Kmart developing Jaclyn Smith furniture line
Collection will launch in spring of 2009
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, October 30, 2008
NEW YORK — Kmart will launch an exclusive furniture collection designed by Jaclyn Smith in the spring of 2009, following up on last month's launch of the celebrity designer's bed and bath collection in its stores and on www.kmart.com.
Plans for the collection include decorative accessories as well as furniture, said Doug Wurl, who serves as vice president, general merchandise manager for home fashions at Sears Holdings, the parent of both Kmart and Sears.
The Jaclyn Smith collection represents the "better" segment of Kmart's good/better/best lineup, with Martha Stewart Everyday holding the top slot, at least through 2009.
The new furniture collection "will be fairly comprehensive" and include bedroom, living room, dining room and occasional, Wurl noted. Products will be mostly ready-to-assemble imports, but some goods also will be sourced in the United States.
The assortment will be divided into two lifestyles: Jaclyn Smith Traditions and Jaclyn Smith Today. Traditions leans more towards the traditional or classic customer "with a twist - products of the past with a sense of today's style," Wurl said.
"Today represents a more transitional lifestyle," he added, incorporating modern, global and contemporary influences.
In introducing the bed and bath collection at a presentation here this week, Wurl said this season's relaunch of its bed and bath program "marks the furthering of the company's plan to offer greater value with better style options. And Jaclyn is furthering that commitment."
Smith has long experience with Kmart, having launched her highly successful apparel collection with the retailer more than 20 years ago.
As Smith noted at the press conference here, "Home is my passion and my favorite place in the whole world."
