Monday, April 18, 2011

BY WARREN SHOULBERG

LAS VEGAS — Alan Gladstone will be the fi rst person to tell you that he is the biggest cheerleader for his Anna’s Lin-ens retail operation.

But even he was in rare form at the company’s recent annual summit for its management and suppliers here.

“I’ve never been more optimistic about this company than I am now,” Gladstone, founder and president of the 270-store chain, told Home Tex-tiles Today in an exclusive interview dur-ing the meeting. “We just fi nished the biggest year in sales and profi ts in our history,” he said, as privately held Anna’s volume grew into the high $300 million range and profi ts doubled versus a year ago.

Gladstone, who is never short of enthusiasm

or exuberance for the company he founded in 1987 and named after his mother, says there’s more to come. “February was the most profitable month in our history, and March is look-ing very the same.”

In comments to the 350 company executives and store management and a similar number of suppliers and ven-dors gathered for the annual event, Gladstone took center

stage to celebrate the Anna’s story and then talked about the year just passed and new initiatives for the coming 12 months with HTT.

“There’s no question that we took mar-ket share last year. We opened 22 stores in

Bath Industry Dips Due to Costly Cotton

THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY | hometextilestoday.com | Vol. 32, No. 11 | $8.00

Anna’s Linens Getting Ready to Hit 300

SEE CHORTEX PAGE 22

Inside This IssueTexStyle Files For Ch. 11 ........................page 2

Young Establishes Consulting Biz ........page 2

Alkin Marks Return to Textiles Relm ...page 2

When China Price is Not so Nice ..........page 4

The End of El NoNo? .............................page 4

Anna’s Hosts Vendors in Vegas ............page 13

Chortex Encores Rhapsody Royale Collection for U.S.

SEE ANNA’S PAGE 12

BY CECILE B. CORRAL

NEW YORK — 2010 will not eas-ily be forgotten in the minds of bath suppliers.

And 2011 is shaping up to also be just as unforgettable.

Thank cotton and raw ma-terial price increases for the memories.

This much-talked about di-lemma is quickly becoming a tired one, but it’s not ready to go away.

Suppliers surveyed by HTTfor the annual Bath Facts report largely agreed that 2010 got off to a decent start, especially com-pared to 2009’s onset. But by the fall, business really began to waf-fl e in the face of higher raw ma-

terial prices, offsetting the earlier gains with dwindling business.

The result — a 2.7% dip in total industry sales to $3.385 bil-lion from 2009’s $3.480 billion.

The past year has been “ex-tremely challenging for the home textile business,” noted PK Markanday, business head for the home textiles division of The Trident Group, which oper-ates its U.S. offi ces in New York but is headquartered in India.

He estimates that for high-cotton textiles products like towels and sheeting, “raw mate-rial cost forms more than 60% of the product cost. The im-pact of raw cotton and cotton yarn price has been immense.”

SEE FACTS PAGE 6

NEW YORK — Longtime Turk-ish towel manufacturer Chor-tex is shifting to a retailer-direct business model with the recent opening of the distri-bution facility in the United States.

Industry veteran Eric Vergucht took on representation of Chortex earlier this year to help expand the company’s retail reach in the United

States and Canada.The company, which calls

Europe its core market, has

NEW YORK — Wearbest Sil-Tex Mills has weathered the recession by pivoting to a new strategy and em-bracing new markets.

“We have at the same time prudently cut and pru-dently invested,” said Irwin Gasner, president of the fourth-generation, family-owned fabric manufacturer. “The result has been explosive growth in placements in the past two years.”

Wearbest still produces most of its goods at its plant in Garfi eld, N.J.

The longtime manufacturer for the residential market has found growth in the health, hospitality, indoor/outdoor and casual furniture sectors. While the number of Wearbest employees does not match the pre-globalization tally, the company is now up to 90 employees.

“We rebuilt back from the bottom,” said Gasner.

Wearbest Embracing New Markets

Ari Gasner, left, and Irwin Gasner of Wearbest. SEE WEARBEST PAGE 22

Alan Gladstone

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2 Home Textiles Today News > hometextilestoday.com

Ross Raises 2Q Guidance

Based on above-plan March sales and favorable gross margin and expense trends over past two

months, off-price chain Ross Stores raised its second-quarter guidance.

The retailer is now projecting earnings per share for the 13 weeks ending April 30 to be somewhat above the high end of its initial guidance of $1.27 to $1.32. The company expects April comps in line with Ross’s prior forecast for a 4% to 5% increase.”

eBay to Acquire RueLaLa Parent

EBay plans to acquired ecommerce and interactive services provider GSI Commerce for about $2.4 bil-

lion, fi nancing the deal with cash and debt.GSI is parent to online private sale retailer RueLaLa.

com as well as ShopRunner.com, a members-only shop-ping service that offers free two-day shipping and free shipping on returns for a $79 annual subscription.

“We intend to lead the next generation of com-merce innovation,” said John Donahoe, eBay pres-ident and ceo, who added GSI would “signifi cantly strengthen our ability to connect buyers and sellers worldwide.”

Kohl’s Adds Ecommerce DC

Kohl’s has acquired a distribution center in Edge-wood, Md., to support ecommerce in the east.

Expected to open in July, the 602,000-square-foot facility will be expanded to 1 million square feet by next year.

The retailer’s ecommerce sales grew more than 50% last year, and Kohl’s expects online revenue to hit $1 billion this year.

Overstock Cuts Ties in Arkansas

Overstock.com ditched its Arkansas ad contracts after the state’s governor signed a law requir-

ing online retailers to collect sales taxes from affi liate web sites with which it they do business in the state.

The company cancelled ad contracts in Rhode Island, New York, North Carolina, and Illinois after those states passed similar laws. Overstock is also pur-suing the matter in court.

Walmart to Stock Fabric Again

Walmart U.S. said it will broaden its assortment by some 8,500 skus, reintroducing some items it

had cut during an earlier bout of editing — includ-ing fabrics.

In 2009, Walmart began eliminating fabric depart-ments in many stores as part of its upscaling remodel to lure higher-income shoppers out of food and com-modities into its general merchandise departments.

Restored products — many of them regional food favorites — will carry “It’s Back” fl ags.

Walmart also will step up its price match policy and launched a national TV advertising campaign to sup-port it.

RetailBriefs BY JENNIFER MARKS

NEW YORK — Multi-category home textiles supplier TexStyle fi led for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. The com-pany expects to emerge this summer.

“TexStyle remains fully oper-ational and will continue to fully service its customers. The com-pany expects court approval of a fi nancing package from Wells Fargo Business Credit to fi nance its continued operations,” said Guyer McCracken, chief oper-ating offi cer and cfo.

In September 2010, then-owner Babine Lake Corpora-tion sold the company to Bolan Textile (HK) Limited of China, which made a $500,000 equity infusion into TexStyle and a $1 million secured loan to the sup-plier. That was followed by an additional $80,000 loan from Bolan in December.

McCracken told HTT Bolan plans to increase its investment in the company during the restructuring. No changes in ownership or management are planned, he added. No layoffs are planned because of the fi l-

ing, he said. According to the fi ling in the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, TexStyle has 19 employ-ees.

Court papers show the com-pany with roughly $7.6 million in assets and about $13.8 mil-lion in liabilities.

Last year, TexStyle recorded losses of more than $4 million on sales of $16 million, accord-ing to the fi ling. That compares to 2009, when the company gen-erated sales of $26 million and losses of $2 million, court papers state. HTT

TexStyle Files For Ch. 11

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Bud Young, a marketing executive in the home furnishings industry with more than 40 years of experience, recently announced the launch of CR Young Consulting, a con-sulting fi rm for home furnishings manufacturers.

Young’s business will address all aspects of home furnishings manufacturing, including exports, fi nancing, marketing and product development, according to a press release. Young recently stepped down from his longtime post as vp of marketing for rug maker Capel.

“My goal in creating CR Young Consulting is to bring a new approach to servicing the home furnishings industry,” Young said. “I am excited for this opportunity to share what I’ve learned throughout my career

and to offer clients the services of people I’ve enjoyed working with, who are each experts in their fi elds.”

A number of leaders in the home furnishings industry will contribute to the services CR Young Consulting will offer.

Bruce Hric, former president and ceo of Capel Rugs and cur-rent managing director with Essex Capital Group, has developed a partnership with CR Young to advise clients with capital needs.

“I have enjoyed a great rela-tionship with Bud over 11 years, and I look forward to working in partnership with him to help companies in the home furnish-ings industry fi nance their opera-tions going forward,” Hric said.

Norm Sweeters, president of Sweeters Consulting, will offer his services to clients interested

in sourcing floor coverings and related textiles out of India and Nepal.

“I’ve known Bud for many years, and he has more market-ing and exports savvy than any-one I know,” Sweeters said. “I am excited to be networking with such a notable member of the home furnishings industry.”

One of CR Young’s early goals is to offer clients the opportunity to tap into fabric sourcing oppor-tunities in India other than area rugs.

Sarah Stroh Thornton, a prin-cipal in Trade Data Reports, will be acting as a textile design coor-dinator for CR Young clients who source out of India. She will work with designers from CR Young clients on the operational reali-ties of design implementation in India. HTT

Bud Young Establishes Consulting Biz

April 18, 2011

IRVINE, CALIF. — 100% Pure co-founder Jonathan Alkin, who sold the business and left the industry a few years ago, re-appeared last month during the New York Home Fashions Mar-ket with a fl exible new business concept that provides U.S.-based cut and sew services along with design consulting.

Although Alkin and then-business partner Trevor Rabkin sold 100% Pure to GTT Inter-national in 2007, Alkin hung on to the West Coast cut and sew facility.

“Never got rid of it. Reduced it tremendously, obviously,” said Alkin, whose new business

is iJon LLC. However, “China price not being ‘China price’ anymore,” Alkin has seen an opportunity to leverage the facil-ity, which just took in its first order from a high-end organic bedding company.

“I’m not trying to compete with China or India – period. That’s an impossibility,” said Alkin.

For moderate to better goods, the facility offers fast sample turn-arounds for bedding, win-dows and pillows on the proposi-tion that U.S. suppliers can work with iJon’s facility to nail down design specs before sending sam-ples off to factories abroad for

production. The company can also warehouse fabrics.

“We’re not going to have labor inflation over here,” he said. “On better-end goods, I don’t think the labor costs are as signifi cant.”

As Alkin made the rounds during New York’s market last month, he said he also received inquiries about offering design consulting.

“I was very pleased that peo-ple were saying, ‘Great idea – and why aren’t you wearing the design hat?’”

As to his return after a hiatus, he said: “It was very refreshing coming back in.” HTT

Alkin Marks Return to Textiles Relm

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4 Home Textiles Today > hometextilestoday.com

OPINIONTodaY

Y OU K NOW A L L A BOU T El Niño and La Niña and all the other weather patterns out there that seem to wreck havoc with the cli-mate.

Well, perhaps you are less familiar with another climatic occurrence we’ve seen an awful lot of over the past few years: El NoNo.

Never heard of it? Sure you have. In fact, depending on your place on the prod-uct food chain of the home business, you’ve been a prime cause of it or a suffering vic-tim … maybe even both.

Just like El Niño and El Niña, the El NoNo weather pattern has been defi ned by one prevailing wind characteristic: When a price increase is discussed, it is blown away — quickly and decisively.

But unlike its namesake climatologic partners, El NoNo has not lasted a scant year or two and then moved on to some other weather zone. It has been lumbering over the home business for the better part of a decade. Probably longer.

