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Mission Statement |
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Our objective
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Is to be a profitable growing company. We will achieve this by being the best furniture retailer in our neighborhoods through superior customer-centricity in all that we do.
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Our Customer Centricity Creed |
Invest in each customer contact like it is a path to a long term relationship
Win with products and services that demonstrate we understand our customer
Interact in a way that demonstrates we believe the customer is right and we value their time
Listen, anticipate and respond to customer needs
Lead every customer experience to be easy and enjoyable
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Recent News |
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Check here for recent news regarding Levitz Furniture. |
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Congratulations to Levitz Contest Winners! |
A big congratulations to the winners of some of our recent contests.
February $1000 Sweepstakes Winner
Judith V. of Jersey City, NJ
January $5000 Home Makeover Winner
Jonathan B. of Lipo Beach, NY
January $1000 Sweepstakes Winner
Jacob M. of Manteca, CA
January LCD TV Giveaway
Christine C. of Tracey, CA
December $1000 Sweepstakes Winner
Crystal B. of Phoenix, AZ |
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Levitz Partners With Home Team TV Show |
SEATTLE, WA, February 28, 2007 – Furniture retailer Levitz (www.levitz.com) has signed on as a major sponsor of "HomeTeam" (www.hometeam.com), the nationally syndicated weekly TV show dedicated to making the dream of owning a first home a reality for millions of Americans. Levitz Furniture joins food marketer Lay's (a division of Frito-Lay) as a major sponsor of "HomeTeam" as the series with host Troy McClain (of "The Apprentice" fame) enters its third season.
Levitz will give $10,000 worth of new furniture to families who receive their first home from the "HomeTeam" TV program in metropolitan areas where Levitz has retail outlets. In return, Levitz receives a "promotional consideration" credit as well as on-screen coverage of the furniture delivery during the weekly "HomeTeam" broadcast.
Levitz joins a growing list of marketers who see value in "HomeTeam." Thanks to the Lay's sponsorship, the lucky "HomeTeam" family will also receive a $2,000 cash gift from the food marketer—the check hidden in a gift basket of Lay's products in a segment called "The Lay's Moment of Joy."
"We are taking an unorthodox approach in our sponsorships," said "HomeTeam" executive in charge of production Stephanie J. Durham. "As far as is possible, we want to be consistent with the mission of 'HomeTeam,'" Durham said. "Our mission is to help make a difference in people's lives. The Levitz sponsorship, along with our other major sponsorships, will go a long way to making people's dreams reality".
"HomeTeam" lends a hand to aspiring first-time homeowners to realize their dream. Typically, the program selects a family from nominees through its Web site, www.hometeam.com, in a given geographic area, then buys an undervalued property, and enlists the friends and family of the lucky recipients in remodeling the house before the surprise unveiling to the lucky family, who are given no advance inkling of their good fortune.
They receive down payment and closing costs up to 15% of the cost of acquiring the home, up to $20,000 of improvements and furnishings, and up to $18,000 toward the first year's mortgage payments. In addition, they are offered coaching in budgeting and credit. "HomeTeam" is produced by LENZ-works Productions of Salt Lake City.
Levitz Furniture is a leading specialty retailer of furniture, bedding and home furnishings in the United States with 80 locations in major metropolitan areas, principally in the Northeast and on the West Coast of the United States as well as its presence on e-commerce sites, www.levitz.com and www.furniture.com.
Levitz has already worked with "HomeTeam" in the past few months by donating the new furniture for "HomeTeam" recipient families in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Mount Vernon, New York. |
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"We are doing more than fixing up a house. We're helping to re-build a family and these improvements are going to last a lifetime," says Larry Zigerelli, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Levitz. "This is a life-altering event in the most positive sense and we are proud to be part of it."
