Furniture First Buying Group honored three of their supplier partners with Vendor of the Year Awards, presented May 13, 2014 during the group’s Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Awards were presented in three categories – Occasional, Stationary Upholstery & Leather, and Formal & Casual Dining. Winners were calculated through survey responses from Furniture First members. The survey encompassed a popular vote and member evaluations of the vendors’ performance in three “Areas of Excellence,” including Service, Quality, and Sales. Only vendors with active programs with Furniture First in 2013 qualified for the awards.
Bill Hartman, President of Furniture First, presented plaques and expressed appreciation to the winners. The “Occasional Vendor of the Year” award was won by Ashley Furniture; it was received by George Gesualdo, Vice President of Ashley.
The “Stationary Upholstery & Leather Vendor of the Year” award went to Flexsteel.
The “Formal & Casual Dining Vendor of the Year” award was presented to Liberty Furniture; Ron Childress, Vice President of Sales, accepted the award.
Both Ashley and Liberty Furniture participated in Furniture First’s Symposium as sponsors of the event which had a record turnout of over 340 people in attendance.
The Board of Directors authorized the creation of the awards at their 2013 long-range planning meeting. “We wanted to recognize the quality relationships between our members and suppliers and acknowledge that it’s our partnership that leads to our mutual success,” said Bill Hartman. “Events like the Symposium help encourage interaction to strengthen these partnerships.”
Furniture First was founded in 1994 and today the group is comprised of 211 independent retailers with 444 stores in 47 states. Collectively, Furniture First Members produce $1.7 billion in retail sales. Furniture First is a national “Home Furnishings and Mattress” only buying group serving the over $2 million full line independent retailer. For more information on Furniture First, please call Bill Hartman at 800-411-3477, ext. 123 or email BHartman@FurnitureFirst.com.