| 1. |
Furniture Retailers Guide To Intellectual Property - Part 3
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Lawrence R. Robins and Katherine L. Staba)
IP issues arise internally when creating and protecting your catalogues, websites, advertisements, and trademarks. External concerns over knock-offs, competitive advertising, and improper trademark use are omnipresent in this highly competitive industry.
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| 2. |
A Time To Speak About Generational Change
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - David Lively)
Most family furniture businesses are not prepared to handle wealth transfer. In fact, the majority have made few or no provisions for turning the business over to the next generation.
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| 3. |
I’m Just Looking... For Ideas!
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Joe Capillo)
Research shows that many customers are really just looking for ideas towards the beginning of the shopping process. Trying to close them before they are ready can, therefore, contribute to overall low closing rates. Instead, work to get them back for a second visit.
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| 4. |
Embracing Creativity In Your Furniture Business
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Margarett DeGange, M.Ed.)
This short series of articles delves into the process of creative thinking, gets into some more practical guidelines for fostering creativity in your organization, and ends with an 8-step process for monetizing your creative efforts.
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| 5. |
Multiply Your Ad Effectiveness With The Who Factor - Part 2
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Larry Mullins)
Discover how to start using the principles presented in the first part of this series to create a Unique Selling Proposition)and set a new wave of profitable business into motion for very little cost.
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| 6. |
The End For Your T-12 Fluorescents?
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Monte Lee)
Major legislation was just passed that affects T12 fluorescent lighting.
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| 7. |
Let's Simplify Your Inventory
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - David McMahon)
David McMahon shows you the core practices that the most profitable businesses follow to achieve the highest return on their inventory investment.
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| 8. |
New Approach To Furniture Delivery Truck Safety
(Friday, July 09, 2010 - Dan Bolger)
Here's what retailers, manufacturers, importers and specialized carriers need to know about compliance issues related to the new CSA2010 regulations to avoid difficulties.
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| 9. |
Legare Debuts Traditional Collections In Las Vegas
(Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
All Legare pieces feature patented award-winning tool -free assembly with the appearance of handcrafted case goods furniture.
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| 10. |
A Theory Of How Women Buy Furniture
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Joe Capillo)
Most furniture retailers focus on selling features and what we call “benefits”, and leave the customers to choose the things she likes best or that she believes best fit her needs. This has little to do with how most women want to shop for furniture and accounts for the 20-30% close rates in our stores.
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| 11. |
Getting Caught In The Cheap Furniture Trap
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Peter Schlosser)
Retailers like COSTCO don’t lose customers when they sell furniture that fails to live up to customer expectations for quality. The same cannot be said for local furniture retailers. Here are five ways to avoid the cheap furniture trap.
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| 12. |
Major Retailers Share Thoughts On Home Delivery Programs
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Dan Bolger)
Topics discussed in a Home Delivery panel discussion at the 2010 International Furniture Transportation & Logistics Council (IFTLC) conference provides Furniture World readers with tips on how to improve operations.
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| 13. |
Hiring Digital Retail Furniture Employees
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - David Lively)
People have changed, consumption has changed, technology has changed, but - most importantly - what is cool has changed. So, have you changed? Tomorrow’s leading companies are changing hiring criteria and measurements of performance.
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| 14. |
Furniture Retailers Go Tribal - Part 3
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Margarett DeGange, M.Ed. )
This is the third in a series on how to take a leadership position in the new decade by creating tribal loyalty among your customers.
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| 15. |
Feel Your Customer’s Pain & Sell Lots More
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Larry Mullins )
Learn to deliver the four “magic” sentences that will relieve your customer’s pain and you will sell more home furnishings... lots more.
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| 16. |
Best Furniture Retailers Share Their Histories - Part 2
(Monday, June 07, 2010 - Janet Holt-Johnstone)
Many of our most enterprising home furnishings retailers have shared their stories of survival, growth and service with FURNITURE WORLD readers. This is the second installment in a series that commemorates the 140th anniversary year of FURNITURE WORLD Magazine.
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| 17. |
ITMA Names 2010 Virginia Jackson Design Award Winners
(Wednesday, May 12, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
The Virginia Jackson Design Awards recognize outstanding textile design
students in three categories – jacquard, dobby and print.
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| 18. |
Sealy Relaunches Corporate Website
(Saturday, April 24, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
The new site is designed to help solve mattress consumers' greatest frustration - determining which mattress is most right for them.
