Home Accents Today's editorial and research teams collaborated to estimate industry retail sales and distribution segments for the exclusive 2006 Universe Study using data from a wide variety of sources including

• Home accent product data from EASI Demographics and sister publication Furniture/Today
• Home accent product and price data from Home Accents Today's Consumer Buying Trends Surveys
• Retail sales figures from Home Accent Today's 2006 and 2005 Top 50 Retailers
• Personal Consumption Expenditure data from the U.S. Department of Commerce
• Consumer Expenditure Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Retail trade figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's Census of Retail Trade
• Newspaper and other reports on various retail markets and retailers
• Import figures from the International Trade Commission
• Public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
• Conversations with retailers, vendors and industry analysts
• Industry reports on the decorative accessory, gift and collectibles market.

Figures for 2005 have been revised based on new and updated information. All figures are retail sales figures. Figures do not include second-hand or used merchandise.

The research team was led by Director of Market Research Kay Anderson and Senior Research Specialist Dana French; the editorial team was led by Editor-in-Chief Becky Smith.

Home accent/gift stores Home accents and gifts are the total business or single largest category. Most are local or regional companies.

Discount department stores/off-price retailers Discount and off-price retailers selling home accents, as well as general merchandise. Includes dollar stores and national, regional and local stores. Examples include Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Fred Meyer, HomeGoods, Kmart, Kohl's, Meijer, Ross Stores, ShopKo, Stein Mart, Target, T.J. Maxx/Marshalls, Tuesday Morning and Wal-Mart.

Lifestyle stores Retailers that carry accent furniture, portable lamps, area rugs, wall decor, other decorative accessories and soft goods at full price. They may or may not carry housewares, small appliances, gourmet foods, apparel, jewelry and personal care items. Examples include ABC Carpet & Home, Anthropologie, Bed Bath & Beyond, Cost Plus World Market, Crate & Barrel, IKEA, Kirkland's, Linens 'N Things, Pier 1 Imports, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, The Bombay Company and Z Gallerie.

Direct-to-consumer Retailers with primary distribution through catalogs, television, the Internet and/or home parties. Catalog companies include Ballard Designs, Home Decorators Collection and Red Envelope; TV shopping networks include HSN and QVC; Home parties include Longaberger, PartyLite and Home Interiors & Gifts; and Internet retailers include Art.com, eBay and 1-800-Flowers.com. Frequently these merchants sell through more than one direct-to-consumer channel. For example, both HSN and QVC also sell through their web sites; Lillian Vernon sells through its catalogs and its website. Second-hand or used products sold on eBay are not included in figures.

Traditional furniture stores Furniture is the total business or single largest product category. Includes local, regional and national traditional furniture stores. Examples include Ashley Furniture HomeStores, Ethan Allen, Havertys, Rooms To Go and Thomasville Home Furnishings Stores.

Home improvement centers/warehouse membership clubs Includes Home Depot, Lowe's and similar local or regional chains and warehouse membership clubs such as Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale. Also includes EXPO Design Center and Sears' The Great Indoors.

Department stores Full-line operations carrying a variety of merchandise, including national and regional stores. Examples include Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, Neiman-Marcus, Belk, Nordstrom and Sears.

Lamp & lighting stores Lamps and lighting are the total business or single largest category. Includes local, regional and national stores.

Interior designers Designers who sell home accents, usually through a single store or design center.

Craft/fabric stores Includes local and regional craft and fabric stores, as well as A.C. Moore & Craft, Garden Ridge, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Stores and Michaels Stores.

Other Varies by product category. Includes antique shops, variety stores, art shows, art galleries, mall kiosks, trade shows, custom workrooms, home-textile specialists, jewelry stores, florists, garden centers, floor covering stores, supermarkets and drug stores, among others.