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INDUSTRY
NEWS
ROYAL TO SELL RETAIL, CONTRACTOR BUSINESS TO SPRINGS
Royal Window Coverings, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and Springs Window Fashions, Middleton, WI, are working to facilitate a smooth transition for customers of Royal’s U.S. retail and contractor segments. In mid-October, Royal confirmed that it is exiting these market segments, which are to be sold to Springs.
Royal, according to a company statement, will continue to serve the North American fabricator segment. The company supplies fabricators and others with exclusive, as well as open, lines of extruded vertical, horizontal and valance window covering components.
Royal Window Coverings will cease operation of its Houston, TX, and Coral Springs, FL, manufacturing facilities. It will consolidate production for its fabricator and other customers into its Montreal facility.
In order to provide optimal service to its customers, Royal will continue to operate distribution centers in Florida and California, the company states.
WAVERLY, P. KAUFMANN PARTNER IN FABRIC BUSINESS
F. Schumacher & Co., New York, NY, has entered into a long-term licensing agreement with P. Kaufmann, who will develop and distribute fabrics under the Waverly® brand.
Gerald Puschel, president and CEO, comments, “We have positioned Waverly to focus on its core competencies of design and licensing. Partnering with P. Kaufman for fabric is a natural extension of the licensing business model we instituted with our Waverly home fashions and wall covering categories. The Waverly brand licensing business will now operate as marketing and design division.”
All operational, design and sales efforts for the Schumacher®, Greeff®, Decorator’s Walk® and Patterson, Flynn & Martin® brands will continue to be handled by F. Schumacher & Co.
Dan Bonini, president and general manager of Waverly adds, “We are thrilled to be aligned with P. Kaufmann, a fabric converter with an outstanding reputation for quality and service. We are confident that this partnership will enable the Waverly fabric business to expand.”
Waverly is a division of F. Schumacher & Co. and offers consumers fabrics, wallpaper, home fashions and decorative home products available in various retail channels. Waverly now licenses its designs and brand name to 17 manufacturers of high-quality home furnishings and related products.
NORMAN SUPPORTS MARCUS INSTITUTE
Norman Nien, chairman and CEO of NienMade Enterprises, the parent company of Norman Shutters®, Santa Fe Springs, CA, recently made a $250,000 donation to the Marcus Institute, a private, non-profit organization that diagnoses and assists children with developmental disorders.
Bernie Marcus, founder of The Home Depot, established the Marcus Institute. It is one of only two facilities of its kind in the United States that offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children with severe developmental disabilities such as autism.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with the Marcus Institute and its vital programs that help children with disabilities and learning problems,” Nien said. “We feel it is our responsibility to support organizations that provide critical services to those in need.”
ECLIPSE SHUTTERS LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE
Eclipse Shutters, Suwanee, GA, has launched its new Web site, www.eclipseshutters.com, which was designed to promote business by building awareness and product knowledge at all levels from the consumer to those within the window coverings industry, the company states.
The consumer-oriented site was designed to provide the features and benefits of the company’s products as well as a visual experience where consumers can imagine how their homes would look and feel with Eclipse Shutters on the windows.
The new site also offers many features for the retail dealers, designers and fabricators. Eclipse Shutters’ dealers can login to the site to access more detailed product information and selling tools.
Fabricators also have their own login area featuring resources to help maximize their Eclipse Shutter business.
The Eclipse Shutters Web site is planned to be a crucial part of the company’s long-term advertising plan, it states. The Internet is an outlet that consumers, dealers, designers and fabricators use daily.
Having one medium through which the company can reach all three of these target markets is extremely valuable. The site will not replace traditional marketing efforts, but will impact the planning and execution of other marketing programs including direct mail, collateral materials and some consumer-oriented marketing, it adds.
HUNTER DOUGLAS SPONSORS LIGHT RESEARCH STUDIO AT PRATT INSTITUTE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Hunter Douglas, Upper Saddle River, NJ recently sponsored a light research studio for fourth-year students at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Brooklyn, NY.
Students explored the light-modulating qualities of Hunter Douglas window fashions. Working as a team, they used a fabric from Duette® honeycomb shades to construct a full-scale environment that was displayed in Pratt’s new gallery space designed by renowned architect, Steven Holl, in Higgin’s Hall.
Thomas Hanrahan, dean, Pratt School of Architecture, said, “Hunter Douglas supplied the students with a great opportunity to experiment with materials and have an industry relationship. This is a company that exemplifies leadership and stands behind what it says it is going to do by engaging creative people.”
COMBINED PACKAGE, CANADIAN VERSION RELEASED FOR DREAMDRAPER
Evan Marsh Designs, Bethlehem, PA, announces a new quoting and reference package for QuickBooks users. Named Quick Quote Plus, the DreamDraper® Quick Quote Plus™ package combines the Quick Quote computer-based quoting system with The Designer’s Survival Guide to QuickBooks, a comprehensive and authoritative reference guide to QuickBooks written specifically for designers and workrooms.
