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INDUSTRY
UPDATES
Papa San by Elite Products
In last issue’s spread featuring a grand assembly of
the best in Summer rattan we mislabeled the Papa San ensemble.
This group was from Elite Products of Corona, CA. You can
reach them at 800-3-FUTONS. Ask for Mark or Jennifer.
Classic Rattan by Elite Products
in both a swivel and stationary
Papa San chair ensemble.
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Three Futon Leaders Now Easier to Visit
Gold Bond, SIS Covers and Night & Day Furniture Make
a Move
HIGH POINT (N.C.) - Three of the futon industry’s leading
manufacturers - Gold Bond, SIS Covers, and Night and Day Furniture
— moved their show space to the C&D Building’s
fifth floor here to introduce their new fall line-ups to the
home furnishings trade.
The futon manufacturer’s move to C&D Building Space
5-B is expected to provide them with enhanced foot traffic
and accessibility. The move also increases by 50% the floor
space for their new products and introductions. “We should
see more buyers in the new location. As futons’ retail
appeal continues to grow, we should be as accessible and visible
as possible,” Gold Bond President Bob Naboicheck said.
“Buyers have questions about futons, and as makers of
the futon frame, mattress, cover and accessories, we want
to be easily available in one showroom,” he said.
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SIS Covers
John Christiansen of SIS said the cover maker will introduce
the company’s 2002 fall line of fashions. SIS Covers,
of Columbia Heights, MN, is a futon cover pioneer and the
nation’s leading futon cover and pillow designer and
producer. The company also helps retailers with exciting showroom
presentations.
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Night & Day Furniture
Futon veteran Mike Gallawa of Night & Day Furniture expects
to show the company’s successful rattan and solid wood
futon frame and furniture styles, “and several new futon
arms which,” he said, “should be extremely attractive
to existing and new customers.” Night & Day is located
in Vancouver, WA.
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Gold Bond
Gold Bond will show the futon industry’s best-selling
line of premium futon mattresses and point of sale support
systems. Gold Bond, founded in 1898, helped retailers pioneer
the modern comfortable futon by adding plushness and comfort
to what was once a thin pad. The Hartford (CT) based company
produces innerspring units, HR foam, encased springs, wool
and 100% natural latex futon mattresses.
The three futon makers will be stressing the futon’s
comfort, affordability and extraordinary per square foot profit
margins generated by futon shops and galleries during the
market.
For further information, please contact:
SIS Covers - 800-989-5435; Night and Day Furniture -360-573-3309;
Gold Bond -
800-873-8498.
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Innovation USA Partners With Adonis Furniture
Hanover MD- Innovation USA is proud to announce its partnership
with Adonis Furniture. Adonis will now be the exclusive West
Coast distributor of the Innovation Frame line. The Frame
line offers a complete line of contemporary futon furnishings,
including frames, mattresses, covers and accessories. Frame
concepts are simple and offer the end user style and versatility.
Adonis and Innovation Staff members
celebrate their collaboration in July at the SF Furniture
Show. (l to r) David Lee, GM Adonis , Kjeld Jensen, President
Innovation USA, Morten Kongsted, National Sales Manager
Innovation USA, Derek Nazzal, Regional Sales Manager Adonis,
Matt Sansoe, Asst. GM Adonis. |
The new venture was launched in July at the San Francisco
Design and Home Furnishings show. Response to the product
as well as the total presentation Innovation offers was very
well received. “We are very excited about this collaboration,”
Morten Kongsted Innovation’s National Sales Manager commented,
“the Frame line will offer the West Coast the “Real
Deal,” rather than all of the Innovation knock off’s
that have emerged in recent years.”
Matt Sansoe, Adonis’ Assistant GM explains, “The
Frame line offers a total retail marketing package, with consumer
carry out catalogs, posters and other POP. The Frame line
will offer retailers a complete branded product.” Adonis
will facilitate sales and distribution for the Western states
as this program develops and expands. New Frame line styles
and products will be showcased at the Futon Show in Las Vegas
in March. Frame line products are now in stock and available
for shipment from Adonis’s California facility. For further
information on where you can see or pick up Frame line products
please contact : Innovation USA (410) 691-9944 or Adonis Furniture
(877) 3-ADONIS.
