Kmart sets Martha Stewart RTA
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, May 1, 2005
New York — Martha Stewart will roll out a line of imported, promotionally priced ready-to-assemble furniture under the Martha Stewart Everyday brand at Kmart stores across the United States in early June, with the first national promotion set for July.
The initial Martha Stewart Everyday Rooms will offer 20 SKUs with product for the bedroom, kitchen and living room, said Jonathan Chernes, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Martha Stewart Everyday and the upscale Martha Stewart Signature. Both brands are owned by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, based here.
The bedroom offering includes a queen-size bed, nightstand and armoire. The kitchen group features Windsor-back chairs, dining table, island with stools and a cabinet. The living room pieces include occasional tables, sofa and armchair.
Retails will range from $29 for the barstool to $299 for the bed. The kitchen pieces are finished in sugar white, while others are dark cherry. All are sourced overseas, primarily from Asia.
Chernes said Everyday Rooms has a contemporary lifestyle sensibility that complements other Martha Stewart Everyday branded items. The collection's design "was heavily influenced by Martha, who saw it before she went away (to serve a prison term) last fall," he said.
While it won't get gallery-like treatment on Kmart floors, Chernes said the collection will be merchandised with signs, brochures, hangtags and the like. "They (Kmart) are looking at new ways of merchandising the furniture," he said. "But you'll know it's a Martha piece when you see it.
"We're already planning extensions into the bathroom and home office," he said, adding they may come online as early as this fall.
While Kmart will have exclusive rights to the line in the United States, Chernes said discussions have been held with Sears Canada to distribute the line north of the border. "Sears Canada is very interested in the collection and we're working on an RTA program for the Canadian market in the same flavor," he said.
Like Kmart, Sears Canada is a subsidiary of the new Sears Holding company, which also includes Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Meanwhile, Bernhardt will preview the fourth group in the Martha Stewart Signature furniture collection in High Point this June, before showing it at the October market. The Opal Point group is the first not inspired by furniture Stewart has in her own homes, Chernes said, and will blend early 20th century design with West Coast looks.
"We've created a collection with an authentic modernist sensibility infused with a California style of informal luxury," he said.
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Kmart plans Martha Stewart RTA
May 4, 2005
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