Wholesale Furniture Brokers
Encyclopedia
Wholesale Furniture Brokers was one of the first companies to apply the ‘Click and Mortar’ strategy in the furniture
industry. When the website
was launched, Wholesale Furniture Brokers recruited independently owned furniture stores to become affiliates that would perform fulfillment and share in sales generated by the site. As delivery options have improved, Wholesale Furniture Brokers has decreased the involvement of local stores in favor of local delivery agents and direct to the customer shipping
.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers started in July 2000 as a warehouse mattress outlet in Austin
, TX under the name Zirnhelt Wholesale. It was named after its founder, Canadian businessman, Dave Zirnhelt. After a successful first year, he renamed the business to Wholesale Furniture Brokers to improve its marketability. Upon returning to Kamloops, BC, Canada in June 2002, Zirnhelt recruited Sergei Tashlikowich, a fellow graduate of the Bachelors of Business Administration program at the University College of the Cariboo, now known as Thompson Rivers University
. In August 2002, Zirnhelt and Tashlikowich founded a new Canadian company by the same name to operate the online version of Wholesale Furniture Brokers.
Today, Wholesale Furniture Brokers employs a total of 29 people. Their headquarters are located in Kamloops, BC, Canada. The office also has a showroom for customers to come in and actually see some of the furniture available on the websites. They also have a number of other offices, including one in Vancouver
, BC, Canada for sales and one in Cavite, Philippines
for content writing and marketing.
shopping for end consumers and wholesale ordering for retailers. When a consumer orders online their furniture is shipped direct to their home or to an affiliate broker
’s furniture store where the customer can pick up their order or have delivery arranged from there. Retailers and interior designers must complete an application process that requires documentation to be verified to determine if they qualify for the wholesale program.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers sells brand new products direct from the manufacturer.
, baby, bathroom
, bedroom
, dining room
, dorm, entryway
, game room
, home office
, children's, kitchen
, living room
, and patio furniture. They also offer furniture protection plans to help protect customer’s orders against accidents. Other products include bedding
, lighting
, mattresses, patio heaters, pool tables, pet crates, and spas
.
GoWFB.ca has affiliate broker furniture stores in Vancouver, BC; Kamloops, BC; and Vernon, BC.
GoWFB.com once partnered with furniture outlets in the US, but discontinued the program in November 2009. The move was made to simplify the fulfillment process and protect the brand's image.
(ITTO) to renew its resources. Zuo Modern has applied for an ISO 1400 certificate to show that they follow international standards by replacing trees used by their manufacturing facilities, not using endangered species
of tropical wood, eliminating Freon, not using formaldehyde
, and maximizing powder paint finishes on metal parts. Many of the other manufacturers have created their own standards including sustainable wood harvesting and using cleaner manufacturing methods to produce furniture including Abbyson Living, Boca Rattan, Furniture FX, Montana Woodworks, and Modloft.
, Kamloops Food Bank, Kamloops Fusion Rotaract, and Rotary International
.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers also supports international organizations including Kiva (organization)
.
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
industry. When the website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
was launched, Wholesale Furniture Brokers recruited independently owned furniture stores to become affiliates that would perform fulfillment and share in sales generated by the site. As delivery options have improved, Wholesale Furniture Brokers has decreased the involvement of local stores in favor of local delivery agents and direct to the customer shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers started in July 2000 as a warehouse mattress outlet in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, TX under the name Zirnhelt Wholesale. It was named after its founder, Canadian businessman, Dave Zirnhelt. After a successful first year, he renamed the business to Wholesale Furniture Brokers to improve its marketability. Upon returning to Kamloops, BC, Canada in June 2002, Zirnhelt recruited Sergei Tashlikowich, a fellow graduate of the Bachelors of Business Administration program at the University College of the Cariboo, now known as Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University
Thompson Rivers University is a comprehensive university located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It offers students a broad range of courses, career streams, and the ability to ladder credits from diploma programs into full degrees...
. In August 2002, Zirnhelt and Tashlikowich founded a new Canadian company by the same name to operate the online version of Wholesale Furniture Brokers.
Today, Wholesale Furniture Brokers employs a total of 29 people. Their headquarters are located in Kamloops, BC, Canada. The office also has a showroom for customers to come in and actually see some of the furniture available on the websites. They also have a number of other offices, including one in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, BC, Canada for sales and one in Cavite, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for content writing and marketing.
Business / Marketing Strategy
Wholesale Furniture Brokers offers two different services - retailRetail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
shopping for end consumers and wholesale ordering for retailers. When a consumer orders online their furniture is shipped direct to their home or to an affiliate broker
Broker
A broker is a party that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller, and gets a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal...
’s furniture store where the customer can pick up their order or have delivery arranged from there. Retailers and interior designers must complete an application process that requires documentation to be verified to determine if they qualify for the wholesale program.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers sells brand new products direct from the manufacturer.