It’s been at least that long since the industry has had any real discussions about raising prices. In fact, with

Asian imports looming ever larger, product de-specing running amok at a frightening pace and the basic laws of supply and demand coming into play, prices have large-ly gone down, not up.

If you ever thought a home textiles product price was too high, all you had to do was wait a minute and a new, lower one would be com-ing right along.

The length and depth of all of this has pro-duced an entire generation of retail buyers and merchandising staffs that has never been ap-proached with higher prices, much less had to implement them. This generation is affection-ately known as Generation No.

Generation No operating in a climate domi-nated by El NoNo produced a decade-long per-fect storm of resistance to the very idea of in-creased prices. And to be fair, this is not unique

to the home textiles industry: Most consumer products cost less than they did ten years ago.

But the winds are clearly shifting. The sheets have hit the fan and the climate patterns are changing. OK, enough metaphors: All of this textiles stuff is going to cost more.

At the most recent market in New York, there were

real legitimate discussions about price increases. Not about if, but about how much.

So, what’s the forecast for the coming business cli-mate? (Yes, back to the weather wordplay.) Frankly, pre-dicting how this all turns out is likely to be about as ac-curate as the guy on the TV weather report. There are just too many variables and not enough historical data to make totally believable statements.

That’s a big part of the problem. Neither the retailer nor the consumer has had to deal with any of this for so very long that they are simply not prepared. Back in the days when there were annual price increases, you could just go back and say, well, this is how we did it last time, we’ll just do the same thing this time.

For sure, everyone will be watching the leaders to see how they handle things. Walmart, despite its recent mer-chandising meanderings, remains the poster child for pricing and it sets the fl oor in the marketplace. Further up the ladder, Kohl’s and Macy’s are the ones to watch.

As they get their pricing patterns established, the oth-ers will fall into place and it’s going to be fascinating to see how all those patterns play out.

Which of course practically begs the question: Do you need to be a weatherman to know which way the pricing winds blow? HTT

“If you ever thought a home textiles product price was too high, all you had to do was wait a minute and a new, lower one would be coming right along.”

The End of El NoNo?

TH E S O - C A L L E D “CH I N A PR IC E ” isn’t what it used to be. And one of the topics that’s bubbling up in recent months is the idea there is some opportunity for

a bit more U.S. production.Not — by any means — a return to the

glory days of big mills and large cut & sew facilities. Not anywhere close to it.

But with freight prices up everywhere and labor prices rising in China (and likely to continue as the middle class grows and workers seek out more lucurative industries than textiles for their labor), I’m hearing more people talking about selective, niche domestic production. Or something near-by, like Mexico.

In this issue, we have a story about fabric Wearbest Sil-Tex Mills fi nding a path out of the darkness to re-build some of its domestic manufacturing base. Also

in this issue, 100% Pure co-founder Jonathan Alkin talks about fi nding opportunities for a domestic cut-and-sew facility that was largely shuttered several years

ago as the industry thundered across the water for cheap imports.

On this issue’s People page, HTT reports on industry veteran Rick Rogers being tapped to head sales for Industrias Texil, a fabric weav-ing and fi nishing facility in Mexico that is of-fering itself as an alternative to Asian sources. Indian powerhouse Welspun’s bedding plant in Mexico gives it not only proximity to mar-ket (with some duty advantages), it has be-come a platform for opening up business in Latin America.

We also heard indications during the recent New York Home Fashions Market that a Made in the U.S.A label has some cachet with consumers.

1888 Mills — the last domestic towel manufacturer

standing — put an emphasis on its Made in the U.S.A products during market — although U.S.-made goods account for only 10% of the company’s total produc-tion. Still, company executives said the strategy is gen-erating interest.

Newport/Layton Home Fashions also came to mar-ket with a Made in the U.S.A story to tell. Although 80% of its dec pillow cut and sew moved overseas sev-eral years ago, Newport moved a chunk of that produc-tion back— and have received an encouraging response from consumers (in the form of letters and emails) who like seeing the U.S. label on items they’ve bought.

The company is now producing 60% of its dec pil-lows domestically.

One shouldn’t over-estimate the importance of a domestic label — especially in such a soft economy. Right product/right price remains the winning formu-la in the market and always will.

But it makes you think. HTT

JenniferMarks

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“With freight prices up everywhere and labor prices rising in China, I’m hearing more people talking about selective, niche domestic production.”

When China Price is Not so Nice

April 18, 2011

Warren Shoulberg

PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

htt110402_004 4htt110402_004 4 4/15/2011 3:04:33 PM4/15/2011 3:04:33 PM

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6 Home Textiles Today

Still, Markandy cited a silver lining to the rising cotton prices: course correction.

“While the last year saw a major increase in cotton price, an upward correction was due for the last many years,” he said. “For the last many years, the price of cotton and cotton-based prod-ucts had been witnessing a fall-ing price trend while most other commodities had been experi-encing an increasing price trend. The correction in cotton price was inevitable, but the extent of price increase has stunned every-body. The industry was obviously not prepared for such a sudden change.”

Sugar Valley, Ga.-based Mohawk Home, for exam-ple, said its bath rug business “started out very good” in 2010 and remained so through August, said Bart Hill, general manager of bath and area rugs.

Mohawk Home was “trending way ahead” over the first eight months of last year, seeing 4% to 5% sales increases.

“But as cotton went up it affected the overall industry because the overall open-to-buy dollars became more limited,” he continued. “Plus, we saw some retail movement to offset towel

[price] increases. Retailers raised in some cases bath rug retails where they might not have before to offset towel increases. They basically began elevating retails across the [bath] department to spread out the price increases, which are all related to cotton.”

On the terry side, New York-based Welspun USA had a good year, said director of towel sales Jerry McCarthy, because “what we tried to do was, because of what was going on with price of cotton, we tried to react so that the retailers could give the con-sumers good value.”

More specifically, the com-pany reengineered some of its towels to lighter-weight, quicker-drying constructions, he explained, “so that the con-sumer still felt a great hand, saw a great color, and saw great attri-butes while we still hit key vol-ume price points. Just because cotton goes from $1 to $2 doesn’t mean the consumer is willing to pay twice as much for a towel or sheets or anything else. And in tough economic times they don’t have the wherewithal to spend the extra money.”

Welspun USA’s highlight in 2010, and into this year, has been its highly-absorbent Quick-Dry towel line.

“It’s been phenomenal,” McCarthy added.

New York-based Loftex USA, too, experienced a good first half of 2010 for towels, “and for most retailers the good retail cli-mate extended through the year with sales gains,” said Gretchen Dale, coo. “Behind the scenes, unknown to the retail custom-ers, manufacturers and retailers were struggling with skyrocket-ing cotton increases. This cotton situation really was not refl ected on the retail fl oor in a major way until early 2011, when retails started to climb.”

Des Plaines, Ill.-based Revere Mills International Group enjoyed “a slightly better year in 2010 than 2009,” said Elaine Aschenbrand, director of market-ing and product development.

“We do business with so many people that I think our diversity was what helped us last year,” she explained. “We work with all levels of retail and had programs in place across the board, and I think that is what helped us last year.”

When cotton began its incline late last year, Revere really focused on the issue during talks with retail accounts during the September 2010 New York Home Fashion Market.

But at the recent market in March, the company put the topic to rest “because we felt people already knew about it. Instead, we focused on our new products and that kept our meet-ings very upbeat. Retailers were receptive to our introductions.”

Revere this year is planning for another slight increase, Aschen-brand said. “We are being very conservative. We hope in next six to nine months [price increases] will stabilize so our customers can plan better going forward.”

By early fall 2010, despecing became the name of the game as the cotton pricing situation wors-ened and raw material costs also started going up.

Keith Sorgeloos, president and ceo of Atlanta-based Home Source International, said what he has seen emerging since last summer was despecing and price increases.

“The price issue really became an issue that was literally beyond our control going into the sec-ond half of 2010, so much so that there has to be some movement in despecing or price increases or both. It got to the point where suppliers could no longer deal with the escalating cotton with-

out passing it along to retailers.”He continued: “For the most

part, suppliers despeced their product, and they hung in for the first half of this year. A lot of despecing took place in the second half of 2010, and now we’ll see the effects of that in the fi rst half of this year. Despec-ing accommodates the price increases, but technically the cus-tomer is paying the same price for a lesser product, which in the end is essentially a cost increase.”

The problem was that the for-mula for despecing and price increases wasn’t adding up, he said.

“The maximum [suppliers] were despecing was 20% — the norm being between 15% and 30%. But with price increases at 30% to 35%, [retailers] had to fi nally accept price increases, and that’s what they are doing now,” Sorgeloos explained.

“At the end, it’s the customer who is going to suffer,” warned Bob Weiss, president of Central Islip, N.Y.-based Creative Bath Products, a domestic manufac-turer and importer of bath coor-dinates. “And that’s because, with all the despecing, the con-sumer gets an inferior product at an expensive price. It’s a shame. But there is just no other way around it.”

He said Creative Bath’s towel prices, which regularly went for $7 to $8 wholesale, are now priced at $10 to $12 wholesale “for the same stan-dard of product.”

That’s not to say the company has not despeced some of these towels. “Maybe some of our new towels will feature fewer embel-lishments,” he said. “It’s basically quieter fashion but the same qual-ity.”

Added Joe Shafran, vp, Faze Three Ltd.: “You can’t despec product enough to make up for the price increase. You just wind up with nothing at end of the day, and the consumer will reject it.”

Faze Three, which operates its U.S. offi ces in Columbus, Ind., is

“very careful that the despecing we do still offers the consumer something worth paying for,” Shafran noted.

“Despecing is a tricky busi-ness when you are working with cotton that is double or triple the price it used to be. Retailers are facing the challenge of having to raise prices, but in reality it’s a challenge for everyone.”

Among Faze Three’s efforts to cope with price increases is the development of its new Easlyon fiber system, a new yarn system the company cre-ated from polyester and infused with different looks and char-acteristics in terms of construc-tions and lusters.

This manmade fi ber line rep-resents a relatively new business for Faze Three, for which cotton comprises 80% of its business. “So this is a smaller piece of our business, but we see it growing, so we created Easylon.”

Scottsboro, Ala.-based Maples Rugs is seeing its own bath rug business grow at a faster pace lately than its accent and area rug segment. As this trend continues, the company has refocused its bath rugs to entirely 100% nylon, in response to its accounts’ pref-erence for Maples Rugs’ opening price points products in the fi ber.

“Our strengths have been our opening price point, $9.99 nylon bath rugs,” said Wade Maples, co-owner of his family-run, domestic manufacturing company.

He is optimistic about his business this year despite a rough start.

“In the last three months, raw materials have been going up like crazy, and that certainly has hurt us,” Maples said. “But 2011 looks like it is going to be pretty good for us. The fi rst three months we were up double digits, and we think we will be up this year over last year by 5% to 10%. We have gotten some new placements, and a lot of the new placements are really doing well at retail. Plus, the economy seems to be getting stronger.” HTT

Bath Facts

2010 total retail sales: $3.385 billiondown 2.7% from 2009 2010 2009 % CHANGE

Discount department stores $1,953.1 $2,008.0 -2.7%

Home textiles specialty chains $477.3 $497.6 -4.1%

Mid-price chains $551.8 $563.8 -2.1%

Off-price chains $155.7 $156.6 -0.6%

Warehouse clubs $67.7 $69.6 -2.7%

Department stores $44.0 $45.2 -2.7%

Home improvement centers $16.9 $17.4 -2.7%

Single-unit home specialty stores $20.3 $20.9 -2.7%

Other $98.2 $100.9 -2.7%

Total $3,385.0 $3,480.0 -2.7%

*Other channels include direct-to-consumer and other channels such as PXs, grocery stores, and the like.

