Alan White to reopen
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2007
Shannon, Miss. — Upholstery maker Alan White, which closed in January citing financial and business pressures, is set to be acquired by Canadian investment company WAM Inc., which also owns Sklar Peppler.
The 350,000-square-foot Alan White factory here is expected to be back in production soon.
WAM owner and President Bill Malish, a turnaround specialist who restructured Sklar after purchasing the Canadian upholstery maker and case goods resource in mid-2006, said he has signed a letter of intent to buy Alan White. Terms weren't disclosed.
Malish is president and CEO of Sklar, one of Canada's best-known furniture makers with factories in Ajax, Ontario, and
Portland, Ore. The company was looking for a Southern factory when Alan White became available. Malish flew to Mississippi and worked out an agreement in a couple of days.
Alan White sells midpriced upholstery to Top 100 U.S. accounts and to Canadian retailers, much like Sklar. "We want to keep key accounts and expand it from there," Malish said.
He will be president of Alan White. Keith Feuerhaken, vice president of sales and marketing at Sklar, will head the separate Alan White sales force. Before joining Sklar, Feuerhaken was executive vice president of Alan White.
Each company will keep its own identity and High Point showrooms, Malish said, although some design and production may be done jointly.
He said he would like to acquire a case goods producer.
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