While the two products will continue to be sold separately, the combination provides in one package the speed and ease of quoting window treatments with a broad range of information on the use of QuickBooks in the window treatment industry.
In another step to enhance its window treatment quoting system, Evan Marsh Designs also announces the availability of a version of its DreamDraper Quick Quote system specifically tailored for the Canadian market. The U.S. Quick Quote has been modified to recognize the different tax lines in Canada as well as differences in Canadian QuickBooks.
SHUTTERSMART ANNOUNCES SEVEN-DAY SHIPPING PROGRAM
ShutterSmart, a division of US Polymers Inc, Los Angeles, CA, announces that custom shutter orders are shipped in seven days. Dealers can use the seven-day shipping program as an advantage in local markets to get an edge on competitors.
Enhancements in automation, software and production flow have allowed ShutterSmart to make the commitment to this high standard, the company states.
ShutterSmart is an award-winning polyclad hardwood shutter built with a hardwood core and clad in a polyresin surface. The combination delivers a shutter that can do what a wood shutter can with the advantages of durability and low maintenance, the company states.
ENHANCEMENTS EXPAND APPLICATIONS FOR LUTRON’S ROLLER SYSTEMS
Sivoia QED (Quiet Electronic Drive) roller shades from Lutron Electronics, Coopersburg, PA, now can be as narrow as 18.5 inches wide, from bracket to bracket, offering shading options for any size window throughout the home while still operating in unison with other Sivoia QED shades, the company announces.
The new smaller width expands the range of the Sivoia QED roller shade family, which starts with a 1 5/8-inch diameter tube for roller 64 and expands to a three-plus inch diameter tube at 15 feet wide for roller 225.
“What was previously a custom order feature for Sivoia QED is now a standard option with no additional charges or lead times,” states Will Gonzalez, marketing manager. “Architects and interior designers can now apply roller 64 to side lights and small, slim windows around the house, seamlessly integrating the technology and décor of an entire home.“
The company also announces that its new Sivoia QED roller 200CW controls up to six shade panels from one electronic drive unit (EDU). For commercial projects with large windows and banks of windows, this means installing multiple individual drives is not necessary and, therefore, energy usage is reduced.
“We saw the opportunity to provide greater control in a more economical design for larger commercial window projects,” said David Weinstein, vice president of window systems. “By offering enhanced coupling capability within the Sivoia QED line, we’re able to provide increased control while preserving the features and benefits of Sivoia QED technology.”
A single Sivoia QED roller 200CW drive can operate a shade measuring up to 200 square feet, weighing up to 35 pounds. The system installs in a small 4.75- by five-inch pocket with minimal 1.5-inch, symmetrical light gaps on both the left and right sides of the shade.
NORMAN SHUTTERS FEATURED IN PROJECT PLAYHOUSE
Woodlore® Shutters from Norman Shutters®, Santa Fe Springs, CA, were recently featured in Project Playhouse hosted by HomeAid, the philanthropic arm of the Building Industry Association of Southern California. The event raises money to build and renovate temporary residences for Southern California’s homeless population by auctioning off the playhouses. They are built by leading homebuilders and other organizations and can fetch upwards of $15,000. Last year’s event raised more than $700,000.
This year Woodlore Shutters adorned a miniature Cape Cod style playhouse designed and built by the facilities team at the University of California, Irvine. The miniature mansion was complete with dormers, an inside loft, fireplace, plasma television and porch swing. “The 1 7/8-inch Colonial louvers were perfect with the small scale of this house,” said Ralph Murrietta, national training coordinator. “We used our two-inch Bel Air Z Frame, which complemented the Cape Cod architectural style that was consistent throughout the house,” he added.
A group of Norman Shutters employees volunteered to staff the houses during a day of public viewing.
SURFACES 2007 PLANS SET
Attendee registration opened in September for Surfaces 2007, which takes place February 7 to 9 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. The show is the floor coverings industry’s premiere event and it’s on pace to be one of the biggest events to date, according to Hanley Wood, LLC, the show’s producer.
Close to 40,000 attendees are expected at Surfaces 2007 to see more than 1,000 exhibiting companies, learn from industry experts at the conference program and attend live installation demonstrations at the installation showcase.
Retailers, distributors, architects, designers, builders and installers can expect to see a selection of the latest floor covering fashions, tools and technology. From carpet and ceramic tile to hardwood and specialty flooring, Surfaces 2007 has everything floor coverings professionals need for business success.
The 2007 Conference Program will offer 42 conference sessions in five targeted tracks—marketing, business, sales, design and installation—with timely topics taught by top instructors.
The Installation Showcase presentations—free to all attendees—will again provide retailers and installers key tips and techniques on quality installation.
For details on all events at the show and to register for Surfaces 2007, visit www.surfaces.com.
The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) is the official sponsor of Surfaces.
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