Distribution Channels ($millions)

2010 2009 % CHANGE

Bath towels $1,706.0 $1,750.4 -2.5%

Bath/scatter rugs $853.0 $880.4 -3.1%

Shower curtains $467.1 $480.2 -2.7%

Bath accessories $328.3 $337.6 -2.7%

Tank sets $30.5 $31.3 -2.7%

Merchandise mix ($millions)

FactsApril 18, 2011

METHODOLOGYIn determining product category sales fi gures, as well as deter-mining retail sales for those categories by channel of distribution, the editors and research department of Home Textiles Today used data compiled from a variety of sources, including publicly fi led fi nancial reports, vendor sales information compiled by the ed-itors, and information provided by retailers and home fashions suppliers. The research was compiled by Cecile B. Corral, product editor; and Dana French, director of market research.

Source: HTT Research

> hometextilestoday.com

FACTS FROM PAGE 1

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News

NEW YORK — Capital Business Credit’s recent survey of 70 con-sumer goods manufacturers and importers projects retail pricing on cotton merchandise will rise 10% to 15% this summer, espe-cially in apparel and home.

In addition to higher pric-ing on raw cotton, respondents took into account the impact of higher logistical costs when eval-uating retail increases. Some 62% said their logistics costs were up more than 5% - and nearly two-thirds of that group said their were passing along at least a portion of the pain to retailers.

“For manufacturers and importers the rise in oil prices (89.6%) as well as the confl icts in Egypt and Libya (62.5 %) is the driving force behind this increase,” said Capital Business Credit, a commercial finance company specializing in supply chain fi nancing with a focus on the retail industry. HTT

Survey: Cotton Merch

Retails to Jump This Summer

WASHINGTON — Home furnish-ings and furniture are among the product categories that benefi t-ted from March’s warm weather trends, spurring increases in retail sales for the ninth consec-utive month.

According to the National Retail Federation, March retail industry sales – which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and

restaurants – grew 0.6% season-ally adjusted from February and 3.9% unadjusted year-over-year.

With respect to furniture and home furnishing stores, sales increased 3.6% seasonally adjusted month-to-month and 3.8% unadjusted year-over-year.

“Shoppers last month were eager to t ake advantage of retailers’ spring promotions on

everything from apparel to out-door furniture,” said Matthew Shay, NRF president and ceo. “While current indicators point to a more confi dent consumer, increasing gas prices and a cramped job market could ham-per consumer spending during the upcoming summer months, a key time of year for retailers.”

March retail sales released

last week by the U.S. Commerce Department showed total retail sales – which include the non-general merchandise catego-ries NRF excludes from its fi g-ure – increased 0.4% seasonally adjusted over February and 7.3% unadjusted year-over-year.

“Improving financial situa-tions including the temporary payroll tax cut, wage gains and

a strengthening labor market likely supported March spend-ing gains,” said Jack Kleinhenz, NRF chief economist. “If gas-oline prices can stabilize over the next few months, consumer spending may continue to grow, but it remains to be seen what consumers will cut out of their budgets because of the cost of fi lling up their tank.” HTT

NRF: Home Furnishings Category Helped in March

CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB

HomeTextilesToday.com

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8 Home Textiles Today News > hometextilestoday.comApril 18, 2011

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Pier 1 Imports said it will invest about $200 million over the next three years to speed up its e-commerce initiative, improve infrastructure and technology, remodel existing stores and open new ones.

The board also authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100 million.

Pier 1 president and ceo Alex Smith said the plan includes moving up the time table for e-commerce sales, and it is now expecting to be selling online in early summer 2012. The company “has made and will continue investments in search engine optimization as well as extensive improvements to the content of its website,” the Fort Worth, Texas-based retailer said in a release.

It launched an in-store mer-chandise availability feature on Pier1.com in October and saw an increase in incremen-tal visitors to its website, offi-

cials said. In late spring, it will launch

a site-to-store initiative called Pier1.2Go, allowing custom-ers to order and reserve goods online and then pick them up and pay for them in stores. Then it will move to full e-com-merce capability in 2011.

The retailer said 90% of its existing stores will be affected by store improvement initiatives over the next three years, not-ing among other things that it has developed new merchan-dise fixtures designed to give stores a more open look and provide mobility and fl exibility for merchandise resets and sea-sonal changes.

The company will roll out the fixtures to select stores, at fi rst concentrating on its higher-volume stores. In addition, store remodels will range from minor cosmetic improvements in most cases to major overhauls includ-ing new fl ooring, lighting and fi xtures.

Pier one also said it expects to add a net 54 stores over the next fi ve years after some store closings, growing to about 1,100 stores in new and existing mar-kets in the United States and Canada.

Technology investments over the next three years will include a new point-of-sale sys-tem and investments in the e-commerce platform, as well as replacing older software systems and enhancing existing ones in areas including labor sched-uling, merchandise planning, warehouse management and store analytics.

The three-year investment will be funded by the retailer’s cash fl ow from operations, the company said. And the plan “will allow us to continue to build strength and sustainabil-ity into our business, improve top and bottom line results and with an overall goal of increas-ing shareholder returns,” Smith said. HTT

Pier 1 to Invest $200M for Growth

DA L L A S — Off-price chain Tuesday Morning Corp. eked out modest sales and comp increases during its third quar-ter, the company reported last week.

Sales for the period, ended March 31, rose 1.3% to $174.3 million. Comps inched up 0.7%, which was comprised of a 3.2% decrease in traffi c and a 3.9% increase in ticket.

Year to date, sales slipped almost 0.2% to $626.4 million, and comp decreased 0.1%.

“We achieved an increase in total sales and comparable store

sales for the quarter in spite of severe weather that affected many of our stores during and around key marketing events early in the quarter,” said Kath-leen Mason, president and ceo. “During a period of continued housing declines, as well as sub-stantial infl ation, we were able to improve earnings during the quarter, year over year.”

Based on the third-quar-ter sales results, the 839-store retailer said it currently expects to have improved earnings of 1 cent to 3 cents per share for the three-month period ended

March 31, and the loss per share for the quarter to be in the range of 7 cents to 9 cents versus a loss of 10 cents last year.

“While we remain posi-tive about our business,” the company said, it is revising our guidance for the full fi scal year ending June 30. Net sales are expected to be in the range of $830 million to $836 mil-lion; comparable store sales are expected to be fl at; and diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of 30 cents to 34 cents compared to25 cents in the prior fi scal year. HTT

Tuesday Morning Revises Guidance Based on

Favorable 3Q Results

DAYTON, N.J. — Multi-category manufacturer Triangle Home Fashions has moved into its new corporate offi ce and warehouse ceremony after relocating from Cranbury, N.J.

“This is an exciting time for us,” stated Jenny Zhu, president and chief design offi cer for the company, which produces bed-ding, window and shower cur-tains, decorative pillows and

table linens.The new facility is 10 times

larger than the old one to sup-port Triangle’s growth plans.

“We participate with direct-to-consumer programs with many of the top retailers as well as private label and replenish-ment programs to support the brick and mortar accounts,” said Dennis Marton, executive vp. HTT

Triangle Home Moves into New HQ

SEATTLE — Good Housekeeping named Pacific Coast Feather Company’s Affi rm all-down pil-low the Best Down Pillow in its March issue after testing a vari-ety of pillows.

“We’re pleased to be selected again this year by Good House-

keeping,” stated Danielle Ebert, vp of marketing for PCFC.

Affi rm’s patented design fea-tures three horizontal internal down-fi lled chambers wrapped in a down-filled outer pillow for firmer support and better comfort. It’s fi lled with PCFC’s

exclusive Hyperclean down at 600 fi ll power with a the com-pany’s 500-count, Egyptian Cot-ton Barrier Weave Fabric.

The pillow is machine wash-able and carries the manufactur-er’s allergy-free warranty and 30 Night Comfort Guarantee. HTT

Pacific Coast Affirm Pillow Proclaimed a Winner by Good Housekeeping

Ellery Opens New Showroom

Ellery Homestyles celebrated the opening of its new showroom at 295 Fifth Avenue last month. Budd Goldman, ceo, cut the ribbon flanked by Bruce Garfinkel and Angela Boswell, both of Ellery.

MENOMENEE FALLS, WIS. — Kohl’s has formed a multi-year marketing partnership with Chase Card Services that will reward Chase cardholders with special retail promotions.

All cardmembers enrolled in Chase’s Ultimate Rewards can receive enhanced gift card pro-motions and expanded bonus point programs for certain Kohl’s purchases. HTT

Kohl’s Strikes Marketing Deal with Chase

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9 Home Textiles TodayNews> hometextilestoday.com April 18, 2011

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The nominating process has opened for the Retailer Excellence Awards sponsored by the New York International Gift Fair.

Nominations will be accepted through April 22 at www.nyigf.com. Winners will be announced during the gift fair on Aug. 14 at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. The ceremony will run from 6:30 p.m to 10 p.m.

Presented by HTT sister publication Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine, the awards will honor achievement in four categories: Gift Store Design/Redesign; Marketing; Visual Merchandising/Display; and Store Events. The evening will also honor a Rep of the Year and an Industry Rising Star.

Gift For Life, the home industry’s charitable organiza-tion, will also bestow its annual Industry Achievement Award.

The NYIGF will take place from Aug. 13-18. HTT

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Surtex 2011, the surface design show celebrating its 25th anniversary, will feature artists from nearly a dozen countries when it takes place in May 14-17 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.

“Some 30% of the 300 exhib-itors we expect will be from out-side the US,” said Penny Sikalis, vp of show organizer GLM and manager of the show.

In addition to U.S. artists, exhibitors at the show also rep-resent design studios and licens-ing agents from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, The Netherlands, Japan, Spain, India, Martinique, Italy, El Sal-vador, and South Korea.

For more information, con-tact Sikalis at (914) 421-3297, penny_sikalis@glmshows.com, or visit www.SURTEX.com. HTT

NYIGF Accepting Noms for Retailer Award

Surtex Touts International

Line-up

NEW YORK — Interior home design firm DwellStudio has expanded its decorative fabrics collection for Robert Allen @ Home into retail at Calico Cor-ners stores.

The fabrics – 44 prints and wovens – are designed by Dwell-Studio founder Christiane Lemieux and the studio’s design team and “refl ect their aesthetic

of hip designs, fresh colors and a livable modern look,” accord-ing to the company.

“The most stylish people these days understand a fun-damental aspect of good liv-ing—it’s always evolving,” said Lemieux, who recently authored a new book, “Undec-orate.”

Home decorators can have

a chic lifestyle and still break rules of design, she added.

She described Calico’s store associates as “design enablers, not style dictators. They help customers discover their own style and follow their instincts to achieve a personal look.”

“We like the DwellStudio aesthetic because it’s a little edgy but still accessible,” said Cal-

ico merchandise manager Lori Cropp. “The fabrics are modern enough for contemporary living and can act as a sophisticated accent in transitional and even traditional interiors.”

In addition to Calico’s more than 90 stores, The DwellStu-dio for Robert Allen @ Home designer collection is online at www.calicocorners.com. HTT

DwellStudio Fabrics for Home Debut at Calico Corners

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10 Home Textiles Today NewsApril 18, 2011 > hometextilestoday.com

NEW YORK — The youngest gen-eration of the Lauder cosmetics dynasty is stepping into territory the parent company never has – licensing her name to create a luxury lifestyle brand.

