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Don Goncalves
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Leon's Furniture Ltd. and Furniture.com Announce Agreement
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Canada’s Most Successful Home Furnishings Retailer Turns to Industry’s Foremost Online
Presence for Web Sales, Advanced Technology –
WALTHAM, MASS. April 13, 2005
Furniture.com today announced that it has signed an agreement to provide Leon’s Furniture Limited
(Ticker: LNF.TSX) – One of Canada’s leading retailers of high quality brand name home furniture,
appliances and electronics – with exclusive Canadian rights to Furniture.com’s industry-leading web
address and online sales and customer service technology platform.
“We look forward to our mission: To help drive Leon’s sales, streamline Leon’s customer service,
and expand Leon’s operations,” stated Carl Prindle, President and CEO, Furniture.com (http://www.furniture.com).
“By utilizing our industry-leading address and technology platform, we will attract new online consumers and drive
incremental sales for Leon’s – as well enhancing their already highly-respected operations and array of customer services.”
“Our agreement will bring Canada’s consumers the ultimate on-line home furnishings shopping experience,”
said Terrence Leon, President and COO of Leon’s Furniture, “combining Leon’s rich tradition of offering high quality
merchandise and superior customer service with the unprecedented convenience and ease of online shopping and service
provided by Furniture.com.”
Leon’s Furniture, with over 650 Million Canadian dollars in sales from more
than 55 locations, and a consistent record of sales and profit growth, is a leading
adopter of technology systems. Through the Furniture.com partnership, Leon’s quickly
gains access to new customers through the Furniture.com address and website; added
in-store traffic from website shoppers seeking real-life touch tests in local showrooms;
incremental revenue generated through sales on Furniture.com’s website; web-based technology
and system improvements to enhance merchandising and customer service operations for both
in-store and online customers; and access to unique non-personally identifiable marketing data
generated by Furniture.com shoppers.
The agreement takes Furniture.com international, introduces the leading online home
furnishings e-tailer into two additional retail categories – Appliances and Electronics – and brings more
than 32 million Canadian consumers into Furniture.com’s reach for fast, local delivery.
Furniture.com is expected to introduce a high percentage of Leon’s inventory to Canadian
online shoppers at www.furniture.com, during the second half of 2005. In addition, Furniture.com
will work with Leon’s to launch a separate e-commerce website at the Canadian retailer’s current website address.
In the U.S., Furniture.com’s furniture retail partners include the Levitz, Seaman’s, and The RoomPlace chains.
Currently, consumers view some 4 million items per day and add $15 million in merchandise to their online shopping
carts each week at Furniture.com, Prindle said.
About Furniture.com
Furniture.com (http://www.furniture.com) offers consumers the best of Internet shopping by merging the convenience,
accessibility and ease of online shopping with the proven infrastructure of North America’s largest retail furniture
chains. At Furniture.com, consumers quickly browse, compare and buy brand-name furniture and accessories, find
decorating advice and product information, and utilize interactive design tools. To complete the experience, Levitz,
Seaman’s, and The RoomPlace in the U.S., and Leon’s Furniture in Canada, provide customer service and fast, in-home
delivery. Furniture.com, a privately-held company, backed by a private equity firm with over $1.0 billion in committed
capital, is a member of BBBOnline, TRUSTe, and VeriSign.
About Leon’s Furniture Limited
Since 1909, Leon’s Furniture Limited, a public company (trading on the TSX), has provided Canadian households with
high quality home furnishings, brand name appliances and electronics while at the same time offering industry leading
customer service and value. For the recently completed year ending December 31, 2004, sales including sales by
franchises totaled just under $670,000,000.00. Net income for the year increased 25% to $2.49 per common share.
Both sales and income were new highs for the Company.
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