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HUNTER DOUGLAS COMPLETES COMFORTEX ACQUISITION Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, announced February 1 it had received government clearance and had completed its acquisition of Comfortex Corp., Maplewood, NY, a manufacturer, fabricator and distributor of window coverings. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Comfortex has 500 employees in four facilities across the United States. The company will operate as a separate unit within Hunter Douglas, and Tom Marusak will continue as its president. (For more information, see Special Report.) "This acquisition benefits dealers and consumers by enhancing the range and quality of products and services offered by both companies," said Marvin B. Hopkins, Hunter Douglas president and CEO. "In addition, we expect that Comfortex will be able to achieve even more rapid growth, given the resources and support of Hunter Douglas." COMBINED SHOWS TO CONTINUE IN 2001 The newly positioned Pacific Home Fashion Fair drew more than 2,400 industry buyers and suppliers to the Rio Suite and Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, in January, according to show organizers. The Pacific Home Fashion Fair and Western Paint & Decorating Show were held jointly this year and timed to coincide with Surfaces, a national floor covering show. (See D&WC, January 1999.) This year's attendance represents a 50 percent increase compared to last year's show, say show organizers, and included decorators, designers, retailers, fabricators and other specifiers and buyers from 44 states and 17 countries. Organizers decided to combine the shows because "80 percent of paint retailers also sell window coverings and decorative accessories," according to a statement. Next year's show will be called Pacific Home Fashion Fair and Paint & Decorating Show. It will be held February 1 to 2, 2001, at the Riviera Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The Pacific Home Fashion Fair is produced by Messe Frankfurt, Inc. and Window Fashions magazine. The Paint & Decorating Show is produced by the Paint & Decorating Retailers Association. COMFORTEX INTRODUCES UNIVERSAL HARDWARE Comfortex Corp., Maplewood, NY, has developed and introduced a new hardware system designed to support a wide variety of cellular, pleated and Roman fabrics. The system, branded Universal Hardware System[TM], was developed by a team of Comfortex product developers, external suppliers and company customers. The new system features a new rail system, a high performance cord lock system, a flexible attachment system and an updated equalization system. The new cord lock system features a four-way design, which allows the shade to be locked by pulling inward or outward and may be placed on either the right or left. Comfortex planned to launch the Universal Hardware System in February and to begin shipping fabricated orders March 1.

TEXTOL ADDS RUFFLETTE AND SULLIVANS LINES Textol Systems, Inc., Carlstadt, NJ, has entered into agreements with Rufflette and Sullivans to distribute their products to the draperies and window coverings industry. Rufflette is a leading manufacturer of heading and shade tapes in England. Sullivans is a leading manufacturer of tiebacks, tassels and trims in Australia. Both new lines will be exhibited at Textol's booth at the International Window Coverings Expo in Baltimore, MD, in April. KASMIR ACQUIRES SIDNEY DAVIS Kasmir Fabrics, Dallas, TX, has acquired Sidney Davis Fabrics, San Francisco, CA. The Kasmir San Francisco branch will carry the Sidney Davis line of fabrics. Kasmir's fabrics will be stocked in San Francisco as well as in its current branches in St. Louis, MO; Miami, FL; and Dallas, TX. "The combined company will have the experience, customer support, outstanding inventory position and sales strengths to better serve all our customers," said Sam Kasmir, president. FSC APPOINTS CANADIAN DISTRIBUTOR FSC Wallcoverings, New York, NY, announces the appointment of Beauport Wallcoverings, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as distributor in Canada effective January 1, 2000. Beauport will be responsible for the sales and service of the Waverly, Village and Gramercy brands of wallpapers to independent paint and wallpaper dealers as well as home centers and chain and mass merchandisers throughout Canada. Beauport recently completed a major investment in a new state-of-the-art facility in Montreal. Pierre Cousineau, a well-known industry veteran, has assumed the role of president of the company. INTERNATIONAL VISITORS, EXHIBITORS BOOST HEIMTEXTIL This year's record attendance at Heimtextil, the Frankfurt, Germany, trade fair for home textiles, was boosted by a 6.5 percent increase in visitors from abroad. Show producer, Messe Frankfurt, reports 74,000 visitors to the fair, which ran from January 12 to 15. Of that total, 33,000 were from outside Germany, mainly from Great Britain, Italy and France, it adds. This year's nearly 3,000 exhibitors also showed an increase in foreign involvement with 76 percent of the total exhibitors from outside Germany. For 2002, the joint plans of the show's organizer and exhibitors call for opening the show an additional day, Sunday, to allow for private visitors. A poll will be conducted to determine if any of the show's product groups should be opened partially or fully to the general public. The next Heimtextil is scheduled for January 10 to 13, 2001.