Aerin Lauder, granddaugh-ter of The Estée Lauder Com-panies’ eponymous founder, has formed a company called Aerin LLC to steer the venture. The Aerin brand will launch fi rst in the beauty industry, but

is expected to move into other lifestyle categories, including home.

Prior to the announcement, Lauder was senior vp, creative director for the Estée Lauder brand. She has been with the company since 1992 in a vari-ety of positions and will retain her seat on the board. She will serve as creative consultant as well as style and image direc-tor. HTT

DALTON, GA. — Karastan’s lat-est marketing effort is its newly-launched video series featuring lifestyle experts sharing their rec-ipes, tips and ideas for “living beautifully.”

The upscale rug house calls this video program “Perfect Pair-ings,” and the fi rst webisode pre-miered in March with master sommelier Andrea Immer Rob-inson showing viewers how to throw an indoor tailgate party.

At the heart of the effort for Karastan is providing “helpful information for our customers while drawing them to www.karastan.com to see all the won-derful products Karastan has to offer,” said Connie Berry, direc-tor of marketing. “The idea is to pair things in our lives that enhance each other. That could be a classic combination of a Karastan rug and carpet to bring Karastan quality through-out the house or it could be pair-ing dinner and dessert with the

perfect wine.”Karastan described Robin-

son as one of the country’s lead-ing wine educators and one of only 16 women in the world who have been appointed Mas-ter Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has published several books about wine and hosts two television shows, “Pairings with Andrea” and “Simply Wine.”

Berry said Karastan chose to pair with Robinson “because her down-to-earth and energetic approach to wine and food pair-ings is the perfect fi t for the Karas-tan lifestyle—which is livable, beautiful and easy,” Berry said.

Upcoming webisodes of “Per-fect Pairings” will offer more recipes from Robinson as well as experts on home and design, entertaining and fitness. “Per-fect Pairings” can be viewed on www.karastan.com by clicking Video Gallery, as well as on You-Tube. HTT

Karastan Unveils Online Video Series

WILMINGTON, N.C. — Designer Kate McRostie will debut her Ikat Floral collection at Surtex in New York and The Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.

The hand-painted line takes its inspiration from an ancient ikat tech-nique, using bold colors and fl orals.

She will also debut the Treasure Cove, with features fanciful trop-ical fish in the colors of deep sea, coral, navy and turquoise, as well as Whister’s Garden, a vibrant take on songbirds and fl owers. HTT

Aerin Lauder Launching Lifestyle Brand

BY MARILYN NASON

LAS VEGAS — As bare bulb light-ing in retail displays gives way to the high-tech LED bulb, this year’s annual Global Shop Show in Las Vegas showcased the lat-est design techniques that also epitomize commitment to sus-tainability, energy-saving, reuse, recycling promises.

Several exhibitors noted the signifi cance of identifying how important fl exibility has become in LED systems and display fi x-turing fi nishes for both modular and permanent display compo-nents.

The new Madix Beam LED Canopy Light aims to create the brightest-possible, “truer” light to show customers the full depth of original colors in a display both on the sales fl oor and in window vignette visual presentations.

Schneider Electric showed the l a t e s t innova t ions in recessed, track and linear LED fixtures in its Juno Lighting Group that promises reduced maintenance and energy sav-ings by combining running cool capability with maximum illumination potential. It also promoted what it described as “one of the most comprehensive energy-saving, automated/web-enabled control systems avail-able in the visual merchandis-ing industry today.”

General LED Lighting intro-duced a new line of lamps that offers color temperatures, energy effi ciency and long-life specifi -cally for the retail market. These new retrofi t LED lamps offer a

wider range of retail applica-tions that pay for themselves in less than a year, according to the company. The new lamp line ranges from small MR 16, PAR 20 and PAR 30 to PAR 38 and T8 types, most ideal for track, recessed ceiling, retail display and pendant fi xtures purposes.

Also new from General LED Lighting is the RATL (remote adjustable track lighting system) that consists of a linear track, track head, handheld remote aiming device allowing the light source in the track head to be rotated on both pan and tilt axes via the remote aiming device.

The RATL Standard track head contains a medium socket accommodating any type screw-based halogen or metal halide PAR lamps. The linear track provides 120V AC to the light bulb. RATL LED version con-tains track head with LED light engine featuring General LED Lighting patent-pending Poin-GEN technology and advanced control features.

Global Shop exhibitors also addressed other merchandising needs.

For fl exibility in changeable display signage and graphics, Avery Dennison’s Avery Graph-ics Division introduced a series of multi-purpose ink jet media fi lm for use in revamping mer-chandise displays and locations to draw shoppers to a presenta-tion. Called Ultra-Clear, the 2.0 mil polyester fi lm can be reused for one year while still main-taining a good fi lm fi nish, gloss level, adhesive performance and

fl exibility. It is easily removable from any display fixture, the company said.

conVerd and Finch Paper LLC introduced substrates for digital wide-format, screen and commercial applications requir-ing full-color quality with envi-ronmental recyclable, renew-able features. Their Enviroboard is designed for all wide-format signage retailing needs. Made with FSC-certifi ed fi ber includ-ing 10% post-consumer waste fiber, Enviroboard is made from renewable resources and is 100% recyclable. It can be used for both indoor and out-door applications.

DuPont Graphics showed a LifeCycle-based solution with Tyvek media to create wide-for-mat banners, display graphics and bags. Known for lightweight strength, durability, drapeability and printability, Tyvek is also recyclable and reusable.

Wire Weld Inc. showed two new wire shelving systems. The custom-coated design lends itself to fi ne textiles. Also new was a fl exible wire system.

New from Southern Impe-rial Inc. was a line of gravity-feed hooks, whose unique design pro-vides proper slope to allow soft goods merchandise to face for-ward naturally for optimal prod-uct presentation in limited space. The hooks also have spe-cial, lubricious coating to aid in proper merchandise placement. They are available in 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch lengths and use the company’s FastFlip label holders. HTT

Global Shop Show Highlights Latest Design Techniques

McRostie Designs Inspired by Ancient Wovens

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11 Home Textiles TodayApril 18, 2011News

NEW YORK — As of June, Su Hilty will retire from her posi-tion as vp of marketing at show-room building 7 W 34th Street.

Hilty’s career had spanned more than 40 years and included stints at Bloomingdale’s, Gucci and Liz Claiborne Accessories before she joined former show-room building 225 Fifth Ave-nue as vp of marketing. When the building was sold in 2004 to be turned into condos, Hilty was recruited by MMPI for the newly opening 7 W New York.

“After a varied and reward-

ing career and fi nally achieving MMPI’s highest honor, the cov-eted Marty Award, last year, I felt the timing was right for the next step,” Hilty said. “This is never an easy decision, but while I may be resigning from 7 W, my love for and connection with the home and gift industry will con-tinue.”

Hilty will continue to be involved with the International Furnishings & Design Asso-ciation, of which she is past president for the NY Chap-ter. She is also committed to

the Home Products Advisory board of FIT, The Fashion Group International, Gift for Life, the alumnae chapter of sorority Alpha Chi Omega and the Global Give Back Circle.A farewell reception is in the works, with details to be announced.

Jessica Kreider will assume many of Hilty’s responsibili-ties. She will work closely with Nancy Michael, MMPI’s new senior marketing and strategy director for the gift and home decor industry. HTT

Su Hilty Announces Plans to Retire From 7W

DALTON, GA. — Shaw Living has partnered with longtime art-ist and designer Bob Timber-lake to create a new collection of area rugs.

The launch took place dur-ing the High Point Furniture Market earlier this month.

Shaw described this new col-lection as a representation of “a celebration of a slower pace, a sense of history and an appreci-ation of nature.”

Fo r t h e p a s t f o u r - p l u s decades, Lexington, N.C.-based Timberlake has been known for his realistic painting style that draws its inspiration from “sim-plistic beauty found in every-day rural southern living,” Shaw said.

The Bob Timberlake area rug collection will span machine-woven products made of Shaw’s own EverTouch-branded nylon, which is recyclable, and are available in six sizes that range from 1-foot-10-inch-by-2-foot-9-inch to 9-foot-6-inch-by-12-foot-10-inch. The suggested retail for

a 5-foot-5-inch-by- 7-foot-9-inch is $739.

The style groups that make up the design portfolio are:

• Forest Ferns, a botani-cal look that features oversized fronds and foliage silhouetted and overlapping in a sophisti-cated color palette - dark green, dark brown, beige, and cran-berry;

• Hear ths ide , which i s inspired by the natural beauty and texture of timeworn and weathered wood, available in dark brown and beige;

• Heritage Heriz, which takes its cues from the slopes of Mount Sabalan and incorpo-rates traditional geometric ele-ments and a center medallion in a primitive style. It is available in navy, beige, and dark brown.

The rugs are the latest addi-tion to Timberlake’s licensed collection of home furnishings, which currently also includes furniture, lamps and decorative artwork. HTT

Shaw Living Aligns with Artist Bob

Timberlake

Comfort Revolution Fetes Launch

The Comfort Revolution team celebrated the new company’s official launch in its New York showroom at 230 Fifth Avenue during New York Home Fashions Market last month. From left, Dimitrio Corodemus, Michael Fux, Freda Elliott, Tommy Bruno and David Fuchs.

FORT MILL, S.C. — Laura Ash-ley Inc. presented performance awards in several categories to its top licensees during its annual licensing conference.

Hollander Home Fashions received the award for Best Sales Performances for its Laura

Ashley assortment of utility bed-ding.

Revman In te rn t a iona l , licensee for fashion bedding and bath, won the award for Best E-Commerce for growing the brands online distribution opportunities. HTT

Laura Ashley Honors Licensees Hollander and Revman

LUDHIANA, INDIA — Abhishek Industries, whose products go into the market under the Trident brand name, is changing its cor-porate name to Trident Limited.

“This business decision regard-ing the change in the name of the company is a part of brand-ing strategy of the Trident Group, and there is no change in con-

stitution/control/management of the company,” said P.K. Markan-day, joint managing director.

The change becomes effec-tive April 18. HTT

Abhishek Industries Changes Name to Trident

SOMERSET, N.J. — Area and accent rug company Kas Rugs Inc. is gearing up for the opening this June of its new distribution facility in Calhoun, Georgia.

The site will measure 110,000 square feet and will include space for expansion.

“Kas has streamlined our diverse and exciting product line and has increased our invento-ries in high-turn qualities so we can meet the immediate sales

needs of our customers and meet their expectations,” said Brandon Culpepper, national sales manager.

In other news, the company is also distributing its new full-color catalog and has launched a new and more functional web-site, www.kasrugs.com. Kas also created a Facebook page to edu-cate and learn more from cur-rent and potential customers, the company said. HTT

Kas Rugs to Open New DC this Summer

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12 Home Textiles Today News > hometextilestoday.comApril 18, 2011

L A S VEG A S — What would an awards dinner be without awards?

At its annual summit here recently, Anna’s Linens honored its vendors in a variety of catego-ries at a dinner attended by more than 600 suppliers, store managers and company executives. Accom-panied by Alan Gladstone’s State of Anna’s annual presentation,

tributes to industry members who had passed away and a fan-ciful video on Anna’s growth, the evening proved to be it the usual Anna’s Linens love fest.

Among the vendors honored were:

• New Vendor of the Year: Swissco

• Decorative Vendor of the Year: Suntex Designs / Sun-Yin

USA• Bath Vendor of the Year:

Saturday Knight Limited • Bedding Vendor of the Year:

Universal Home Fashions• Window Vendor of the

Year: CHF Industries• Business Partner of the

Year: Transplace • Merchandise Partner of the

Year: BCP Home HTT

2010, but as we have for the past three years, it was all infi ll-ing in existing markets.

