Inc. Magazine has included Common Sense Office Furniture in its list of the 5000 fastest growing companies in the US.  The list is comprised of the country's fastest growing companies based on the percentage of revenue growth from calendar year 2006 to 2009.

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Despite well publicized economic issues in the United States during this period Common Sense Office Furniture capitalized on the customers' needs for better values and services.  Owner and President, Craig Caswell stated, "Our customer service team and the ever increasing need for better value has helped us grow during this challenging economy. Both existing and new customers needed to save time and money but not compromise on quality and appearance.  Our complete range of products, from beautiful pre-owned office furnishings to in stock quick ship programs, help fulfill our customers' needs.  People are tasked with getting more done with less and we're here to help them achieve that goal."

Since 1997 Common Sense Office Furniture has offered excellent customer service which has attracted new clients and retained existing ones. "We pride ourselves every day on responding quickly and accurately to our customers needs – people don't have surplus time to repeat tasks and we're here to service them in one single step," said Caswell.

Jill Kaufman of the Small Business Development Center states: "The SBDC at UCF's Advisory Board Council program is very proud to congratulate Craig Caswell of Common Sense Office Furniture on his induction into the Inc. 5000 list.  Mr.Caswell has been a committed client of the program since 2008 and has effectively utilized the expert assistance of his advisory board to position his company for expansion.  Common Sense Office Furniture's strong record of growth is a testament to Mr. Caswell's agile leadership and exemplary dedication to his business and the community."

Established in 1997, Common Sense Office Furniture is a privately held corporation based in Orlando, Florida, providing customers throughout Florida and the Southeast with the opportunity to purchase or lease new and used brand name office furnishings.  For more information visit, http://www.commonsenseof.com

SOURCE Common Sense Office Furniture

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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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Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Inc., has developed a new polypropylene technology: Thermylene® SWP – (Stress Whitening Prevention), a specialty compounded polypropylene resin that will not show signs of stress whitening over time when subjected to pressure, wear and tear.  Haworth®, in Holland, Michigan is using Thermylene SWP, in 10 different colors, to add value to their award winning Very® brand of highly sustainable seating.  "Thermylene® SWP is a big improvement for Haworth chairs – it provides better results for color matching and feels softer with even greater flexibility," said Tim Fookes, P.E., Manager, Seating Engineering at Haworth.  "It has the strong physical properties of a nylon in a polypropylene, combined with anti stress whitening, which will bring value to a number of  products and applications," added Scott Kushion, Director – Industrial Segment at Asahi Kasei Plastics North America.  

Thermylene® SWP builds upon the strengths of Asahi Kasei's polypropylene portfolio opening the door to applications traditionally specified with Nylon while providing the aesthetic and economical benefits of polypropylene.  Available in endless colors, Thermylene® SWP can be used in many seating and furniture applications.  It also meets specifications for use in Automotive, Electronics, Bath & Spa, Building and Construction and many other plastic applications that will benefit from stress whitening prevention.  Asahi Kasei Plastics offers a wide selection of innovative and cost effective resin material solutions for a broad range of applications.

www.asahikaseiplastics.com

SOURCE Asahi Kasei Plastics North America Inc.

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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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Design Within Reach, Inc.  (Pink Sheets: DWRI), a retailer of the world's largest collection of modern furniture, today announced that its board of directors and stockholders have approved a one-for-fifty reverse stock split of the Company's common stock.  The Company's common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis at the open of trading on Friday, August 27, 2010.  No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split; any fractional shares will automatically be rounded up to the nearest whole share.

Upon the effectiveness of the reverse stock split, every fifty shares of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock will automatically be combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock without any change in the par value of the shares.  Following the completion of the reverse stock split, there will be approximately 5 million shares of common stock outstanding on a fully diluted basis.

It is expected that a "D" will be appended to the Company's ticker symbol to indicate the completion of the reverse stock split and that after a 20 trading-day period following the reverse stock split, the ticker symbol will revert to "DWRI".

About Design Within Reach, Inc.

Design Within Reach, Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, is the source for the best in modern design. The Company markets and sells its furniture and accessories to both residential and contract customers through its retail Studios in the United States and Canada, http://www.dwr.com/ and its San Francisco-based phone sales team at 1.800.944.2233.

SOURCE Design Within Reach, Inc.

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