Lofa Sales Develops Canadian-made Futon / Davenport 

Lofa Sales International of Montreal has developed its own version of the upholstered futon sofa bed. Working with several "old world " Canadian furniture manufacturers, Lofa has successfully combined the features and benefits of both a futon and davenport sofa bed into an entirely new category dubbed the "Lofa-Bed".

Unique to the Lofa-Bed is its ability to convert from sofa to bed position while standing flush against a wall. According to Mitch Wapen, Lofa's president, other features and benefits include a rubberized webbing support to cushion the futon and provide unsurpassed sitting comfort and, also, a storage space in the bottom for sheets, pillows, and blankets. "Best of all," claims Wapen, "is the davenport mechanism itself. With fingertip pressure only, this baby opens and closes so smoothly and easily, people have to try it for themselves to believe it!"

Priced to retail at $499 with a futon and cover, the Lofa-Bed will be offered as a base alone or as a complete unit. The arms are removable and shipped inside the base for convenient handling and shipping. 

Wolf Introduces E-Z Fold Innerspring Futon

Wolf has developed an exiting, innovative E-Z Fold innerspring futon manufactured with premium Endura Cotton™. This 8" futon contains all Wolf premium futon features including full border box construction, 7-1/2 oz. poly-cotton twill, 23 machine tufts, and a 10 year warranty.

Wolf corporation, which began production of mattresses in 1873, is a family owned business located at 3434 Adams Center Road in Fort Wayne, IN. The company provides a full line of sleep related products and high quality internal padding components to a large network of dealers and manufacturers worldwide as well as throughout the United States.

Rosalco Promotes Michaelides

Leading furniture importer, Rosalco, has announced the promotion of John Michaelides to the position of Senior Vice-President-Mass Merchant Sales.

Michaelides previously functioned as Rosalco's Vice-President of Mass Merchant Sales-EasterrnUnited States this past year. He will coordinate his efforts through Harry Dougherty, Vice-President of Operations.

Michaelides will "be much more involved in product development, marketing, and national account sales," Dougherty said. "He has done a super job in our mass merchant business in the East and we anticipate an expanded presence nationally with his leadership." Michaelides will be replacing Robert "Buddy" Resnik, who recently left to pursue other interests.

Harlee International Settles into New Headquarters

After months of planning, design, and construction, including over one full month of moving machines, office fixtures, and their extensive inventory, Harlee International finally settled into their new headquarters and southern California warehouse in late August. Located less than one-quarter mile from their old headquarters, the new 51,000 square foot facility allowed Harlee to consolidate both of their southern California warehouse into one location and increase office space by 50 percent.

"We have always been service oriented and tried to ship customer orders within 48 hours," said Harlee General Manager, Jim Woll, coordinator of the move. "But, shipping futons from two locations, at times, made that goal difficult. With everything under one roof, along with the addition of new computers and office equipment to speed up order processing, our customers should see quicker shipping times."

Already known for their stream of new and innovative designs of futon furniture, Harlee has also added computer assisted design capabilities. "These new tools will help bring our new design ideas into production faster than ever before," added Woll.