P/Kaufmann merges 3 divisions
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, August 10, 2003
New York — P/Kaufmann Inc. has merged three of its four decorative fabric divisions — Bloomcraft, Western and Braemore — and will operate them under the Braemore name.
P/Kaufmann will continue as a separate decorative fabric supplier, said Ron Kaufmann, president of P/Kaufmann Inc.
Bloomcraft and Western are healthy, he said, but "we saw that we didn't need four converting businesses to serve our market. We've consolidated and simplified the business. Before, we had one large brand and three relatively small brands. Now we will have two that will be strong."
Bob Appelbaum will be president of Braemore. Neil Paladino has been named executive vice president of sales for the division and joins the P/Kaufmann executive committee. Appelbaum previously was corporate head of the three divisions.
Emily Mann has been named vice president of woven design, and Frank Dodero director of print design for Braemore. Victoria Armentrout, formerly design director of Western, has been named vice president of woven design for P/Kaufmann fabrics.
The licensed Thomas Kinkade decorative fabric collection will be marketed under the Braemore name, Kaufmann said. The Bloomcraft label will be the umbrella for an expanded manufactured products business under the name Bloomcraft Home, he said.
Under today's market conditions, "it is essential that we run our converting divisions with a keen eye towards efficiency," Kaufmann said, citing the elimination of four sales teams and design departments as immediate efficiencies.
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