“This year we are planning to open 31 stores, which will get us to 300,” he said. “And that will include at least three new mar-kets,” although he declined to identify which ones they will be. The new units will follow the recent footprint of 8,000 to 12,000 square feet and will fea-ture decorative bedding and win-dows as core categories.

But there will be several merchandising initiatives this

year, he said, including an expansion of what he calls the “things” side of the business. Those will include more deco-rative accessories and impulse items, but not basic housewares products like small electrics. “And they will follow the same value equation.” He estimated that these classifications will represent about 10% of floor space going forward.

On the soft side, Anna’s will put a much bigger push on the kids licensed side of the busi-ness, something it used to do but had largely walked away from over the past few years. Disney character merchandise will be key part of that mer-chandise mix, he said.

Licensing will also come into play on the adult side. “We’re going to be going into an exclusive arrangement this fall” with a licensed program to be announced in late summer. Gladstone wasn’t ready to discuss details, but the implication was that it would be a program keyed to the Anna’s customer demo-graphic.

Anna’s will still adhere to its basic mix of 80% replenish-ment/20% opportunistic buy strategy, with an increasing amount of goods made exclu-sively for the store and a reliance on the store name as key label. “Anna’s is our brand, we just don’t think there is a signifi cant brand out there we should be

focusing on,” said Gladstone.Several years ago, there was

speculation about Anna’s going public, but Wall Street’s lack of enthusiasm for retail offer-ings in general and the compa-ny’s own fi nancial position now mean that is not a certainty. “We don’t need to go public to finance the company,” Glad-stone said. “We know if we run a great business, good things will happen.”

Until that time, Anna’s will continue to roll along, the Glad-stone family being the key, but not the only, prime movers. Daughter Carie Gladstone Doll and son Scott Gladstone both hold key senior management positions and Alan Gladstone is

most proud of them. “They have both paid their dues and today they are vital parts of the com-pany. Both Scott and Carie do what they do better than I do.

“But over the past fi ve years we’ve brought in executives from eight public retail compa-nies,” he added, saying Anna’s is poised to continue to manage its growth successfully.”Now we have the team.”

Don’t look for Alan Glad-stone to be cutting back his role anytime soon, however. He stars in the store’s new TV ad cam-paign and is very much the rock star of the Anna’s annual event.

“I will always be the chief cul-tural officer of this company.” HTT

Ramping Up to 300 Stores

ANNA’S FROM PAGE

2010 annual sales: High $300 millionsNumber of stores: 271Stores opened in 2010: 22Stores to be opened in 2011: 31Average store size: 8,000 to 12,000 square feetStates operating in: 19Number of employees: 2,800Number of Gladstones in management: 3

Source: Company reports

And The Winners Are…

The Founding Family: From left, Alan Gladstone, Carie Gladstone Doll, Shawn Gladstone and Scott Gladstone.

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13 Home Textiles TodayNews> hometextilestoday.com April 18, 2011

Anna’s-o-Rama

2 3

4 5

1. Anna’s founder Alan Gladstone, from left, with some of the key supplier executives on hand: Tom O’Connor of Springs, Barry Leonard of Welspun and Loren Sweet of Brentwood.

2. Carie Doll of Anna’s with Michael Lichtenberg of S. Lichtenberg, left, and Bruce Garfinkel of Ellery.

3 At the vendor’s reception, from left, Robert Scotland and Shawn Doll of Anna’s with Carl Goldstein of Lichtenberg.

4. Kevin McClain of Anna’s, center, with Andy Piscione, left, and Josh Piscione of P&A Marketing.

5. Kim LaGrange of Hollander with John Partington of Anna’s.

LAS VEGAS — It was all Anna’s all the time for the retail-er’s recent annual summit here.

Anna’s Linens brought in senior managers from its close to 300 stores as well as inviting key vendors for the event, which included a merchandising show and was highlighted by a big awards dinner and a suppli-er cocktail party.

Anna’s founder and president Alan Gladstone was on hand to host the meeting and press the fl esh with both employees and vendors. HTT

1

PHOTOS: JIM LAURIE PHOTOGRAPHY

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14 Home Textiles Today > hometextilestoday.comApril 18, 2011

ATLANTA — ICON Honors 2011 – the awards program during the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market that will recognize outstanding home and gift retailers, man-ufacturers, sales agents and service providers — will fea-ture a concert performance by Grammy-winning singer/song-writer Kenny Loggins.

The event will take place

during the summer show on July 14 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The awards program is sponsored by AmericasMart Atlanta and the Gift & Home Trade Association. Home Textiles Today, along with its sister publi-cations from Sandow Media, are co-sponsors.

For additional information, visit www.AmericasMarticon-honors.com. HTT

ICON 2011 Event in Atlanta to Feature Kenny Loggins

BY JENNY HEINZEN YORK

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Eastern Accents and Barclay Butera have teamed up for a collection of bedding ensembles and decora-tive pillows created by the noted designer.

Butera and the Eastern Accents team captured the essence of Barclay’s design vision for fi ve diverse collections: Mountain — The Rustic Lodge Collection; Desert — Palm Can-yon Collection; City — Hyland Park Collection; Town — Clay-ton Collection; Beach — Sag Harbor Collection. All coordi-nate with his licensed lifestyle products with other vendors.

“Finding the right partner has always been the key to success for us when selecting our licensed companies to manufacture and promote the Lifestyle family of brands,” Butera said of the part-nership. “Upon meeting the East-ern Accents team for the fi rst time we all knew it was the right fi t.”

Butera said his vision for the lines is inspired by where he sees the designs put into use. For example, Clayton is all about color. “Clayton is a city near St. Louis,” he said. “I think about living in areas that have a lot of

gray — you want to come home to some fresh color.”

Ridvan Tatargil, owner of Eastern Accents, said his com-pany had found the right licens-ing partner in Butera.

“He’s very easy to work with because he has a clear vision of what he wants and what works for his target customer,” he said. “His is a great brand. Combining that with our production abilities, we think both will become even stronger.”

The next stop for the Barclay Butera lineup of products - which includes lamps from Bradburn, wall décor from Wendover Art, furniture from HFI Brands, fab-rics from Kravet, rugs from Mer-ida, and others — is an acces-sory collection with Zodax that will debut in the fall. Butera said his longer-term goal is to set up a franchise or in-store gallery oper-ation.

“There’s enough depth to what I’m doing now to make it possi-ble,” he said. “We can go any-where in the country and make these lifestyles work.”

Also new for spring, Eastern Accents’ designers have “cap-tured the elegance of Old World beauty” with three additions to the bedding company’s line:

Gallagher, featuring earth-tone crewel; Ceylon, a blue and white ikat; and Daphne, in French and Belgian style.

Each piece in Leyla, a new collection of felt pillows, is hand-cut and individually pieced in Eastern Accents’ Chicago work-shop.

New pillow additions to the Studio 773 line are Bon Voyage and Destination, both featuring map fabrics and block-printed burlap, and Jet Setter, a pillow in the shape of a suitcase.

Eastern will unveil six new Niche Bedding and Living col-lections (with a pillow program), pairing yellow and gray earth tones and metallic.

De Medici Fine Linens is introducing Lunetta, a new jac-quard with 560 thread count, 100% Egyptian cotton sateen. Marquise has been supplemented with more decorative pillows, and the faux leopard textiles collection Congo now includes upholstered ottomans and table runners.

Also this market, Eastern Accents debuted the showroom’s new Custom Workroom Area, where interior designers can learn about online custom quot-ing options and view the compa-ny’s entire fabric selection. HTT

Eastern Accents Debuts Barclay Butera Collection

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. — Con-sumer research fi rm The NPD Group found kitchen and din-ing linens purchases for special occasions are on the rise almost across the board from birthdays and bridal showers to Mother’s Day and Christmas/Hanukkah.

“However, items purchased for no special occasion are on the decline,” NPD concluded.

According to NPD’s “Out-door Entertaining Trends 2010: Consumers Bring the Indoors Out,” the overall kitchen and table linens assortments were down during the 12 months end-ing February 2011, but place-mats gained 14% in dollar sales compared to the previous year.

Among table linens, solid dark colors and patterns/prints “are gaining popularity.” NPD noted, with 11% and 9% percent dollar sales growth, respectively,

compared to last year.The report found that the

number of consumers enter-taining at home continues to increase, reflecting more pru-dent spending habits.

Eight in 10 consumers said they entertain at their home, indoors or outdoors, 12% said they entertained at home more this year than in past years, and 37% said they entertained about the same amount as in the past.

“Consumers continue to spend more time at home, and entertaining at home is a cost effective way of getting together with family and friends,” said Kathleen Cella, director of The NPD Group. “With increased frequency, and more casual gatherings in general, the table is following suit with cost effec-tive, convenient, and casual options.” HTT

NPD: Table Linens Sales Driven by

Special Occasions

ITM Opens Permanent Showroom

ITM celebrated the opening of its first permanent showroom during the New York Home Fashions Market last month. At this new space, located at 230 Fifth Avenue, members of the company’s team enjoyed some down time with industry friends. Seen here are, left to right: Tom Gallucci, Canterbury Sales; with Jeff Cohen and Ed Pires, both of ITM.

GOLD RIVER, CALIF. — HGTV host Sarah Richardson will serve as the keynote speaker for the Window Coverings Associ-ation of America’s fi rst confer-ence and trade show this fall.

Under the theme Inspire 2011, the event will take place Sept. 7-10 at the Galt House Hotel in Lousiville, Ken.

Richardson’s keynote is scheduled for Sept. 8. She is the host and co-producer of “Design

Inc” and “Sarah’s House.”The conference will include

classes, seminars and demon-strations along with an industry trade show, vendor “speed biz” event and a gala dinnery salut-ing WCAA’s 25th anniversary.

Attendees will include work-room owners, designers, deco-rators, installers, retailers and window coverings dealers. For information, visit www.wcaa.org or call (888) 298-9222. HTT

HGTV’s Richardson to Keynote WCA A Conference

htt110402_014.indd 14htt110402_014.indd 14 4/13/2011 3:35:21 PM4/13/2011 3:35:21 PM

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• Web-based Research – Competitive intelligence, product testing, training and more can be done online

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$169/nightWestin Peachtree Plaza

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16 Home Textiles Today > hometextilestoday.com

PEOPLETodaY

MEXICO CITY —Industry veteran Rick Rogers has been director of sales and marketing for Industrias Texel here, a weaving and fi nish-ing facility producing fabrics for furnishings and top-of-bed.

The company operates about

100 jacquard looms. Rogers will be responsible for sales in Mex-ico as well as the rest of North America.

Rogers said the company is offering itself as an alternative to Asian sources. HTT

Rogers Named Sales Director for Industrias Texel

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. — Nouri-son is welcoming back Lee Krecl as its account execu-tive assigned to the company’s Southern Texas and Louisana sales region.