About HomeTeam.com, Inc.The HomeTeam one-hour "Cause" television program has reached 94% U.S. coverage weekly on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, Superstation WGN cable and independent stations around the country. For each show, unsuspecting individuals or families receive a down payment, the first year's mortgage payments, closing costs, costs of house renovation and furnishings for their first home. Friends and family are enlisted over a four-day period to add the final touches that will make the house a home. Recipients are chosen each week from nominations submitted to www.hometeam.com. Host, Troy McClain tells the story of each family's dreams despite challenging life struggles, through home videos, photographs and interviews from family and friends. Then finally, at the end of each episode, the American Dream is revealed - their very own home. "HomeTeam" is making the American Dream a reality, one home at a time. |
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Levitz Furniture Names Larry Zigerelli Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Tom Baumlin to Return to Prentice Capital, Remain on Board of Directors
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NEW YORK, NY — January 18, 2007 — Levitz Furniture, a leading specialty retailer of furniture, bedding and home furnishings, today announced the appointment of Larry Zigerelli as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Zigerelli joins Levitz with more than 25 years of product and retailing leadership with expertise in general management, marketing and merchandising.
The company's current CEO, Tom Baumlin, will remain with the company for a period of transition before returning to Prentice Capital where he worked as an advisor prior to Prentice's acquisition of Levitz. Baumlin will continue to serve as a Board member of Levitz.
"We're thrilled to attract such a significant talent to the new Levitz Furniture," said Jonathan Duskin, Managing Director of Prentice Capital Management, primary equity owner of Levitz. "Larry has deep roots in retail and a skill set ingrained in general management, brand building, marketing and connecting with the customer. We view his appointment as a logical next step in the evolution of the Company.”
Zigerelli joins Levitz after serving as President of Meijer, Inc. Meijer, a privately held company, is one of the leading grocery and general merchandise retailers with 185 stores in the Midwest and an estimated $10+ billion in revenue. He joined Meijer in 2002 as Senior Vice President, Marketing & Merchandising. Previously, Zigerelli was Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Marketing for CVS, America's largest retail pharmacy.
During his 18-year tenure at Procter & Gamble, Zigerelli had various general management and brand management responsibilities. In 1994, he was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Puerto Rico/Caribbean Food and Beverage and Latin America Marketing & Public Relations. Zigerelli currently serves on the Board of Directors of True Value Company, one of the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperatives with approximately 6,000 independent retail locations worldwide. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University and resides in New York City.
“I am excited about Levitz and the furniture industry. We have all the elements in place upon which to build Levitz’ future: a great team of dedicated Associates, a great brand and support from Prentice,” said Zigerelli. “Tom Baumlin has built a tremendous foundation from which we can go forward and all of us at Levitz are thankful for his contributions.” |
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"Tom Baumlin has successfully navigated Levitz from the depths of bankruptcy to stability, and placed it on a trajectory for growth," said Duskin. "He has repaired relationships with our vendors, landlords and customers, has built a world class executive team, and has managed a seamless relocation of our headquarters to downtown Manhattan. We want to express our gratitude to Tom and we are excited that he will continue on the Levitz Board and as a member of the Prentice team."
In conjunction with the above, Elliott Wahle, Chairman of the Board, will be stepping down from his current role. He will continue his association with Prentice as their representative on the Board of Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. |
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Levitz Furniture Opens New Headquarters in Downtown Manhattan's Historic Woolworth Building
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NEW YORK, NY — December 18, 2006 —Levitz Furniture, a leading specialty retailer of furniture, bedding and home furnishings, officially opened its new corporate headquarters today in the historic Woolworth Building in downtown Manhattan. The move comes one year after new ownership took over management of the company, implementing an aggressive plan to revitalize one of America's great retail brands.
The Company, which formerly had its corporate office in Woodbury, NY, now occupies the entire 23rd floor (approximately 30,000 square feet) of the Woolworth Building, located at 233 Broadway between Barclay Street and Park Place in downtown Manhattan. The Company maintains a small corporate presence in Woodbury.