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| 19. |
Dutailier Introduces Autolock Feature On Select Glider Models
(Saturday, April 24, 2010 - Furntiure World Magazine)
Dutailier has made it easier for people of all ages to get in and out of their gliders. The new Auto-Lock mechanism is designed with safety in mind and will engage as soon as it senses any weight transfer to the glider’s arms.
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| 20. |
Special Anniversary Issue: Big time Bling - 1950s Furniture Design & Color
(Tuesday, April 06, 2010 - by Stephen Bernasconi)
Style and color expert Stephen Bernasconi looks at how furniture styles and colors are determined by the social and economic conditions under which we live.
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| 21. |
Special Anniversary Issue: The Good Old Days 1960-1975
(Tuesday, April 06, 2010 - by Michael Dugan)
Mike Dugan compares the current decade with those good old days... an era when the Baby Boomers were just entering their furniture buying years.
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| 22. |
Special Anniversary Issue: Retailers 25-165 Years Old Share Their Stories - Part 1
(Tuesday, April 06, 2010 - by Janet Holt Johnstone)
Some of the best home furnishings retailers share their stories of survival, growth and service with FURNITURE WORLD readers. Due to overwhelming response from our retail readers, this will be the first installment of a multi-part series.
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| 23. |
Thomasville of New Jersey Reports On Success Of Internet Marketing Program
(Friday, April 02, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
5 store locations that make up the Thomasville of New Jersey retail store network are owned by the Massood family.
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| 24. |
Special Anniversary Issue: Furniture Industry In The Great Depression
(Monday, March 29, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
This is a story of missed warning signs, failed furniture industry initiatives and impossible consumer buying behavior.
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| 25. |
Special Anniversary Issue: Furniture Industry In World War 2
(Monday, March 29, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
The good, the bad and the ugly. A tale of the lead-up to the war through its end, 1938-1945. A remarkable story of difficult times in which the ingenuity of manufacturers and retailers, against all odds triumphed.
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| 26. |
Special Anniversary Issue: 1870-1895 Birth Of The Modern Furniture Industry
(Sunday, March 28, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
Changes in retail and wholesale distribution, the formation of large scale furniture exhibitions and the last depression  period of the 19th century helped to shape the way we do business today.
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| 27. |
Study Finds Young Afflent Consumers Use Social Shopping Sites
(Saturday, March 06, 2010 - Furniture World Magazine)
Social shopping sites combine the best of both internet and bricks-and-mortar shopping experiences.
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| 28. |
Top Ten Tips To Hire Great Furniture Delivery & Warehouse Managers
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Dan Bolger)
The failure rate for new warehouse and delivery managers in retail furniture stores is high. Retailers that promote from within often run up against the Peter Principle. When an outsider is selected, his or her individual style may conflict with your corporate culture or they may have flat out lied about their experience. Here’s how to avoid these problems.
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| 29. |
Create A Family Furniture Store Money Plan
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - David Lively)
Most families in the retail furniture business just don’t talk about money. Money entices us with opportunities. Money torments us with uncertainty, and leads us to decisions we normally would not make. If you’re not careful, money and possessions will become the downfall of your family and your business.
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| 30. |
Turn Furniture Supervisors Into Retail Leaders
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Ron Wolinski)
The best retailers teach their managers to work with subordinates in ways that help employees to feel good about their jobs. Skills that allow managers to accomplish this important objective can be divided into two categories. The first category is designed to maintain and enhance performance. The second is designed to encourage employees to change unacceptable performance.
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| 31. |
Six Steps to Juggle Aggressive Sales Goals
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Joe Capillo)
If you can create a goal achievement culture in your sales department, you can structure information gathering, strategic sales process development, salesperson training, management training, and performance coaching in a seamless way to achieve your most aggressive revenue goals.
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| 32. |
Furniture Retailers Go Tribal Part 2
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Margarett DeGange)
This is the second in a series on how to take a leadership position in the new decade by creating tribal loyalty among your customers.
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| 33. |
Build A Home Furnishings Sales Machine - Part 3
(Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Larry Mullins)
The third and final installment in this series explains how you can get way out front of your competition by working to deliver uncompromising Integrity, Excellence, and Caring.
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| 34. |
Happy Days Are Here Again?
(Tuesday, January 20, 2010 - Janet Holt-Johnstone)
Three furniture retailers in areas of high unemployment are enthusiastic about doing lots more business in 2010.