Krecl is an industry veteran, both on the wholesale and retail sides of the business. Prior to relocating to Houston, he spent 18 years working for Nourison in both operational and sales positions. Earlier in his career he was part owner and opera-tor of a rug specialty store in the

greater Atlanta area. In his new position at Nouri-

son, Krecl is responsible for ser-vicing and developing business with the company’s dealer base in his designated area. He handles Nourison’s broad rug line, which includes more than 65 active col-lections, as well as its broadloom and runner lines, which include thousands of skus, and also the company’s newer but growing Nourtex brand of goods, which encompasses more moderately priced decorative broadloom and

runners.“We are thrilled to have

such a valuable, talented indi-vidual back in the organization. Lee has held several positions at Nourison in the past and excelled at all of them. [He] is very familiar with our product line and our company, and is excited to be part of both again,” said Gerard O’Keefe, vp of sales. “We know he will represent Nourison well as he always has, and make an immediate impact in his new territory.” HTT

Krecl Returns to Nourison

April 18, 2011

SAINT-GEORGES, QUEBEC —Fabric producer Victor Group, wh ich bough t Quake r in 2007 and Craftex in 2009, has restructured its residential busi-ness unit and named Martin Roy as its general manager.

Roy will oversee everything from operations to sales, design, research and development for residential.

He was previously materi-

als manager in charge of pur-chasing, planning, production and distribution. He worked in upper management at two large manufacturers prior to return-ing to Victor Group in January 2010 as director of operations for the Fall River, Mass. plant.

The company s a id the real ignment of the Victor Group is necessitated by con-tinued growth in the residen-

tial unit. Roy and his team will focus on the company’s residen-tial business to establish closer working relationships with cus-tomers, enhance design direc-tion and alignment, and main-t ain customer service and reliability.

Besides the residential unit, Victor Group is active in the contract, outdoor, apparel and specialty markets. HTT

Victor Group Appoints Roy to Head Residential Unit

Sleep Innovations Introduces

Dara Torres as Spokesperson

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J — Olympic swim-mer and gold medalist Dara Torres will serve as a spokesperson for Sleep Innovation’s new Reju-venation Pillow.

According to the company, the memory foam pillow helps position the head and neck correctly and also keeps airways open,providing a faster, better night’s sleep.

Torres will be featured in direct TV ads that will run for three months before the Rejuvena-tion Pillow launches at retail. HTT

Torres with Sleep Innovations president and ceo Michael Thompson at the company’s showroom during the New York Home Fashions Market.

TROY, N.C. — Four generation family-owned rug house Capel Rugs has promoted Cameron Capel to become the company’s new vp-national accounts.

She joined the company in 1990 and, as the granddaugh-ter of company founder Leon Capel, has a lifelong connection to Capel Rugs. During her ten-ure, Capel has served in a vari-ety of sales and marketing posi-tions, most recently as director of national accounts.

In her new role, Capel contin-ues to manage some of the com-pany’s most important customer relationships and is also charged with spearheading the develop-

ment of proprietary braids for those customers. She also serves now as a primary media spokes-person for Capel Rugs.

She continues to report to John Magee, president and ceo.

“Cameron is extremely tal-ented at developing new busi-ness and managing relation-ships with our most important clients. She knows this company, and the rug industry, inside and out,” said Magee. “We are very happy to recognize all of Camer-on’s hard work and look forward to continuing to work with her as we write a new chapter in Capel Rug’s long history as a leader in the rug industry.” HTT

Capel Rugs Promotes Cameron Capel

htt110402_016 16htt110402_016 16 4/14/2011 11:31:31 AM4/14/2011 11:31:31 AM

the critical link to supply chain excellence

2 0 1 1 L O G I S T I C S C O N F E R E N C E

L GISTICS:th

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011

AMERICASMART, ATLANTA, GA

Join us for this special one-day conference fi lled with expert speakers, panels and workshops devoted exclusively to retailers and manufacturers in the gifts and home furnishings industries.

8:30am-9:20am Check-In and Registration

9:20am-9:30am Opening Remarks Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief, Furniture/Today

9:30am-10:15am How the New Logistics Can Keep You Profi table In the New Normal Jack Holmes, President, UPS FreightWith the economy still problematic, smart companies are tapping into new logistics solutions to help them navigate in today’s unpredictable waters. What are these new logistics solutions and how can you put them to work for you? Jack Holmes, President of UPS Freight, has the answers.

10:15am-11:15am Ocean Freight: Setting the Course for Smooth Sailing Ocean freight typically represents your second largest expense and with see-saw freight pricing, how can you minimize freight costs while maximizing effi ciencies and profi tability? A panel of experts including Chad Rosenberg of American Global Logistics, John Graves of Hanjin Shipping, Steve Wolfe of Stanley Furniture, Steve Burdette of Havertys Furniture and John Lomax of Furniture Brands will share invaluable tools and tips for staying afl oat in today’s market.

11:15am-11:30am Break

11:30am-12:30pm Home (Sweet Home) Delivery As e-commerce sales continue to rise, will demand for home delivery also rise? Are traditional retailers turning to home delivery rather than maintaining their own delivery fl eets? With the majority of furniture imported from Asia, what

challenges does this pose to home delivery companies? Why are some importers now taking on the role of home delivery? Patrick Cory of Cory Home Delivery, Keith Hewitt of hepdirect, Will O’Shea of 3PD and Jim Waters of Home Depot, along with their retail partners, will address these critical topics.

12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch and Networking

1:30pm-2:30pm The Law, Logistics and YouMike Roll, Pisani & Roll LLPAre you CTPAT profi cient? Does your new math include an understanding of 10+2 Importer Security Filings? To help you understand these intricate issues, we’ve invited Mike Roll of Pisani & Roll LLP, a law fi rm that specializes in international trade and customs law, including matters relating to supply-chain security, to be your guide. He also will provide an update on the latest developments with U.S. Customs.

2:30pm-3:30pm Warehouse Management: Thinking Inside and Outside Your Big BoxWith forecasting tougher than ever, the demand for just-in-time delivery and domestic availability is spiking. Whether you are a retailer, importer or are related to any of the links in the supply chain, you need to bring your notepad to this session. Bob Smith of Garr Consulting will lead a panel discussion that includes Eric Lamphier from Manhattan Associates, Jack Hawn of Zenith and Edward Massood of Thomasville.

3:30pm-3:45pm Break

3:45pm-4:15pm Q&A, Closing Remarks, Adjourn

Register online at www.FurnitureTodayOnline.com/Conferences. For more information contact Heather Grant at (336) 605-1061 or hgrant@sandowmedia.com

$99EARLY BIRD

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18 Home Textiles Today > hometextilestoday.com

BUSINESSTodaY

BBB Posts Double-Digit Profit Increase

April 18, 2011

BY CECILE B. CORRAL

MATTHEWS, N.C. — As consum-ables take much of the credit for Family Dollar’s continually im-proving sales trends, the chain has plans of further expanding the assortment this year at the expense of some discretionary categories.

But home was identified as the next best performing area — albeit a far second — during the retailer’s second quarter, the cat-egory increasing sales by 3% to $328,633 during period.

“We saw a solid performance in both home and apparel,” said James Kelly, president and coo, responding to an analyst’s ques-tion about plans for both discre-tionary business segments going forward during Family Dollar’s

second-quarter earnings web-cast.

“We will continue to work on those areas,” Kelly contin-ued. “They are part of our strat-egy, and we will work on them. But given the macro-economic event, we will do so cautiously.”

As employment and the gen-eral economy continue to be soft, Family Dollar is turning most of its attention to growing its lower-margin but higher-turn-ing consumables and health-and-beauty categories, adding about 350 new skus in these areas in the coming months.

“Our plan is to increase our investment in consumables…and broaden our assortment of food and health and beauty aids while reducing some more dis-cretionary areas,” added Howard

Levine, chairman and ceo.In the second quarter, con-

sumables accounted for 62.2% of total sales.

Family Dollar’s ongoing store renovation effort calls for 800 units to be completed this year and all 6,800-plus units to be updated within the next four years. Additionally, the chain plans to open about 300 new units this year.

Net income for the sec-ond quarter, ended Feb. 26, in-creased 9.8% to $123.2 million, or 98 cents per share.

Sales rose 8.3% to approxi-mately $2.263 billion and comps increased 5.1%.

Year to date, net income climbed 4.6% to $197.5 million, and sales were up 8.9% to $4.3 million. HTT

Family Dollar Keeps Ramping up Consumables, Mindful of Home

UNION, N.J. — Bed Bath & Be-yond’s fourth-quarter earnings per share jump 30% despite its consumers’ shift toward lower-margin merchandise.

Net income for the quarter ended Feb. 26 was $283.45 mil-lion, 86 cents per share. Sales rose 11.6% to $2.5 billion, with comps up 8.5%.

For the fiscal year, net in-come climbed 31.9% to $791.3 million. Sales rose 11.9% to $8.8 billion, with comps up 7.8%/

During the retailer’s quarter-ly conference call with analysts, executives cited better gross

margins — 43% of net sales for the year compared to 42.6% the previous year — mainly due to less couponing and fewer mark-downs.

As always, executives kept their color commentary to a minimum. Steve Temares, ceo, noted the environment faces “higher commodity prices, rel-atively high unemployment, a sluggish housing market and fragile consumer confidence,” but said BB&B’s strategy re-mains unchanged.

The company plans to open about 45 stores this year across

all of its nameplates — which also include Harmon Face Value, Harmon, Christmas Tree Shops and buybuy Baby. In its earnings release, Bed Bath & Beyond mentioned its two-store joint venture in Mex-ico, Home & More, but did not specifically address any plans for expansion.

For the current fiscal year, the retail expects comp increas-es in the range of 2% to 4% for the first quarter and full year, with sales increase in the mid-single-digit range for the first quarter and full year. HTT

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Pier 1 Imports rang up a 65.4% increase in net income in its fi scal fourth quarter as sales rose 7.7% with same-store sales climbing 8.9%, the Fort Worth, Texas-based re-tailer reported.

Pier 1 said it also achieved a positive operating profit in the fi scal year ended Feb. 26 for the fi rst time in six years, with mer-chandise margins improving to 58.4% of sales from 55.8% the previous fi scal year.

Net income for the latest quar-ter was $57.1 million or 48 cents per share, compared with $34.5 million or 30 cents per share a year earlier. Sales of $426.6 mil-lion were up from $396 million with gains in store traffi c, conver-sion rate and average ticket.

For the full year, the company earned $100.1 million or 85 cents per share, compared with $86.8 million or 86 cents per share the previous year. But the previous year, the company had negative operating income of $3.3 million and benefi ted from a $49.7 mil-lion gain on retirement of debt, and a $54.8 million gain on an income tax refund.

Sales for the latest year were just shy of $1.4 billion, up from $1.29 billion the previous year.

“Our new year is off to a good start and our spring and Easter assortments are resonating with our customers. Although the Easter holiday falls into April this year, March comp store sales in-creased 11.3% on top of last year’s March comp store sales increase of 19.4%,” said Alex Smith, pres-ident and ceo.

He noted that operating in-come improved more than $100 million last year, adding, “The journey we started our years ago to return Pier 1 Imports to prof-itability and beyond has reached its initial destination - profi tability - but we are by no means done.”

Smith said the company has a new three-year growth plan de-signed to improve sales, profits and shareholder value.

Pier 1 said it ended the fi scal year with inventory of $311.8 mil-lion, down slightly from $313.5 million a year earlier. It had cash and equivalents of $301.5 mil-lion, compared with $187.9 mil-lion at the end of 2009-2010. HTT

Pier 1 Sees Boffo 4Q

NEW YORK —Sales of seasonal merchandise predominated during the fi rst week of April, pushing comps up 4.7%, ac-cording to the Johnson Redbook.

The discount store segment’s same-store sales rose 5.7% dur-ing the week ended April 9, with the comp for department stores up 2.8%.

“Seasonal programs are generally on track for most retailers as they enter the fi nal month of their fi rst quarter,” said Catlin Levis, Redbook analyst.

