Tabletop
French Brand Gien to Develop Growth in the U.S.
Gien Rocaille Pastel Collection Cup & Saucer in powdered pink
French ceramic brand Faiencerie de Gien has announced its intention to significantly develop its international sales in the next few years. While the brand already has an international presence, with some 40 percent of its revenue generated via exports, the company – under the leadership of CEO Pascal D’halluin – would like to increase its sales in North America, in particular.
“As we are expanding Gien internationally, we have identified the United States as a market crucial to the company’s overall growth,” states D’halluin. “There is an appreciation and demand for affordable French elegance in the tabletop space, and Gien fits perfectly in that space.”
To achieve the desired growth, Gien recruited a national sales manager in January 2015 to coordinate the sales team in the U.S. and to run and develop the brand’s distribution network. To provide the best possible services to its clientele, the company also set up a Customer Service Department and selected a new logistics partner based in the outskirts of Atlanta.
Gien Grands Crustacés Collection Oval Platter
Adding to its retail presence in over 300 stores nationwide, Gien recently opened new accounts at French Quarter in Portland, Oregon, Salutations Home in Passadena, California and Ampersand in Edina, Minnesota. This month, a new stop-in-shop opened at its New York showroom, Richard Cohen Collection. Other international expansions include doors in Japan, China and the Middle East.
Faiencerie de Gien is now offering more products for the U.S. and is developing tableware, gifts and interior decoration. New patterns and designs have been created specifically to meet the American consumer expectations. To support this new initiative and to promote the brand and its expertise, Gien has also recruited a press agency based in New York.
For more information, visit www.gien.com.
Portmeirion Introduces Ted Baker Rosie Lee
Award-winning tableware manufacturer, Portmeirion® Group, and leading fashion house, Ted Baker, have together created Rosie Lee, a beautiful fine bone china dinnerware collection. This collaboration between two iconic British brands puts the fine into dining using Ted Baker’s signature prints.
Inspired by the Ted Baker Spring/Summer 2015 apparel collection – a selection that bursts into life with flashes of bold prints, strong textured fabrics and vivid colors – Ted Baker Portmeirion Rosie Lee is a nod to vintage floral patterns, colors and shapes.
“From the beginning Portmeirion has pushed the boundaries of the tabletop category,” explains Wendy Motlaq, Corporate Vice President of Portmeirion Group USA. “When Susan Williams-Ellis launched her ground breaking Botanic Garden design in the 1970s it featured mismatched dinnerware before any other manufacturer. Ted Baker has done the same and shaken up the fashion world. The creation of Rosie Lee is a natural combination for Portmeirion and Ted Baker.”
The formal Rosie Lee floral pattern features large roses in muted pastel tones of pink, mint, lemon and lilac, on a mixture of white, black or pastel backgrounds. Dragonflies dance around the whimsical design. Rosie Lee is Cockney Rhyming slang for tea and the collection is indeed perfect for creating an afternoon tea or a formal dinner party. The 41-piece bone china collection is hand gilded with 22-carat gold and presented in stunning gift packaging.
The Ted Baker Portmeirion Rosie Lee collection suggested retail price ranges from $14.99 to $149.99. A 22-piece porcelain giftware and dinnerware range, Ted Baker Casual, is also available. For more information, visit www.portmeirion.com.
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La Rochère Launches Website Dedicated to the American Market
La Rochère glassworks is continuing its development in the United States. After opening its subsidiary in Bronxville, New York in June 2014, this year it is launching a brand new website dedicated to the American market: www.larochere‐na.com.
By creating an account on this site, American retailers can order from La Rochère collections directly online. The website will be a showcase for private customers to discover the brand’s collections and they can also find their nearest store selling La Rochère products.
One of the stars among the La Rochère collections is also a best‐seller in America, the Abeille or Bee Collection made from pressed glass which reuses the symbol Napoleon I used on leather goods. The bee pattern was not originally included in the coats of arms of the New Empire. It appeared over the years on Napoleon’s own initiative and could be found on royal court trains, leather goods, furnishing fabrics, rugs and flags. A travel bag in blue leather decorated with the bee pattern that belonged to the Emperor served as a source of inspiration for this collection. Pieces from the Bee Collection, including glass drinkware and dinnerware, can be viewed on the new La Rochère website for North America.
