en-us http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/%blog_id.html?nid=4393 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use November 12, 2009 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/860006286.html?nid=4393 Late afternoon in Frankfurt. It's set-up day for Heimtextil exhibitors and comb-through-art day for designers. Most common remark: "Can you believe how warm it is here?" A Heimtextil without snowboots is like...paradise. This live-blogging from a trade show is a first-time effor… Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:10:05 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/980011698.html?nid=4393 Foot traffic at the show significantly heavier this morning, though still not jam-packed. Exhibitors today echo comments we heard yesterday: meetings have been a matter of quality over quantity. Sorry I can’t speak to design trends yet. I’m been doing more talking than looking, up to… Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/990011699.html?nid=4393 Third day of the show. Traffic began slowing down in the afternoon, which is typical. Heard some complaints in Hall 10 today about the cost of exhibiting. A couple mills are contemplating pulling out. However, as one noted, “When you complain, they say: ‘Go ahead and leave. We’ve g… Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1000011700.html?nid=4393 Reading this morning’s news about Wal-Mart’s latest merchandising reorg, I can’t help thinking back to the mid-90s, when McDonald’s was going through its identity crisis. An editorial in the trade mag Supermarket News pointed out that what drove McDonald’s business … Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1010011701.html?nid=4393 Spent yesterday morning at the New York Home Textiles Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street. This is the event that used to be held at the Javits Center during market week, but is now held in tandem with the big New York International Gift Fair. Morning traffic was much better tha… Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1030011703.html?nid=4393 As busy as the past several weeks have been in the home textiles world, our pals in the gift industry have been even busier — with January shows in Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Las Vegas.I popped into the office of my colleague, Maria Weiskott, editor-in-chief of G… Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1040011704.html?nid=4393 Here’s the word from Sin City as of late yesterday afternoon: - Everybody seems happy as far as the buying scenario is concerned. - For furniture, “all the majors are out” — Fortunoff, JCPenney and (I confess) a bunch of companies I never heard of who are apparently big w… Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1050011705.html?nid=4393 New York – J.C. Penney Inc.’s shares were up 3.57% to $84.17 around 2 p.m. EST today on the news of a massive exclusive house brand to be created for the retailer by Polo Ralph Lauren across multiple categories, including home. ...Read More Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1060011706.html?nid=4393 Lots of people asking about the upcoming Market Week — which is supposed to be a Monday to Friday affair beginning Feb. 12 – the question being whether showrooms are opening over the weekend or no. The big boys – Springs and WestPoint – are keeping their doors close… Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1170011717.html?nid=4393 The Log Cabin Democrat has a piece out on this week’s Wal-Mart Managers Meeting in Kansas City. You can read it here. P.S. The Democrat is a newspaper based in Conway, Ark., not a political organization. Just in case you were wondering. Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1160011716.html?nid=4393 Hard to believe that Sunday is Day 1 of market. But by all indications, in the second go-round of what is supposed to be a Monday-Friday market week most retailers are refraining from weekend appointments. Most folks I’ve spoken to consider that a good thing. I talked to a couple of peop… Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1150011715.html?nid=4393 Officially day one of the New York market week — day two for your correspondent. Confirmation from many quarters that today, Tuesday and Wednesday are to be the heavy days in terms of retailer traffic.People fretting all day about the winter storm expected on Wednesday and what impact it… Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1120011712.html?nid=4393 Today was probably the last heavy day for market traffic, made even heavier by the mixture of snow and frozen rain that fell unceasingly throughout. Tomorrow is my last full day of appointments. I heard from several suppliers that buyers with late afternoon appointments crowded into showrooms ea… Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1140011714.html?nid=4393 Well, when I left tonight’s last market party around 8 p.m., it had begun snowing. It’s two hours later now, and in Manhattan, it has stopped. Not much in the way of accumulation where I live at the foot of Manhattan. But the local weather forecast calls for freezing rain, sleet a… Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1070011707.html?nid=4393 It ran ads touting its prices on motor oil and candy bars. This blast from the past aired in 1979. Dig the feathered hair-do! Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1080011708.html?nid=4393 Market week is officially over. I haven’t seen or heard anything in the past couple of days at variance with observations I posted earlier in the week. (Scroll down to read them.) I’d say at least 40% of the showrooms were dark today. I passed others in which displays were already be… Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1090011709.html?nid=4393 I find it interesting that following a multi-year rebranding under former ceo Allen Questrom, J.C. Penney is launching another under current ceo Myron Ullman, who took the helm a little over two years ago. Not that that’s a bad thing. More retailers could do a better job of freshenin… Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1100011710.html?nid=4393 Consultancy Retail Forward is holding a webinar later this month on you know who. Topics include: Who’s shopping the store? How does that compare to the company’s market strategy? What are Wal-Mart’s key merchandising, pricing and promotional strate...Read Mo… Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/1110011711.html?nid=4393 I decline to tally how many columns I’ve written over the past 20+ years. But today, I’ve been treated to a new experience — a mention in someone else’s column. Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 PST http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/470000247/post/590011859.html?nid=4393 “Did You Know?” is a mind-bending Flash movie that examines the rapid changes taking place in the information age. It’s got thought-provoking stats (“The top 10 jobs in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004”) and is well worth a look. It was created by Karl Fisch, d… Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:05:50 PST