LAS VEGAS , Aug. 25, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Craig and Donna Staack celebrate the grand opening of their first Lane Home Furnishings Store in the Las Vegas area with a reception on Wednesday, August 25 and begin regular business operations on Thursday, August 26.
The stand-alone 18,000-square-foot store is located at 621 Mall Ring Circle, near the Galleria Mall in the suburb of Henderson.
The opening follows more than a year of preparation by the Staacks, who relocated to the Las Vegas area to be closer to family and to pursue their entrepreneurial interests after corporate careers in home furnishings sales, marketing, merchandising and management in the Chicago area.
The store in Henderson is the first Lane Home Furnishings store in Nevada.
The newest store is also among only a handful of stores opened recently in California and Canada as Lane Home Furnishings, the 92-year-old furniture maker, develops its own dedicated distribution channel through in-store showcases and freestanding retail stores across North America.
Some stores are owned and operated by independent retailers like Craig and Donna Staack. Some are owned and managed corporately. All of the stores exclusively feature Lane Home Furnishings' lines of upholstered, wood and leather furniture.
Lane is an industry leader, known for offering top-quality merchandise at affordable prices. The company is the world's leading maker of motion furniture and second largest manufacturer of recliners. And the company maintains a worldwide reputation for the quality of its casegoods and cedar chests started nearly a century ago.
"For our company to continue to thrive in a very competitive industry, we need to attract and collaborate with the best possible retail partners," said Randy Spak, chief executive officer of Lane Furniture Industries, Inc. "I can think of no better partner for us in the vibrant Las Vegas market than Craig and Donna Staack."
The Staacks welcome the challenges and opportunities of retailing following separate and successful corporate careers, primarily in the Chicago area. Craig has more than 20 years experience as a senior marketing and merchandising executive with Montgomery Ward and Heilig-Meyers and as an executive consultant to Homelife Corp. and Sealy, Inc. Donna has 20 years experience in sales, marketing, merchandising and store management with the Foxmoor, a division of Melville Corp., Montgomery Ward and Dan River, Inc.
"Bringing this first store to fruition gives me tremendous satisfaction," said Donna, 44. "We've learned a lot of new skills along the way. We've developed a lot of new relationships. When you have employees you have recruited and hired buy into your dream with such enthusiasm, it is very exciting."
The Lane Home Furnishings store in Henderson begins operations with an eight-person sales staff and two managers. Merchandise is grouped by collection, such as Eddie Bauer, National Geographic, Gramercy Park and Country Living, and displayed in lifestyle settings throughout the store.
"We're sold on this product. Lane has broad appeal among customers. We're confident it is going to be very popular in this market," said Craig, 51. "And for us, this is great. We're living where we want to live. We're taking on the risks of owning our own business and working hard for the expected rewards. Of course, we haven't had a day off in about two months."
A 21,000 square foot warehouse employs an operations manager, a customer service associate and six other employees, supports the business and facilitates great customer service.
After the reception Wednesday for a variety of invited business, community and civic leaders, the store will open for normal business operations on Thursday, August 26. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Lane Home Furnishings offers in-store financing, local delivery, in-store decorating consultants and access to the Lane design center. The store accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover as well as Lane credit cards. Through its comfort pricing guarantee, Lane Home Furnishings offers to credit customers who find a lower price within 30 days of purchase the difference plus 10 percent on a future purchase.
The Staacks already have sites and plans to open additional Lane Home Furnishings stores in the Las Vegas area. A second store is slated to open after Christmas near Summerlin. A third store is scheduled to open late in 2005 in the Centennial area.
Lane is a division of Furniture Brands International, which posted $2.3 billion in net sales in 2003. Lane's sales totaled $731 million last year. Additional company and product information is available on the Web at www.lanehomefurnishings.com.