Emerson et Cie acquires Bentley Churchill
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, September 21, 2008
HIGH POINT — High-end case goods importer Emerson et Cie has acquired Bentley Churchill, a privately held, high-end upholstery manufacturer in Taylorsville, N.C.
Emerson et Cie said it purchased the company on Aug. 29 from Matthews Development, a real estate development and construction firm with offices in Connecticut and Florida. The purchase price and other details about the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2003, Bentley Churchill produces a line of customized upholstery that includes sofas, sectionals, chaises, chairs, ottomans, accent chairs and benches. Its line also includes custom upholstered beds.
Emerson et Cie also has a small upholstery production facility in High Point that largely applies fabrics to sofa, bench, lounge and accent chair frames. Because of the limited nature of production, it had a difficult time developing that part of the business, said President Mark Smith.
“Our focus has not been in Emerson et Cie's upholstery, and as a result, it's been our weakest link,” Smith said in a statement. “Given our existing infrastructure, we didn't have the capability of developing our upholstery business further.
“With the purchase of Bentley Churchill, that barrier no longer exists. We will now have the ability to offer our shared customers a full selection of high-quality, custom upholstered furniture, as well as our bread-and-butter occasional categories.”
The companies will retain their names and each will have its own sales force for the foreseeable future, Smith said. However, he said the two companies will likely consolidate their selection of fabrics, leathers and finishes.
Emerson et Cie will likely continue to use its six-employee High Point facilities to finish its dining room chairs, benches and smaller upholstered pieces. Bentley Churchill's 22-worker plant in Taylorsville will handle larger upholstered items.
“The thing that grabbed me was the quality of what they are doing over there,” Smith said. He also said that Bentley Churchill's production facilities are relatively new and efficient.
Smith said Emerson et Cie plans to retain key officials from Bentley Churchill's development team, including Tim Shook, general manager, Ritchie Setzer, head of product development and Elisha Fox, office manager.
New and existing items in the Bentley Churchill line will be on display at Emerson et Cie's new showroom in the South Court of 200 N. Hamilton during the fall High Point Market, which opens Oct. 20. A larger introduction will be on display at the April market, Smith said.
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Emerson et Cie acquires Bentley Churchill
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