Home Textiles Today - September 3, 2001

Rising unemployment levels continue to unnerve consumers, sending consumer confidence down to its lowest level in four months and raising questions about the direction of consumer spending, a key driver of the nation's economy.The Conference Board's bellwether Consumer Confidence Index dropped for a second straight month, declining by 1.

• Business Today
• Gottschalks loses $2.8M despite 2Q sales gains
• Ames' 2Q off almost 20% vs. last year
• Discounters, home drive Redbook
• Drop in resales weigh down housing

• Fabrics Today
• Fabric buyers experience brownout at Decosit/TIP

• News
• 21 Century bolsters basic bedding
• Riverdale inks dec pillow licenses
• Glenoit bags Field & Stream license
• Martha by Mail delivers new label
• Kmart's Ryman feels global shift
• Naylor named sr. vp, cfo at Big Lots
• Retail briefs
• Price wars, second verse
• Crown Crafts cuts losses to $3.5M
• Il Fiore to add Lynn Chase dec pillows
• Florence Auerbach, dead at 72
• P'tex sales softening results in $25M loss
• Libeco-Lagae augments bed, table linen lineup
• For the record
• Tinnin joins forces with Mt. Vernon group
• Springs seeks approval on $1.2B privatization
• U.S. firms fight export slowdown

• Opinion Today
• How the other side lives
• What's in a name?

• People Today
• Elrene names new stylist
• Hunter Douglas shifts mgmt. team
• Burlington Rug creates new executive vp post
• Consoltex hires director
• Foamex taps exec vp, cfo