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| 35. |
Is Your Furniture Business Ready for Renewed Growth?
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - Dan Bolger)
Most retailers interviewed for this article believe business conditions have bottomed and modest growth is here or coming soon. Some are very enthusiastic. Included are their comments, plus tips on how to get your back-end operations in shape so you will be ready to grow as the economy strengthens.
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| 36. |
Eight Techniques to Boost Profit in Tough Times
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - David McMahon)
Some retailers seem to always manage to perform well. In this article David McMahon takes a close look at what those successful retailers do to cut costs during lean times and achieve maximum returns. Specific steps to cut fixed costs and make retail operations more responsive to cost cutting measures are examined.
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| 37. |
The Family Furniture Store Business Path
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - David Lively)
The first generation founds the business. The second generation builds it. And the third generation ruins it. This sounds harsh, but consider that a scant three in ten businesses make it to the second generation. A miniscule one in ten of these makes it through the third. David Lively looks at the steps family business can take to avoid this fate.
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| 38. |
Are You Telling Customers The Right Story?
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - Furniture World Magazine)
The right way to connect to potential customers, whether through advertising or in person, is to tell the customer’s story. Now, you’re probably wondering, “How can I tell the customer’s story? Here’s how.
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| 39. |
Furniture Retailers Go Tribal - Part 1
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - Margarett DeGange)
This is the day of the tribe, the day of community and the day of meaningful connections. The old era of the big company, with the big CEO in the big private office, hiding out behind big T.V. ads is just about over as a viable way of doing business.
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| 40. |
Build A Retail Home Furnishings Sales Machine - Part 2
(Thursday, November 19, 2009 - Larry Mullins)
Part 2 of this three part series looks at alternatives retailers have to just cutting back expenses in these tough times. Instead, Larry Mullins suggests ways to become a Market Leader and leave sleeping competitors behind.
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| 41. |
Out Of The Box Retailing - Mortise & Tenon, Etc.
(Thursday, November 18, 2009 - Janet Holt-Johnstone)
Ruminations on the future of furniture retail and the internet. Continued from August/September FURNITURE WORLD.
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| 42. |
Measure Gross Margin Return On Inventory
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - David McMahon)
Track this inventory metric to understand your customer’s buying patterns, establish a more relevant product mix, satisfy more people and sell more.
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| 43. |
Path To Sustainable Retail Lighting. LEDS & More
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - Monte Lee)
Retailers place great emphasis on sustainability in new construction projects, But what can be done in an existing store to move toward sustainability?
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| 44. |
Confessions Of A Family Furniture Store Owner
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - David Lively)
As a leader of the organization, regardless of the title you choose, you have a responsibility to decide on a plan and chart a course to achieve your business dreams. David Lively presents a fictional story with which many FURNITURE WORLD readers will identify.
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| 45. |
Decorating School Crash Course: Consumer Seminar On Lighting
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - Margarett DeGange)
This is the ninth article in our Decorating Crash Course series. The text is written so that you can easily use it to put on a customer seminar on lighting in home decor. It can be presented “as is” but you should add additional elements to give your seminars a personal touch.
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| 46. |
Retail Life- How To Get In, Stay Alive a-n-d Love It
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - Michael Greene)
This article is excerpted from Michael Green’s new book, “Retail LIfe”, published by FURNITURE WORLD Magazine. Michael Greene also known in the industry as “Grandpa Mike-e-e” is the iconic 88 year old furniture retailer, author, composer, lyricist & industry newspaper columnist.
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| 47. |
Build A Home Furnishings Sales Machine
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - Larry Mullins)
Part 1 of this three part series looks at alternatives retailers have to just cutting back expenses in these tough times. Instead, Larry Mullins suggests ways to become a Market Leader and leave sleeping competitors behind.
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| 48. |
Avoid Pitfalls While Moving Your Warehouse
(Sunday, October 04, 2009 - Dan Bolger)
Complete your warehouse move with minimal business interruption and cost.
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| 49. |
Links To Sherman Furniture's Radio and Print Ads
(Friday, September 11, 2009 - Furniture World Magazine)
To accompany Dan Bolger's October 2009 article Avoid these pitfalls during a warehouse move.
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| 50. |
Retail Compensation Winners & Losers
(Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - David Lively)
Family business owners often struggle with fair compensation for their children who work for them. Either they pay the children too much, or they pay them below market rates. Either extreme is incorrect and can provoke conflict while undermining their self worth.
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