroD

(800) 964-3876

microdinc.com

facebook.com/microdinc

@microdinc

Back Cover

Mexports

(956) 725-6441

mexportsinc.com

Nourison

(201) 368-6900

nourison.com

facebook.com/nourison

@nourison

Planned Furniture Promotions

(800) 472-5242

PFpromotions.com

Profit Management Promotions

(215) 230-9001

pmpsales.com

facebook.com/pmpsales

@PowerfulSales

38

PROFITsystems

(800) 888-5565

Profitsystems.com

facebook.com/profitsystems

@PROFITsystems

25

Serta

(888) 557-3782

serta.com

facebook.com/sertamattress

@sertamattresses

07

STORIS

(888) 478-6747

storis.com

http://tinyurl.com/STORIS

@STORIS

41

Surya

(877) 275-7847

surya.com

facebook.com/SuryaSocial

Wahlquist Management

(800) 982-2375

wahlquistmanagement.com

NHFA / WHFA Sponsors

(800) 888-9590

retailerNOWmag.com

facebook.com/retailernow

@retailerNow

42

Retailer of the Year Nomination

(800) 888-9590

nhfa.org

facebook.com/NationalHomeFurnishingsAssn

@nhfa1

37

03 @hpmarketnews

05 40

18 IBC, 51 10

IFC, 19 47

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47

The Now List

The Now List At the tone the time is 10:10 In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch or clock is usually 10:10.

736 million pounds The original M&M colors were: red, yellow, brown, green, and violet.

Know a fun fact or random piece of trivia? Send it to Melissa@ retailernowmag.com and see your name in The Now List!

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. But then you have a headache.

Car accidents rise 10% during the first week of daylight savings time.

Dollar Sense

Women in Business In the U.S. alone there are an estimated

8.1 million womenowned businesses

Steve Jobs' annual salary was $1, just enough to keep company health benefits.

that contribute

$1.3 trillion

to the national economy and employ 7.7 million people.

Flickr— Co-founded by Caterina Fake Cisco—

Co-founded by Sandra Lerner

Liquid Paper—Founded by Bette Nesmith Graham

Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, meaning that approximately 736 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving in 2011.

Forrester Research estimates that for every $100 spent on driving traffic to websites, companies spend only $1 converting that traffic into business.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

Underwater Post Office

The Body Shop—

Founded by Anita Roddick

Ruth's Chris Steak House— Founded by Ruth Fertel

PC Connection—

Co-founded by Patricia Gallup

Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc.—

Bet you can't!

No piece of square dry paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

(We know some of you will try this!)

Founded by Maxine Clark

Proactiv—Co-founded by Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields

Discovery Toys—

Founded by Lane Nemeth

48

NOV/DEC | 2012

A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court.

www.retailerNOWmag.com

The world’s only underwater post office is located in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

(Editor Note: I have mailed a postcard from here!)

www.nourison.com

Las Vegas Market January 28 - February 1 WMC Building C-496

Premier Websites for the Furniture Industry For more than 20 years, MicroD has led the way with innovative furniture merchandising solutions.

That’s why more than 85% of the Top 100 furniture brands and retailers rely on MicroD. We deliver the expertise, technology, and services to transform your online presence and drive customers to your stores.

Upcoming Market Seminar

Retailer Resource Center • Visually Stunning Product Presentations Prepare Your Website for Smart Phone Users!

• Engaging, Interactive User Experience MicroD will explain the most important factors that will • Powerful Room Planning & Personalization Tools make your website attractive and highly useful when • Integrated Promotions, Incentives & Hooks accessed from a smart phone. See examples and learn best-practices that will attract smart phone users and • Improved Search Results and Rankings keep them coming back to your website.

• Latest Mobile Tagging Technology • Comprehensive Content Management Services • Mobile Friendly Websites

www.microdinc.com solutions@microdinc.com 800.964.3876 ext. 2