La Rochère glassworks were founded in 1475 and have been managed by the family since 1858. Today, the company’s business is shared between the construction market (manufacturing bricks, tiles and glass paving) and tableware. It designs products for the general public as well as professionals in the catering and hotel industries. La Rochère draws its creative inspiration from its archives and also works with contemporary designers. It builds on the expertise of its master glass‐makers and on the mechanical manufacturing techniques it developed in the 1970s. For its tableware business, the firm generates around 60% of its revenue overseas.
Las Vegas Market Strengthens Gourmet Category With C11 Launch
Knack3 Seahorse Chip and Dip Server, Knack3 will participate in the C11 launch
Las Vegas Market announced that early leasing activity for the summer 2015 launch of its new C11 permanent showroom floor is robust, with a number of leading vendors and sales agencies confirming their intent to participate in the premiere of this new floor for gourmet housewares, tabletop and specialty food, August 2-6, 2015.
The launch is anchored by two leading multi-line sales agencies – Muir Sales and The Kitchen Source – that bring a number of leading gourmet housewares lines to the new floor. Muir Sales, representing Andreas, Vitamix, and several others to be announced soon, has confirmed its new 2,126-square-foot location; and The Kitchen Source, representing Enclume Pot Racks & Storage, Hammer Stahl Cookware and Cutlery, Innova Click Clack Storage Systems and Strahl Polycarb Drinkware, JK Adams, Le Souk Ceramique, RSVP International and Tovolo, has confirmed its new 1,520-square-foot location.
The following tabletop and gift-driven housewares vendors also have confirmed their participation in the launch: CKK Home Décor/Top Shelf Glass, suppliers of specialty glassware and barware, in 1,231-square-feet; Gorky Pottery, an importer of fine majolica and ceramic dinnerware and serveware, in 215-square-feet; Grainware, provider of barware, glassware and serveware, in 455-square-feet; Knack 3, a supplier of melamine, acrylic and ceramic tableware, in 1,579-square-feet; Menus & Music, cookbook, CD and gift set provider, in 143-square-feet; Peter Pauper Press, a supplier of fine books and gifts, in 906-square-feet; Picnic Time, supplier of garden, gourmet housewares and gifts, in 387-square-feet.
Picnic Time Pizza Prep Station, Picnic Time will also participate in the C11 launch
“We are delighted by the high level of enthusiasm and excitement the gourmet housewares industry is demonstrating for the debut of C11,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift & Home Décor, International Market Centers. “This new presentation of both major and boutique housewares brands will address a market void in the western region, while also offering dynamic new cross-category buying and selling opportunities for Las Vegas market participants. It is an important component of the reposition of Las Vegas Market as the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States.”
Gourmet product categories on C11 include a gift-oriented assortment of housewares and tabletop items, including bakeware, casual tabletop cookware, gadgets, glassware and bar accessories, home and health items, hydration products, kitchen textiles, kitchen tools and gadgets, melamine tableware, publishing/cookbooks, serveware, small electrics and woodenware.
Specialty foods also will be well represented, and several specialty food purveyors already have confirmed their participation, in boutique showroom spaces, on C11. Among these are Chukar Cherries, gourmet food and chocolate; Davis & Davis Gourmet Foods, specialty foods, dip mixes and cocktail mixes; New Canaan Farms, jams, jellies, salsas and dip mixes; and Spokandy, specialty food, chocolate and candy.
