Furniture sources Shermag, Jaymar back in saddle

Showing at High Point Market after recent acquisition

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, October 21, 2009

Shermag, which was recently acquired by Groupe Bermex, is showing this Centropolis dining group at market. The set has oak construction and olive and fig finish. The collection also includes bedroom and occasional groups.

HIGH POINT — Fresh off their acquisition by Groupe Bermex, Canadian furniture sources Shermag and Jaymar are showing at the High Point Market and are ready to get back to business as usual.

Groupe Bermex recently purchased a majority stake in publicly held Shermag and its Jaymar upholstery division out of court-ordered protection from its creditors. Over the next several weeks, it is expected to take the company private.

Daniel Walker, president of BDM+, of which Shermag and Jaymar are now divisions, said Shermag will continue to be an importer and will focus on offering what he called the best of both worlds: import pricing, solid wood components and high-quality Canadian finishes.

Shermag and Jaymar are showing this week in the Ital Art Design Building, space 115.

Shermag has several bedroom and dining sets available for direct container or in-stock shipping at market. The company will keep some of its more traditional looks but introduce more contemporary and modern looks, Walker said.

Alix Adimari, who had been CEO of Shermag, is now its president.

Shermag has hired back manufacturing managers and is preparing to restart production, Walker said. All 10 of the companies production facilities are currently idled; some will be sold while others will reopen, he said.

Shermag will import bedroom and dining components and assemble and paint those pieces in Canada, Walker said. Finishes from Asia had not been a strong point for the line, Adimari said.

He said the company will use solid woods like maple, oak and birch.

Walker said BDM+ wants Shermag to have a greater focus on what it was once known as - a company of choice with product at many price points.

Louis Begin, a 14-year veteran and vice president of sales and marketing for Jaymar, said the upholstery company plans to continue making European designs with North American comfort.

Jaymar represents the first upholstery offerings by BDM+. The company's other brands include Bermex, Bertanie, Midi and Dinec.

Jaymar has nine new groups at market, including pieces with D-Box Simulator technology, which simulates action in seating from movies.

Jaymar will renew its focus on production from its Terrebonne, Quebec, plant, which employs 150 workers. The company offers a selection of 100 leathers and 300 fabrics on 50 frames, Begin said.

Prices for a leather sofa start at $1,899. Product will still be shipped four weeks after a customer places an order, Begin said.

He added that the company has invested in machinery over the past several years, which enables it to do in-house foam transforming and to cut leather using pressurized water.

The Jaymar line was carried by small and large independent dealers, Begin said. He added that he believes the company held onto more of its Canadian retail base during the reorganization process, losing a greater percentage of its U.S. business.

Adimari said that the purchase of Shermag by BDM+ - which is based in Louiseville, Quebec - should give customers confidence that the company will stay true to its Canadian roots.

There have been no decisions made about whether to add product or continue other Shermag and Jaymar brands including Cameleon, Sofa International or HPL, Walker said.