With Easter shifting into the April this year, Redbook expects overall comps for the month will rise 6.1%. HTT

Same-store sales

April Off to a Decent Start

Johnson Redbook IndexFirst week of April, year-over-year % change

WEEK ENDED 4/9 4/12 4/23 4/30 MONTH TARGET

Department stores* 2.8 2.8 3.5 Discounters 5.7 5.7 7.5Redbook Index 4.7 4.7 6.1*Including chain stores and traditional department storesSource: Johnson Redbook Index

NEW YORK — The MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report, which tracks retail and services sales growth, reported good in-creases in March for the ecom-merce and luxury sectors.

Ecommerce posted its fifth consecutive month of dou-ble-digit growth, with sales up

16.1%. The Luxury Index, which in-

cludes department stores, gener-al apparel categories, and high-end restaurants/food stores, increased 8.5% — the largest year-over-year increase since December 2010 and the sixth consecutive month of growth.

Michael McNamara, vp of research and analysis for Master-Card Advisors, said gas prices are impacting shopping behavior.

“High gas prices typically re-sult in consumers consolidating shopping trips, shopping clos-er to home, and making fewer trips,” he said. HTT

Ecommerce, Luxury Growth Leaders in March

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19 Home Textiles TodayBusiness> hometextilestoday.com

BY CECILE B. CORRAL

NEW YORK — What a difference a year makes. Take it from most key retailers.

March’s comparable store sales results for more than half of the 13 major retailers tracked monthly by HTT were negative, showing a very different picture from a year ago when every com-pany on the list posted positive gains, many of them double dig-its.

To blame is the delayed Easter holiday this year, which comes April 24 — almost three weeks later than last year.

“As expected, we reported a decrease in comparable-store sales in March due to the tim-ing of Easter,” noted Kevin Man-sell, chairman, president and ceo of Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Kohl’s, which posted the highest comp decrease for March, down 6.5%.

Ironically, the mid-tier depart-ment store reported the highest comps among key retailers this same time last year — up 22.5%.

Among the good news this year, home was among the cate-

gories that outperformed Kohl’s company average.

After Kohl’s, York, Pa.-based The Bon-Ton Stores posted the highest comp decline at 6.1%. But here, too, home — includ-ing furniture — was among the regional department store’s best performing categories.

“As expected, the calendar shift of Easter into late April this year unfavorably impacted March traffic and sales, particularly in the apparel category,” explained

Tony Buccina, vice chairman and president – merchandis-ing. “We believe the combina-tion of the shift of the Easter hol-iday sales as well as the arrival of more seasonable weather will re-sult in a strong sales performance in April. We are pleased with our merchandise assortment as well as the level and freshness of our inventory.”

Seemingly less affected by the later holiday were the fi ve retail-ers that posted comp increases, most of them modest.

Only Costco had a high sin-gle digit result – 7.0%, which was helped along by a double-digit comp increase in housewares and home furnishings as well as a few other soft-lines categories.

BJ’s Wholesale Club, based in Westborough, Mass., attribut-ed its 1.3% comp gain — second best on the March list — in part to increased sales of food. Sales of general merchandise decreased by approximately 2%.

A close third in the month was

Cincinnati-based Macy’s, which generated a 0.9% comp increase — exceeding expectations, ac-cording to chairman, president and ceo Terry Lundgren.

“We generated same-store sales increases at both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, despite a calen-dar shift in which the pre-Eas-ter period and a planned cosmet-ics promotion at Macy’s fell into April this year versus March last year,” he said.

Macy’s said it continues to be optimistic about sales in April, which should benefit from the Easter shift and a cosmetics pro-motion. The department store expects its same-store sales this month to be up by 8% to 9%, which would translate to an in-crease of 4% to 4.5% for the combined March-April period. Previously, the company said it expected combined March-April

sales to be up by approximately 3%.

The last positive comp pro-ducer on the list was Duckwall-Alco, which in March achieved its second consecutive month of positive same-store sales, noted Rich Wilson, president and ceo.

“Our strategic initiatives to de-liver more value, improve store execution and better manage in-ventory continue to build mo-mentum,” he said.

At JCPenney comps were es-sentially fl at — down 0.3%, with the home business cited as a driv-er during the five weeks and so far in the fi rst quarter.

Within JCP’s home depart-ment, the biggest increases came from housewares, bath and lug-gage.

Home is also credited with boosting traffic and significant-ly increasing sales lately online

at JCP’s ecommerce site, www.jcp.com.

Minneapolis-based Target’s soft comps, down 5.5%, were in line with expectations, said Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and ceo. He added: “Our stores are well-prepared for the upcom-ing Easter season, and we contin-ue to expect a mid-teens increase in Target’s April comparable-store sales.”

Home, however, was weak at Target in March, declining in the high single digit range.

At Jacksonville, Fla.-based Stein Mart, comps were also down 3.9%, but home was a bright spot along with men’s sportswear and intimate apparel.

The story was the reverse at Dillard’s, where home was signif-icantly below trend. The depart-ment store’s poor March comps of fell 1.0%. HTT

DEC JAN FEBMAR MARAPR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEPT OCT NOVSource: Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Average, a unit of Instinet, a Reuters company.

2.0%2011

year-over-year

-5.0%

-3.5%

-2.0%

-0.5%

1.0%

2.5%

4.0%

5.5%

7.0%

8.5%

10.0%

MarchSame-Store SalesJohnson Redbook Index

Same-store sales % change

WINNERSCostco Wholesale Corp. 7.0%BJ’s Wholesale Club 1.3%Macy’s Inc. 0.9%Fred’s Inc. 0.7%Duckwall-ALCO Stores 0.4%

LOSERSKohl’s Corp. (6.5)%The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. (6.1)%Target Corp. (5.5)%Stein Mart Inc. (3.9)%Dillard’s Inc. (1.0)%Ross Stores (1.0)%JCPenney Co. (0.3)%The TJX Companies (0.1)%

WINNERS AND LOSERS

MARCH SALES FOR KEY RETAILERS

Four weeks ended April 2, 2011 (dollar amounts in millions) a

2011 2010 TOTAL SAME-STORE SALES SALES % CHG. % CHG.

BJ’s Wholesale Club b $1,083.3 $992.7 9.1 1.3 The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. $254.5 $272.4 (6.6) (6.1)Costco Wholesale Corp. c d $8,330.0 $7,150.0 17.0 7.0 Dillard’s Inc. $519.8 $526.8 (1.0) (1.0)Duckwall-ALCO Stores Inc. $43.8 $42.5 3.0 0.4 Fred’s Inc. $188.0 $183.5 3.0 0.7 J. C. Penney Company Inc. $1,467.0 $1,528.0 (4.0) (0.3)Kohl’s Corp. $1,723.0 $1,812.0 (4.9) (6.5)Macy’s Inc. $2,207.0 $2,172.0 1.6 0.9 Ross Stores Inc. $828.0 $811.0 2.0 (1.0)Stein Mart Inc. $127.1 $133.6 (4.9) (3.9)Target Corp. $5,955.0 $6,233.0 (4.5) (5.5)The TJX Companies Inc. $2,040.0 $2,030.0 1.0 (0.1)

9 WEEKS 2011 2010 TOTAL SAME-STORE SALES SALES % CHG. % CHG.

BJ’s Wholesale Club b $1,897.4 $1,737.3 9.2 1.8 The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. $452.2 $472.3 (4.3) (3.7)Costco Wholesale Corp. e $50,790.0 $45,210.0 12.0 4.0 Dillard’s Inc. $1,012.4 $1,026.0 (1.0) (1.0)Duckwall-ALCO Stores Inc. $79.3 $76.2 4.1 1.7 Fred’s Inc. $342.5 $334.1 3.0 0.7 J. C. Penney Company Inc. $2,681.0 $2,710.0 (1.1) 2.7 Kohl’s Corp. $2,884.0 $2,896.0 (0.4) (2.2)Macy’s Inc. $3,969.0 $3,839.0 3.4 3.0 Ross Stores Inc. $1,423.0 $1,365.0 4.0 1.0 Stein Mart Inc. $207.5 $208.1 (0.3) 0.3 Target Corp. $10,705.0 $10,870.0 (1.5) (2.4)The TJX Companies Inc. $3,500.0 $3,400.0 2.0 1.0

a. Reporting periods vary from chain to chain.b. Including gasoline, merchandise comparable club sales increased

in March by about 5.3%. Year-to-date, BJ’s merchandise compa-rable club sales including gasoline increased 5.4%.

c. Total sales results in March include sales fromthe company’s Mexico joint venture; without those sales, the increase would have been 14.0%.

d. March comp club results are for the U.S. division -- including the positive impacts of inflation in gasoline prices and strengthening

foreign currencies, comparable club sales for the month were up 11% in the U.S. division, 17% in the international division, and 13% for the total company.

e. Because it is on a different fiscal calendar than the other key retail-ers on this list, Costco’s year-to-date sales and comp results reflect the past 31-week period. Year-to-date comp club results are for the U.S. division -- including the positive impact of inflation in gasoline and strengthening foreign currencies, comparable club sales were up 6% in the U.S., 14% in the international division, and 8% for the total company.

Later Easter Hits March Comps

April 18, 2011

htt110402_018_019.indd 19htt110402_018_019.indd 19 4/12/2011 4:54:24 PM4/12/2011 4:54:24 PM

20 Home Textiles Today > hometextilestoday.com

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Email: mike@homefashionsinc.com

CLOSEOUTS

CLASSIFIEDSHELP WANTED

SPENCER WHITTLE:swhittle@sandowmedia.comph 336.605.1027 fax 336.605.1143

KAREN HANCOCK:khancock@sandowmedia.comph 336.605.1047 fax 336.605.1143

THEY’RELOOKING

FORYOUProduct Category Manager

Ellery Homestyles is growing and adding 3 new positions. Window, Bedding and Throw Product Category Managers

collaborate and partner with sales and key design team partners to support the execution of product while managing to the appropriate and expected

timelines and deliverables. Submit resumes in confi dence to: hr11@elleryhomestyles.com

COSTING/PRODUCT MANAGERVictoria Classics a Home Textile Importer based out of Central New Jersey

seeks a Costing/Technical Expert professional with around 3 years exp. Home Textile or Apparel background required. Must have experience working with Merchandisers and Design Teams and Chinese factories. Must have a degree

in Textile Engineering or equivalent exp and speak Mandarin. Must be able to calculate costs of Products.

Send Resume in Confi dence to: hresources@victoriaclassics.com

FASHION BEDDING DESIGNERRoyal Heritage Home, a home textile importer of fashion bedding,

based in mid-town Manhattan, seeks a Creative and Highly Organized professional with at least 2 years experience.

Must know PHOTOSHOP/ILLUSTRATOR.Send resume in confi dence to: khartman@royalheritagehome.com

Wanted: Sales Manager, as well asReplenishment Buyer and Packaging Designer

Leading Bath, Kitchen & Acct Rug Mfr w NYC Showroom/Design/ Sales Office, Company Owned Factory in China & East/West Coast Distribution Centers looking for talented, hard working Sales Manager with experience

selling Major Retailers. Attn: BB20151 to classifieds@sandowmedia.com

www.home t e x t i l e s t o day. c om

WASHINGTON — Pointing to a potentially improving econom-ic trend, import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 9% this month over April 2010, said the National Retail Federation.

According to its monthly Glob-al Port Tracker, which NRF re-leased last week with consulting firm Hackett Associates, which helps produce the report, U.S. ports handled 1.1 million Twen-ty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in February, traditionally the slowest month of the year and the latest for which actual num-bers are available. That was down 8% from January but up 10% from February 2010. It was the 15th consecutive month to show a year-over-year improvement after December 2009 broke a 28-

month streak of year-over-year de-clines. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent.