L’Objet Mullbrae Cake Stand and Server, L’Objet is a an existing brand at Las Vegas Market
Charter C11 tenants will join an already established and thriving roster of high-end and gift-driven housewares suppliers housewares and tabletop brands showing at Las Vegas Market, whether in individual manufacturer showrooms or through multi-line sales agencies. These major brands include: Alessi, Arte Italica, Be Home, Beatriz Ball, Belle Banquet, Bob’s Your Uncle, Bodrum Linens, Boston Warehouse, Caffco International, Calaisio, Caspari, Certified International, Charles Viancin, Chilewich, Columbia Empire Farms, Cork Pops, Corkcicle, Elias, Enrico Products, Fishs Eddy, French Bee, GoVino, Haviland Parlon, Herend, Heritage Lace, Hester & Cook, Home Essentials, Iveta Gourmet, Jars, Jessie Steele, Julia Knight, Jura/Capresso, Inc., Kiss that Frog, Kitchen Papers, L’Objet, Leeber, Lenox, Lunares, Mary Lake-Thompson, Mary Jurek Designs, MATCH, Michael Aram, Michael Wainwright, Moser, Mottahedeh, Orrefors/Kosta Boda, Pacific NW Gourmet, Prissy Plates Gift & More, Q Squared NYC, Red Pomegranate, Rolf Glass, Royal Doulton, Sabre, S.A.L.T. Sisters, Sam Felipe Co., Savora, Seletti, Simon Pearce, Skyros Designs, S’well, TAG, Tamara Childs, Teroforma, Totally Bamboo, Umbra, Vagabond House, Vance Kitira, Vero France, Vietri, Vista Alegre, Waterford Wedgwood, Waylande Gregory and Wendell August.
The launch of C11 marks the third and final phase of Las Vegas Market’s strategic growth plan to position itself as the leading buying platform for furniture, home décor and gifts in the western United States. In addition to the C11 opening, highlights of the upcoming Summer Market include a celebration of the Market’s 10 year anniversary; the continuing growth of C5, another new permanent showroom floor for boutique home décor, high-end home textiles and accessories; the premiere of the casual furniture launch at Las Vegas Market, with 250,000 square feet of permanent showrooms and temporary exhibit space on C12 and C13; and the repositioning and reimagining of the Market’s temporary exhibits as The Pavilions at Las Vegas Market, a dramatic, freestanding, climate controlled temporary tradeshow space showcasing some 90,000 net square feet of innovative and emerging home décor resources.
The Summer 2015 Las Vegas Market runs August 2 to August 6, 2015, at World Market Center Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.
Vista Alegre Wins Multiple International Design Accolades
Orquestra Large Oval Platter
Vista Alegre, a worldwide leader in fine porcelain and crystal tableware and giftware, recently received three distinguished design honors: the 2015 Wallpaper* Design Award for the Orquestra tableware collection and two Red Dot Awards for Plissé and Orquestra.
These esteemed awards are among the most highly-regarded honors within the global design community, reinforcing Vista Alegre’s commitment to developing distinctive, high-quality and aesthetically pleasing products.
“We are honored to have received such renowned awards from Wallpaper* magazine and Red Dot for the Orquestra and Plissé collections, and will continue to provide consumers with innovative tabletop products of the highest standards for the home,” said Daniel Da Silva, President of Vista Alegre USA.
Orquestra Bread & Butter Plate
Orquestra, designed by David Raffoul and Nicolas Moussallem, made its debut at the New York Tabletop Show in April 2014, and features a combination of different geometric patterns that symbolize the complexities of musical harmony and rhythm. The collection was selected as a Wallpaper* Design Awards winner for the “Best Coffee and Cake” category.
Now in its 11th year, the Wallpaper* Design Awards are given to an array of extraordinary people, places, pieces and phenomena that have produced groundbreaking work over the previous year. A total of 44 nominees are selected from a panel of renowned artists, designers and entrepreneurs, as well as the Wallpaper* staff and its international network of contributors.
Plissé Large Box
Additionally, Vista Alegre received two awards from Red Dot, another prestigious international association that recognizes the most outstanding and innovatively designed products. The company’s Plissé and Orquestra collections were chosen among numerous other products entered by manufacturers, designers and architects from around the world.
Plissé is the culmination of Vista Alegre’s expertise in producing exquisite porcelain pieces. This unique, decorative collection includes three textured ornamental boxes that feature various intricate, geometric patterns and offer a sense of luxury and elegance to consumers with discriminating tastes.
For more information, visit www.myvistaalegre.com.
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