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Omni Softgoods Goes Cable
Omni Softgoods is excited to announce their products will
be dressing the set of two Comcast Cable programs. The first,
“Family Time” hosted by Melissa Owens airs Tuesdays
and Thursdays 4:30 and 9:30 and the other “Today’s
Man” hosted by Corey Munford airs Wednesdays at 4:30
and 9:30 and Fridays at 4:30. Both programs began airing the
week of September 9th. Bonnie, manager of United Futons, Inc.
in Annapolis, Maryland, made a guest appearance from her store
on “Family Time” in Mid-September. Bonnie selected
Omni products exclusively to show and discuss with Melissa
Owens during the guest spot. For the set, Bonnie chose Omni
covers in Tarzhay and Colonnade, both great fabrics for her
and Omni. Omni Softgoods and United Futons, Inc. will be listed
in the show credits.
“We are both excited to have been chosen for this wonderful
opportunity of showing our products on two sets of a National
Cable Channel for the next year,” said Omni Softgoods
National Sales Manager Marsha Nachriener. Watch for “Family
Time” and “Today’s Man” in your cable
listings to check out their covers. For additional information
contact Omni Softgoods at 800-283-8037.
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Night and Day Adds to Premium Line
This High Point show marked the debut of two new arms for
Night and Day Furniture’s Premium Line: the Aurora arm
and the Dusk arm. “Night and Day is pleased to announce
these two new additions. Their fresh look and new styling
are designed to delight!,” said company president Mike
Gallawa.
‘The Premium Line is about re-defining futon furniture
as real, honest-to-goodness furniture,” says Gallawa.
“I want futon furniture customers to walk into the store
and say, wow, I didn’t know futons looked that good!
It is about that kind of new life in the market.
“Of course, the Premium line is already very popular
because of our Shoe Fittings™ operating system. The Snapper™
and the Sea Horse™, which are the key components to the
Shoe Fittings™ system, make assembly and using the futon
frame so easy. And that’s already a great start.”
For those still unfamiliar, the patent pending Shoe Fittings™
operating system features quick assembly and easy use. (Imagine
a back-deck that drops in and a seat-deck that snaps on).
Shoe Fittings™ frames are completely front-operating,
and completely trouble free.
But getting back to the new arms... Gallawa wants you to
come see them at the High Point Show at the all new Night
and Day Furniture space. You will find them in the C&D
Building, space #5-B.
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SIS Announces Great Deals On Factory Selects
SIS covers has announced a fall blowout sale of factory select
covers. Discontinued patterns and special-buy fabrics in any
quantity at $19 each, down from the regular price of $25.
Factory select solid colors are also on sale at $10 each,
and factory seconds, with small flaws from all SIS price groups
are priced at $15 each. SIS factory select covers are always
returnable with no re-stocking charge for covers that might
not sell in a particular area. There are thousands in stock,
with a great variety of styles, so SIS representatives suggest
ordering early to get the best selection.
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Silks Add Sparkle To Sales At Cottonbelle
CottonBelle has had an enormous response since introducing
its line of silk looks at the 2002 Futon Expo in Chicago,
said co-owner Mary Lou Rath. “The color-play and iridescence
of the silks are captured in a poly-rayon construction that
feels like silk but is durable and washable. They are perfect
for curtains, duvets, and pillow and futon covers.”
“The lightweight construction provides drape that is
especially suitable for swags, rosettes, layering and special
window treatments. The poly-rayon blend also works great as
futon covers that are striking to look at, durable and washable,”
Rath said.
The silk looks are available in 11 hip colors, including
the brights of Kumquat and Lime, purple and blue-green hues,
and spice tones of Cardamon and Nutmeg. CottonBelle’s
new coordinating Asian patterns — Persia and Casbar —
are keyed to these silks. Tone-on-tone diamond patterns add
jewel effects while even more spakle can be added with amber
beads.
Rath said part of CottonBelle’s successful marketing
of its silk-like line was displaying all 11 colors on its
Display and Design Kiosk at the Futon Expo. “Buyers could,
at their own pace, view all four sides of the compact, vertical
showcase displaying silks stitched into curtains, pillows
and covers. This was especially helpful when we were busy
talking to other buyers.”