“These numbers are an in-dication that the economy is re-covering and retailers are expect-ing continued increases in sales through the summer and be-yond,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vp for supply chain and customs policy. “There are challenges ahead from rising prices for gas-oline and other essentials, but in-ventories are under control and retailers are optimistic.”

March was estimated at 1.2 million TEU, an increase of 11 % over March 2010. April is fore-cast at 1.24 million TEU, up 9 % from a year ago; May at 1.32 mil-lion TEU, up 4 %; June at 1.38 million TEU, up 5 %; July at 1.45 million TEU, up 5 %; and August

at 1.54 million TEU, up 8 %.The first half of 2011 is fore-

cast at 7.4 million TEU, up 8% from the fi rst half of 2010. For the full year, 2010 totaled 14.7 mil-lion TEU, a 16% increase over 2009. Last year’s percentages were high because 2009’s 12.7 million TEU was the lowest level seen since 2003.

“The economy is slowly on the mend with many of the key short-term indicators providing posi-tive directions,” said Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates.

Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. HTT

HONG KONG — The 2nd annu-al HKTDC Hong Kong Inter-national Home textiles fair will take place this week with about 240 exhibitors from 10 coun-tries.

Spun off last year as a stand-alone event that runs concur-rently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, the home textiles show is set from April 20-23 at the Hong Kong Conven-

tion and Exhibition Centre.Product categories include

bedding, bath, rugs, upholstery and infant goods. Exhibitors hail from China, India, Korea, Tai-wan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Spain, among other countries, according to fair organizer the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

For additional information, visit www.hktdc.com. HTT

NRF: Retail Container Traffic to Be Up 9% in April

April 18, 2011 News

Hong Kong Int’lHome Textiles Fair Set

YORK, PA. — The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. is gearing up for the opening of a new Carson’s unit in the Midwest later this year in time for the 2011 holi-day selling season.

The 60,000-square - foot

space — currently an Elder-Beerman store — is located at Markland Mall in Kokomo, Ind.

Bon-Ton expects to remodel the site and complete the proj-ect by November 2011. HTT

Bon-Ton to Open New Carson’s in Indiana

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There are more than 500 million active users on Facebook and more than 70% of retailers are now on

Facebook or MySpace. You can’t afford to ignore this important communications channel.

Benefits of a social media program include:

STARTYOUR OWN

SOCIALCOMMUNITY

DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND. AS THE HOME FURNISHINGS INDUSTRY LEADER WE CAN HELP YOUR COMPANY WITH A CUSTOM

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND TURN-KEY PROGRAM.NEW TO SOCIAL NETWORKING? LACKING TIME AND RESOURCES? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!

For more information please contact Penny Schneck, Online Sales Manager 336.605.1084 pschneck@sandowmedia.com.

• Build brand loyalty• Increase search engine ranking for your Web site• Drive fresh, quality leads to your Web site• Showcase new product and get feedback from customers

• Track positive and negative comments about your company

• Generate viral buzz through contests and videos• Enhance customer service

Supima_Welspun.indd 1Supima_Welspun.indd 1 8/13/2010 3:39:45 PM8/13/2010 3:39:45 PM

22 Home Textiles TodayNews

CHORTEX FROM PAGE 1

April 18, 2011> hometextilestoday.com

been working on and off in the Unit-ed States over the past 10 years deal-ing mostly with high-end brand sup-pliers.

The company will continue to do business with independent specialty retailers, albeit on a direct basis, as well as department stores and online retailers.

The drop-ship capabilities for on-line at Chortex’s DC in upstate New York “is one of the major things,” Ver-gucht told HTT.

The company is also bringing back

to the U.S. market its high-end bath ensemble collection Rhapsody Royale after a five-year absence and will ex-pand to the mill’s full line of offerings.

Chortex will take a booth at the New York International Gift Fair in August, returning after several years. It launched Rhapsody Royale in 1996, and three years later the prod-uct earned the “Best Product Award” during the NYIGF that year.

Vergucht explained Chortex want-ed to bring back Rhapsody Royale to respond to the customers’ requests for the product.

“Due to popular demand, the Rhapsody Royale towel is enjoying a

renaissance in the USA market,” Ver-gucht said. “We are delighted to offer once again a full range of these mag-nifi cent towels. Our Rhapsody Royale towel is the real thing. It’s a very good quality, very soft product. No corners were cut here to produce it.”

At 660 gsm, the bath towel is set to retail at $24.99. Suggested price points for other pieces are: $7.99 for tip, $17.99 for hand and $39.99 for sheet.

Chortex is co-owned by Onur Uy-anik, who is based at the company’s headquarters in Turkey. Claire Smith-son heads the company’s European headquarters in London. HTT

360 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10010Tel: (646) 805-0227; Fax: (646) 365-2307

www.hometextilestoday.com

THE WEEKLY BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY®360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010

Telephone: (646) 805-0227 Fax: (646) 365-2307 USPS 497-490

HOME TEXTILES TODAY (USPS 497-490) (ISSN 0195-3184) is published 29 times a year except for the weeks of 1/3, 2/14, 2/28, 3/20, 4/11, 4/25, 5/2, 5/16/,5/30, 6/13, 6/27, 7/4, 8/1, 8/15, 8/29, 9/5, 9/26, 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, 11/28, 12/12, 12/26 by Furniture/Today Media Group, 360 Park Avenue South, 17th fl., New York, NY, 10010 a subsidiary of Sandow Media LLC, 3731 NW 8th Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. HOME TEXTILES TODAY copyright ©2011 by Sandow Media LLC. Annual subscription rates: U.S. and Canada $169.97; 1 year, other countries $325.99 for surface mail and $525.00 for airmail. All payments must be made in U.S. currency. Subscription inquiries: HOME TEXTILES TODAY, PO Box 5879, Harlan, IA 51593-1379. Phone: (866) 456-0405. HOME TEXTILES TODAY and THE BUSINESS AND FASHION NEWSPAPER OF THE HOME TEXTILES INDUSTRY are registered trademarks of Sandow Media LLC, used under license. Sandow Media LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever. (Posted under Canadian International Publication Agreement No.40624074. Sandow Media/CDS (Mint Hill)

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HOME TEXTILES TODAY, P.O. Box 5879, Harlan, IA, 51593-1379 Email: HTTcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: RCS International; APC; PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Rich Hill, ON L4B 4R6

SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.A. (866) 456-0405All other countries: (515) 247-2984

HTTcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com

FAX SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-866-310-7181

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jennifer Marks10 Ocean Blvd #8B

Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 07716(732) 204-2012 | jnegley@hometextilestoday.com

FOUNDING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Carole Sloan

PRODUCT EDITOR Cecile B. Corral428 Bianca Ave. Coral Gables, FL 33146

(305) 661-7493 | cbcorral@aol.com

MANAGING EDITOR Julie Murphy(646) 805-0224 | jmurphy@hometextilestoday.com

DIRECTOR OF MARKET RESEARCH Dana French(336) 605-1091 | dfrench@sandowmedia.com

PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTORWarren Shoulberg

(646) 805-0226 | wshoulberg@hometextilestoday.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jeff Reeves (336) 605-1009 | jreeves@hometextilestoday.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER NORTHEAST/MIDWEST/WEST COAST/CANADA

Mary McLoughlin(646) 805-0227 | mmcloughlin@hometextilestoday.com

CLASSIFIED AD SALESSpencer Whittle (336) 605-1027 swhittle@sandowmedia.com Karen Hancock (336) 605-1047 khancock@sandowmedia.com

MANAGER, CHINA Nancy YuTel: 86 (0) 21 5126 0111; Fax: 86 (0) 21 6539 0321

nancy@oceaniamedia.net

MANAGER, EUROPE Mirek KraczkowskiTel: 48 22 401 70 01; Fax: 48 22 401 70 16 | kraczko@aol.com

MANAGER, INDIA Kaushal ShahCell: 91-9821715431; Tel: 91-22-6663 4597 / 24988658

Fax: 91-22-66634596 | kj_reeds@yahoo.co.in

ONLINE SALES MANAGER Penny Schneck(336) 605-1084 | pschneck@sandowmedia.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Rich LambTel: (336) 605-1074; Fax: (336) 605-1143 | rlamb@ sandowmedia.com

DIRECTOR, WEB OPERATIONS Chris Schultz | (336) 605-1076 | cschultz@sandowmedia.com

MANAGER, CLIENT SERVICES, WEB ADVERTISING Dan Sage | (336) 605-1080 | dsage@sandowmedia.com

E-MEDIA PROJECT MANAGER Missy Axe | (336) 605-1005 | maxe@sandowmedia.com

DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE MARKETING Allison Ternes(704) 573-9007 | aternes@sandowmedia.com

PRESIDENT, FURNITURE TODAY GROUP Kevin Castellani

(336) 605-1034 | kcastellani@sandowmedia.com

SANDOW MEDIA

PRESIDENT AND CEO Adam I. Sandow

CFO/COO Christopher Fabian

VP CREATIVE AND EDITORIAL Yolanda E. Yoh

EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER James N. Dimonekas

“The beginning of 2010, that’s when we started to see the plan gaining traction.”

Even the residential business is showing improvement, he said.

“Since upholstery fabrics at the mid- to high-end are so expensive, no one can afford to buy the level of in-

ventory an Asian mill would require,” he explained.

Wearbest is addressing the situation by offering short runs, proprietary de-sign, a commitment to resolving prob-lems and “manic turn-around time.”

The mill’s Bella-Dura high per-formance fabric, launched about six years ago, has expanded into contract and healthcare as well as the casual market. Wearbest has also developed performance fabrics for the health-

care market.“We did not add capacity,” said

Gasner. “We invested in material to develop new products rather than hardware.”

Next up, Wearbest plans to sign an agreement with a group that will work with its design studio on “a new and creative aesthetic” for the Bella-Dura line.

“We aren’t just a sleepy little mill in New Jersey,” said Gasner. HTT

Chortex Plans

Wearbest Growth

WEARBEST FROM PAGE 1

Bella Dura high performce fabrics have been expanded from residential into the contract, healthcare and casual living segments.

NEW YORK — Sandow Media, parent company of Home Textiles Today, has purchased Surface magazine and its website from Quadra Media.

Surface, “the American voice of the contemporary luxury and de-

sign world,” will publish its fi rst issue under Sandow’s Interior Design Media Group with the July/August edition.

“As a leading design, fashion and life-style consumer magazine, Surface will be a strong addition to Interior Design

Media Group,” said Adam I. Sandow, chairman and ceo, Sandow Media.

The acquisition also further ex-pands Sandow Media’s global pres-ence with Surface Asia and Surface China. HTT

HTT Parent Acquires Surfaces Magazine

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W W W . H O M E T E X T I L E S T O D A Y . C O M

F O R I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T Y O U R S A L E S R E P R E S E N TAT I V E T O D AY:

Publisher/Editorial DirectorWarren Shoulberg

646-805-0226wshoulberg@hometextilestoday.com

Associate PublisherJeff Reeves

336-605-1009jreeves@hometextilestoday.com

Account ManagerMary McLoughlin

646-805-0227mmcloughlin@hometextilestoday.com

COMING IN AUGUST 2011T H E U L T I M A T E C O N S U M E R B U Y E R S G U I D E

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Chortex April 18th_HTT.indd 1Chortex April 18th_HTT.indd 1 4/12/2011 10:08:30 AM4/12/2011 10:08:30 AM