September is Baby Safety Month, sponsored annually by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). This September, JPMA is helping educate parents and caregivers on the importance of creating a safe sleep environment from naptime to nighttime.

Each year hundreds of deaths occur when children are placed in a sleep environment that is not specifically designed for children. The safest place for a baby or child is in a fully functional, properly assembled, JPMA Certified crib, cradle, bassinet, portable play yard, or toddler bed.

All new cribs on the market today must meet minimum government requirements. In addition, there are consensus performance standards, which are established by ASTM International with involvement of the government and recognized experts, to which JPMA certifies cribs, cradles/bassinets, portable play yards, toddler beds, bed rails and other durable infant products- more than 2,000 products in 21 categories.

Recent recalls of juvenile products highlight the importance of proper assembly and use of cribs. Cribs are intended to last for years (or multiple births) when properly cared for. So, with some careful planning, naptime and nighttime can be a pleasant and safe experience for parents and baby.

There is an abundance of material available today for parents looking for babygear safety information. Parents are encouraged to read through the safety tips at www.babysafetymonth.org  and gain powerful insight into safe sleep practices. A special section just for retailers provides ideas and helpful hints for promoting Baby Safety Month in-store. We invite you to celebrate Baby Safety Month 2010 and Make Every Night a Safe Night.

In an effort to further educate parents on creating a safe sleep environment, JPMA has developed a comprehensive safe sleep campaign. Together, with related industry partners, JPMA is committed to educating parents and caregivers nationwide on the best safe sleep practices to make every night with baby a good, safe night. For more information on this initiative, visit www.cribsafety.org.

Baby Safety Month exists to increase consumer awareness of safety issues surrounding the safe use and selection of juvenile products. Baby Safety Month started in 1983 when JPMA initiated "Expectant Mother's Day."  In 1986, it was extended to a week long celebration, until 1991, when JPMA sponsored the first "Baby Safety Awareness Month."

About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association is a national trade organization that exists to advance the interests, growth and well-being of North American prenatal to preschool product manufacturers, importers and distributors marketing under their own brands to consumers. It does so through advocacy, public relations, information sharing, product performance certification and business development assistance conducted with appreciation for the needs of parents, children and retailers.

Learn more about JPMA at  www.jpma.org . Follow JPMA on Twitter @JPMA and connect with us on Facebook to learn about additional safety tips and JPMA initiatives.

SOURCE Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association

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High street store Debenhams has revealed that home owners, eager to lift the gloom of the recession, have created the most unlikely shopping boom of all time - highly ornate chandeliers.

Once the preserve of the rich and well-to-do, demand for the big, ever more elaborate, multi-bulb light fittings has been soaring ever since the first financial tremor hit the stock markets two years ago.  

Sales have increased with every successive bit of bad news, to reach an all time high this week, says Debenhams. Customer demand for this type of home lighting has led the store to significantly expand its offer and make the full range available to buy online at Debenhams.com.

Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson said: "While economists are searching desperately for light at the end of the tunnel, home owners are opting for more certainty by putting huge lights into the ceiling over their heads.

"Dark days may lie ahead for the economy, but in front rooms all over the nation, things have never looked brighter."  

Elaborate creations in gold and silver with dozens of reflective crystals and up to 12 bulbs are now common place in even the most modest terrace house, Debenhams revealed.

The most popular designs are miniature sized versions of some of the greatest chandeliers found in stately homes across the country, as not everyone may have the space to accommodate one of the larger models.

Many chandeliers are up to three feet wide, and almost as deep, with a series of elegantly curved arms, with the assembly secured to the ceiling by a gold heavy duty fixing chain.

Some designs break with tradition, opting instead for a Modernist approach, using highly polish chrome and simple straight lines to mimic the appearance of a chic boutique hotel lobby.

Other styles use stark black metal and rugged construction to create the impression of a medieval banqueting hall.

The cost of a chandelier can be anything from 34 pounds Sterling for basic model, to almost 300 pounds Sterling for the top of the range, which features more sophisticated designs.  

Said Debenhams Ed Watson: "Chandeliers are now so popular that you're just a likely to find one in a two-up-two-down in Bognor as you are in Buckingham Palace.

"The smaller sizes of the chandeliers mean the style is more Louis Walsh than Louis the XIV, but the longing for a little bit of opulence in these tough times is clear."

About Debenhams

Debenhams is a leading department stores group, and has a strong presence in key product categories including women's fashion - such as black dresses, evening dresses, women's shoes, bikinis, jeans, make-up, health and beauty, accessories, perfume, lingerie, wedding attire including bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses - men's clothing, home ware and children's wear with a number of Debenhams deals also on offer.

SOURCE Debenhams

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MAX & JILL is a new, modern American fashion & home department store that will open its first location in Whitehall, PA tomorrow morning.

The store concept is designed to fill a void that other retailers have ignored. A company spokesperson states, "In these unstable economic times, we offer consumers the most affordable prices for the latest fashion. Furthermore, honesty and fair trade is our policy and we will not use a high to low pricing strategy. We simply sell products at the lowest price possible and offer fun shopping incentives such as sprees, merchandise giveaways and special timely discounts."

The progressive shopping experience begins this Wednesday, September 1st at 9am at the MAX & JILL grand opening in Whitehall, PA. New store locations in Willow Grove, PA, Holmdel, NJ and Levittown, NY are set to open by October 2010.

At the grand opening, MAX & JILL shoppers will receive an additional 20% off of already reduced premium goods for the first 10 days and the first 200 shoppers will be given the opportunity to enter a chance to win a FREE iPad. In addition, until the end of October, the public can enter a chance to win a $1,000 MAX & JILL shopping spree by texting words "SPREE", "GRAND", "TWEET", "STORE" or "SHOP" to 55678.  