For retailers, the CottonBelle Kiosk can free up time for
busy clerks who can direct customers to the Kiosk showcasing
the silk looks, Rath said. Or for a striking display, retailers
can drape long, silky swatches of all 11 colors over curtain
rods in their show windows. All silk looks have an outstanding
value at B and C prices.
For more information, call CottonBelle at 573-859-6589.
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AUGUST LOTZ ANNOUNCES LIFETIME WARRANTY
August Lotz recently announced they will be offering a life-time
warranty on all their futon frames starting in October. “With
our quality, it seems like a natural progression...”,
and “...we are so confident in our quality, it applies
to every frame we offer,” stated Mark Schlichter, company
president. He believes that his product has significant advantages
when compared to other frames. August Lotz frames utilize
dovetail construction and thicker dimension lumber. Schlichter
said, “In fact, all of our frames have these features,
and also, most are front loading.”
Schlichter also announced his company recently expanded their
selection of mattresses and frames to include more variety
and lower price points. The newly unveiled line of mattresses
named the Value-Line collection, which was available originally
in black tick and full size only, now includes both natural
and black ticks, with the natural ticks coming in queen, full,
love and chair sizes. Price points start at only $42 for full
size.
Additionally, the Pacific Collection of Oak frames, which
originally consisted of four frames in full size only, is
now available in a variety of sizes, and there are two new
stylish models available. “Now you can purchase an August
Lotz hardwood frame starting at just $125 in a full size”,
Schlichter said.
He continued by stating this is part of a comprehensive strategy
to help dealers hit a wider range of price points and still
be able to tell the August Lotz story.
“The story begins in 1897, right here in Boyd, located
in the north woods of Wisconsin, August Lotz started his company
making fine wood products from the highest quality wood. You
see, the winters are very cold in Wisconsin, reaching down
to more than minus 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) which slows down
the growing process that produces a very dense hardwood ideal
for furniture. The town of Boyd has been centered around August
Lotz now for over a hundred years, and we are its single largest
employer. There are three generations of family crafting our
fine furniture. In Wisconsin, it is well known: If you’re
from Boyd, you make furniture,” said Schlichter. As the
company progressed over the years, it developed an excellent
quality control and inspection program, which allows it to
claim a manufacturer’s defect rate of far less than one
percent. “We apply this same inspection program to our
import program, to ensure the retailer receives the finest
quality futon frames whether they are domestic or imported,”
he said.
“We’re not trying to beat everyone on price. We
have developed a new price point which will stand out in the
marketplace for its quality and value. When a retailer buys
on price only, they don’t really know what they’re
going to get. It’s a mystery. That’s why we believe
in maintaining our three core components of quality, value
and price, without sacrificing one for the other two. If you
show customers our benefits and features, they will buy our
frames,” Schlichter said.
“And from the retailers point of view, we have a 98%
order fill rate which ships out within 48 business hours,
an almost non-existent defect rate, and consistent quality
and color. Why would any retailer want to deal with the hidden
costs of damaged goods in the box (and in customers’
homes)? Add to this the August Lotz story and any serious
retailer can carry futon frames with more features and better
benefits. With our wide range of price points, the retailer
also has a better chance to convert internal sales to a higher
average with value, quality and a real story,” he added.
To help their retailers, August Lotz offers great point of
purchase material such as new, dual sided, foam core color
posters which measure 33” x 26”. Of course, they
still offer the miniature deck and arm clip demo units which
show how the frames and arms are constructed. When these tools
are combined with the extensive training offered by factory
representatives, it is an explosive combination.
If you would like more information, please call August Lotz
at 1-800-826-7326.
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Strongbow Sleepworks’ Zelda Makes Design Statement
The Zelda features a contemporary design that incorporates
ease of conversion, durability, versatility, and comfort.
It employs a front operating, wall hugging mechanism function
and converts into a full size bed. It has the added benefit
of having no exposed hardware, the perfect complement to its
incredible design. The curved arms give the futon a stylish
and unique presentation. The Zelda has added a design flair
that takes futon design to the next level. The frame is only
available in cherry.
For more information contact Strongbow Sleepworks at 305-591-2250.
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