Products
Wholesale Furniture Brokers offers accentAccent
-Speech and language:* Accent , pronunciation characteristic of a certain locality* Accent , of a word* Stress , tone levels and emphasis used in many languages for words or grammar* A diacritical mark is also known as an accent....
, baby, bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
, bedroom
Bedroom
A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
, dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
, dorm, entryway
Entryway
An entryway is a hall that is generally located at the front entrance of a house. An entryway often has a coat closet, and usually has linoleum or tile flooring rather than carpet, making it an easy-to-clean transition space between the outdoor and indoor areas...
, game room
Game Room
Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
, home office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, children's, kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, living room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
, and patio furniture. They also offer furniture protection plans to help protect customer’s orders against accidents. Other products include bedding
Bedding
Bedding refers to the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, to protect the mattress, and for decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environment. It is more easily and economically replaced than the bed itself...
, lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, mattresses, patio heaters, pool tables, pet crates, and spas
Spas
The article is about localities in Eastern Europe.Spas in the Slavic languages means saviour and past-tense of to save ....
.
Affiliate Broker Stores
The affiliate broker furniture stores have access to a wholesale ordering system that allows them to order furniture from the websites for customers or to stock their outlet at wholesale prices. These affiliate broker furniture stores are independently owned and operated.GoWFB.ca has affiliate broker furniture stores in Vancouver, BC; Kamloops, BC; and Vernon, BC.
GoWFB.com once partnered with furniture outlets in the US, but discontinued the program in November 2009. The move was made to simplify the fulfillment process and protect the brand's image.
Environmental Awareness
Wholesale Furniture Brokers highlights the environmental practices of its suppliers. Lifestyle Solutions manufactures furniture using Sustainable Forest Management Certified timber and follows regulations created by the International Tropical Timber OrganizationInternational Tropical Timber Organization
The International Tropical Timber Organization is an intergovernmental organization that promoted conservation of tropical forest resources and their sustainable management, use and trade.-Organization:...
(ITTO) to renew its resources. Zuo Modern has applied for an ISO 1400 certificate to show that they follow international standards by replacing trees used by their manufacturing facilities, not using endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of tropical wood, eliminating Freon, not using formaldehyde
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
, and maximizing powder paint finishes on metal parts. Many of the other manufacturers have created their own standards including sustainable wood harvesting and using cleaner manufacturing methods to produce furniture including Abbyson Living, Boca Rattan, Furniture FX, Montana Woodworks, and Modloft.
Community involvement
Wholesale Furniture Brokers supports local non-profit organizations including the Big Brothers & Sisters of Kamloops, Free The ChildrenFree The Children
Free The Children is an international charity and youth movement founded in 1995 by children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger. The organization is largely youth-funded, based on the concept of "children helping children." It specializes in sustainable development in countries of Kenya, Ecuador,...
, Kamloops Food Bank, Kamloops Fusion Rotaract, and Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
.
Wholesale Furniture Brokers also supports international organizations including Kiva (organization)
Kiva (organization)
Kiva Microfunds is an organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to microfinance institutions in developing countries around the world and in the United States, which in turn lend the money to small businesses and students...
.
Awards
Wholesale Furniture Brokers founders David Zirnhelt and Sergei Tashlikowich have recently been nominated for the Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009.Competitors
- CSN Stores
- Cymax StoresCymax StoresCymax Stores Inc. is a privately held Canadian online retailer headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia that primarily services the United States...
- IkeaIKEAIKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
- Leon'sLeon'sLeon's Furniture Limited Meubles Léon Limité in Québec is a Canadian furniture superstore which first opened its store in 1909 in Welland, Ontario. The controlling interest in the company is owned by the Leon family, while some shares are traded publicly on the Toronto Stock Exchange...
- Overstock.comOverstock.comOverstock.com , also known by its shortcut, O.co, is an online retailer headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Founded in 1997 by Robert Brazell, under the name D2: Discounts Direct, it was a pioneering online seller of surplus merchandise which, upon its failure in 1999,...
- Rooms To GoRooms To GoRooms To Go Incorporated is a chain of furniture stores based in the South Eastern United States and Puerto Rico. In September 2005, Cindy Crawford launched the "Cindy Crawford Home" furniture line exclusively with Rooms To Go....
- The BrickThe BrickThe Brick Ltd. opened its first store in Edmonton, Alberta in 1971, and has grown to become one of Canada's largest volume retailers of furniture, mattresses, appliances and home electronics. The company was founded as The Brick Warehouse LP in Edmonton, Alberta with the first warehouse opening on...
Resources
- GoWFB.com Homepage
- GoWFB.ca Homepage
- GoWFB.com News
- GoWFB.ca News
- Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Facebook.com Page
- Wholesale Furniture Brokers' Twitter.com Page