Did Bernhardt cancel order after Stewart remark?
Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, November 11, 2002
Lenoir, N.C. — Did Bernhardt cancel a dealer's order for its Martha Stewart Signature furniture after the dealer was quoted in a newspaper about the controversial Stewart?
Bob Bendetson, the owner of Haverhill, Mass.-based Cabot House, said yes, his order was cancelled. Bernhardt, in so many words, told The New York Times no.
During the October High Point market, Bendetson, a Bernhardt dealer, was quoted in a Times story. He praised the furniture but called Stewart, the subject of an insider trading investigation, "a liability" and said, "How does a retailer market it if the signature person can't make appearances?"
In a later story, Bendetson told the Times that Bernhardt canceled his Stewart order after the statements appeared in print. The Times quoted John Pullin, Bernhardt vice president over the Stewart line, as saying that any report of retailers having orders canceled after speaking to the press was "a malicious rumor" and added, "We are not in the business of punishing people."
Bendetson confirmed that his comment to the Times about the cancelled order was accurate, but declined further comment.
Pullin and Bernhardt Chairman Alex Bernhardt Sr. did not return telephone calls for this story.
