Nicoletti, Caliaitalia team up
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, March 30, 2009
High Point — Italian leather upholstery producers Nicoletti and Caliaitalia have formed a joint venture to sell their products in the U.S. market under the Italian Homes banner.
The new company will debut at next month's High Point Market by showing more than 40 frames from factories in China and Italy. It will show in the International Home Furnishings Center, space D-824.
The casual Calia line will feature sofas retailing from $599 to more than $2,000, while the more contemporary Nicoletti line will have sofas at price points of $999 to $3,999.
"This new venture will allow Italian Homes to be a one-stop resource for leather," said Eustachio Nicoletti, president of Nicoletti. "This is a big advantage for our customers."
He said the furniture will come from one factory in southern Italy and a second factory near Shanghai, China.
"This will allow us to produce and ship products from both factories according to currency fluctuations and the general economy," Nicoletti said. "Therefore, we can always keep the prices competitive."
He described Nicoletti and Calia as "two icons of sofa distribution" and said the companies have more than 50 years of experience building leather furniture.
Italian Homes has established a corporate office in High Point and hired Vincenzo Scocuzza as national sales manager.
The company also has leased warehouse space near Charlotte, N.C. — a move that will allow retailers to place LCL (less-than-container) orders.
"There are a lot of nervous (retail) customers out who won't buy from overseas because they don't want to buy full containers," said Nicoletti.