"It is somewhat symbolic that we are moving into our new headquarters one year to the date that we began work to energize our company and breathe new life into the Levitz Furniture brand," said Tom Baumlin, CEO of Levitz Furniture. "We've made tremendous progress this year, opening new stores and renovating others to improve the Levitz shopping experience, establishing one of the most experienced and talented management teams in our industry, and attracting exceptional new people in all areas of our business. I thank all of our Associates, whose collective efforts contributed to a wonderful year of accomplishments.
"It is also not lost on us that as we begin work in our new corporate home — one of America's most beautiful landmark buildings — we are in many ways moving back to some of the roots of retailing, as the Woolworth company was a pioneer and it continues to influence the best global retailing brands. We are also proud to be part of the ongoing revitalization efforts in downtown Manhattan and know we will prosper along with our new neighbors for many years to come."
Built in 1913, the Woolworth Building is one of the 20 tallest buildings in New York City, and was the world's tallest building until 1930 when it was surpassed by 40 Wall Street. The building, which totals 54 stories and more than 855,000 square feet, was commissioned by Woolworth's founder Frank Woolworth as the retailer's new corporate headquarters. |
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Levitz Furniture Completes New $89 Million Credit Facility |
Leading Furniture Retailer Strengthens Liquidity Position, Opens New Stores
Woodbury, NY, April 4, 2006 — Levitz Furniture today announced that it has entered into an $89 million, three-year revolving credit facility, which will be used by the Company's new management team to reinvigorate one of America's leading specialty retailers of furniture, bedding and home furnishings.
The $89 million credit facility was arranged by Banc of America Securities, LLC and Back Bay Capital Funding LLC. It replaces the Company's $55 million credit facility announced in December 2005.
"This is an important milestone as we begin to aggressively implement our revitalization plans for this respected brand," said Thomas Baumlin, Chief Executive Officer, Levitz Furniture. "We have further expanded our liquidity position, roughly doubling the Company's potential borrowing ability to ensure we have ample funds to continue to execute our vision to make Levitz Furniture the premier specialty furniture retailer in the markets in which it competes. We are very pleased to be working with Banc of America and Back Bay Capital, two highly respected institutions."
Consistent with its revitalization plans, the Company also announced plans to open several new stores: Staten Island, NY, Paramus, NJ and Bronx, NY in the April-May period, Summerlin, NV in early summer, Murrieta, CA in the early fall and Valley Stream, NY in the late fall. April Grand Opening celebrations are planned for the Staten Island, NY, Paramus, NJ, Farmingdale, NY, Hawthorne, CA and S. Sacramento, CA store locations. In addition, the Company announced it was proceeding with its store renovation plans slated for the late spring, including projects in Elmhurst, NY, Paramus, NJ, Anaheim, CA and Victorville, CA. "This is the most recent of many important markers we have hit since we bought the assets of Levitz from bankruptcy. We are pleased to note we have surpassed every major objective we have set since we have owned the company," said Jonathan Duskin, Managing Director of Prentice Capital Management, LP, the new owner of Levitz Furniture.
"Our new management team has made tremendous strides in only a few months, restoring trade confidence and rebuilding the Levitz consumer franchise. We would like to thank our many associates, vendors and customers for their support, and we are confident all our partners will prosper as we deliver on our promise to reinvigorate this great retailer." |
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About Levitz Furniture |
Levitz Furniture is a leading specialty retailer of furniture, bedding and home furnishings in the United States with 78 locations in major metropolitan areas, principally in the Northeast and on the West Coast of the United States as well as its presence on e-commerce site, www.furniture.com. Additional information about the Company and its brands is available at www.levitz.com.
Forward-Looking Statements: These press releases contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the Company's current expectations with respect to future market conditions, future operating results, the future performance of its operations, and other plans. Words such as "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "shall," and similar expressions typically identify such forward-looking statements. Even though Levitz Furniture believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, operational difficulties, varying market conditions, government regulations, and other factors. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date when made and Levitz Furniture expressly disclaims any current intention to update these forward-looking statements. |
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