Home Textiles Today - February 25, 2002

In one more compelling sign that a battered manufacturing sector may finally be on the road to recovery, manufacturing activity, while still weak, picked up in January, gaining almost 2 percent over December, according to a monthly canvass of purchasing managers.The February advance — to a reading of 49.

• Business Today
• Wal-Mart 4Q sales outpace income
• JCP posts healthy 4Q but analysts still worry
• Quaker bucks tide, posts big 4Q
• Guilford to seek Ch. 11
• Redbook continues strong Feb. run

• News
• Retail briefs
• MSE, Kmart bow Complete Bed
• Martha to tighten Mail mix, expand specialty
• Dillard's founder dead at 88
• Ralph marks 35 years with new bedding
• Quaker to expand non-core business
• Honeywell names new president, ceo
• American Down Assoc. joins HFPA
• Wal-Mart sees share gain, not end of recession
• Accounting restatement dogs Dollar General
• Eatons exits Canadian landscape
• Guilford Mills spiraling down
• Home gets big play in new Penney catalog
• Dec pillow suppliers feeling squeezed
• Top retailers to receive awards at HFPA event
• Bloomies' Gribetz to be honored by FIT
• Fingerhut gets a bid

• Opinion Today
• Turn, turn, turn
• The grand conundrum

• People Today
• Federated Direct loses top exec to Limited
• Stone Brook adds sales reps
• Haywin modifies team to target new tiers
• Connell promoted at cmi
• Levolor-Kirsch to close plant
• Ashford Court's rock star