Connect with MAX & JILL fashion & home department store on the Web: www.maxandjill.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/maxandjill | Twitter: www.twitter.com/maxandjill

About MAX & JILL

MAX & JILL is a modern American fashion & home department store that offers premier selections of branded discount products, while also taking a fresh approach to the off-price store model with superior floor merchandising and a commitment to deliver unsurpassed products, pricing and service.

SOURCE MAX & JILL

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- Brand Offers a Unique Combination of Relaxed Elegance, Comfort and Affordability, Plus a Fresh new Take on Sofa Design and Individual Ordering

Sofasandstuff, the new sofa and furnishings brand that is taking the UK home furnishings market by storm, opened its first London showroom on 28 August (in one of its signature showrooms near the tube station at Parsons Green, West London). The opening forms part of the company's ambitious UK showroom opening programme offering tailor-made, designer sofas at significantly less than high street prices.

Sofasandstuff was set up by Andy Cussins, the founder and former owner of Sofa Workshop, to offer a fresh new approach to sofa design and home furnishings shopping.

Fast growing national brand offers tailor-made designer sofas at 30% lower than high street prices, with faster delivery times and no-quibble, money-back guarantee

The Parsons Green showroom, featuring the company's distinctive 'classic design with a twist' sofas, comes less than a year after the new brand was launched with a sophisticated website (http://www.sofasandstuff.com) and showroom openings in Fittleworth, West Sussex and Hungerford, West Berkshire.

Asked to explain why his new sofa brand has taken the market by storm throughout the UK, Andy Cussins, chief executive and design director of Sofasandstuff said:

'Sofasandstuff was set up in the belief that good design should be accessible to everyone and it should be fun. Everything about the Sofasandstuff brand reflects our core beliefs that comfort, pleasure, exceptional build quality and great value for money are what customers want. Our proposition is simple and straightforward:

    - We make beautiful sofas built to a very high quality
    - Our sofas are 30% cheaper than the high street.
    - We deliver them in half the time of the high street.
    - And we have a no-quibble money back guarantee if you don't like
      what you have bought.

'People tell us they really appreciate our friendly, relaxed, non-corporate approach to sofa buying. The showrooms allow our customers to see (and sit in) our exceptional sofas and to choose the exact styles and fabrics that will suit their homes, with expert advice and no high-pressure salesmanship. Our website is also very easy to use, offering a huge range of different style and fabric options.

'People can take their time, choosing exactly what they want, having it built to their own specification and delivered in record beating time. And all of this can be done with the added reassurance that if they aren't completely happy with their choice then they can return the sofa and receive their money back.

'The Parsons Green showroom provides customers with a much greater choice of individual, high quality, competitively priced sofas than they have ever had before. It will serve all of London, but especially customers in Parsons Green, Fulham, Chelsea, Kensington, Putney, Wandsworth, Pimlico, Clapham, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Sheen, Barnes, Battersea, Hammersmith, Kingston, Croydon and the West End.'

The new Sofasandstuff London Showroom is located close to the Parsons Green tube station and close to several bus routes. It has free parking and is outside the Congestion Zone. Sofasandstuff Ltd (http://www.sofasandstuff.com) is a company established by Andrew Cussins to provide high quality bespoke sofas and other furniture and home decor items at less than high street prices. Using a web commerce model, Sofasandstuff does not carry stocks of sofas or fabrics, instead relying on made-to-order service to offer customisation options and deliver lower prices and faster delivery times for customers. The company has showrooms at Parsons Green in London, at Fittleworth, West Sussex and in Hungerford, West Berkshire.

    Address: 7 Parsons Green Depot, Parsons Green Lane, London, SW6 4HH
    Tel: +44(0)2070788835, +44(0)2070788836
    The manager is Martyn Haydock

SOURCE Sofasandstuff

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Kimball® Office is proud to welcome Georgy Olivieri as the new Director of Architecture and Design Strategies. Within this position, Olivieri's responsibilities include assisting in marketing and sales strategies, overseeing key company design decisions, and regularly communicating with professional design clients.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100826/DE55588 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100826/DE55588 )

"Georgy's strong relationships with the architecture and design community, and unique knowledge of creating sustainable environments, provide Kimball Office with the tools necessary to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones as well," said Allen Parker, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Kimball Office. "Kimball Office's product portfolio is expanding to further meet the changing demands of workplace environments, and Georgy's experience will provide great insight into developing strategies that complement the needs of the design community."

After spending time coordinating the national A&D efforts for Haworth and Teknion, Olivieri is returning to Kimball Office, which is where she previously worked as an A&D rep for seven years. "Exciting transformations are taking place at Kimball Office and the A&D community is taking notice. I look forward to sharing the company's relevant, new solutions that will inspire designers and build strong awareness of the brand," said Olivieri.

Over the past several years, Kimball Office has undergone a transformation to effectively describe the company's efforts to be recognized as a progressive, innovative, and sustainable provider of contract office furnishings. The recent partnership with German-based Interstuhl® seating and introductions of Villa™ lounge, Hum. Minds at Work.® and Fluent® desking systems are evidence of the company's changing image.

Olivieri earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional. She has more than 13 years combined experience with the contract furniture and architecture and design industries, and is a member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

About Kimball Office

A recognized leader in fine workplace furnishings, Kimball® Office has been building its reputation on quality and integrity of design for 40 years. The company is a business unit of Kimball International, Inc., a corporation that provides a variety of products from its two business segments: Furniture and Electronic Manufacturing Services. Based in Jasper, Ind., the publicly traded company (Nasdaq: KBALB) had sales of $1.2 billion in 2009. To learn more, please visit www.kimballoffice.com.

SOURCE Kimball Office

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