Two casual majors will show in High Point
Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 13, 2010
HIGH POINT - Casual furniture sources Summer Classics and Universal Furniture PT will join the International Home Furnishings Center's exhibitor roster for this fall's High Point Market.
Summer Classics, a 25- year-old manufacturer based in Montevallo, Ala., will show in space W-168.
"We have been thinking about High Point for years," said Bew White, Summer Classics' president. "Now that we have seen how the casual category has grown there, especially in the big building, it's clear there is an opportunity to expand our business with furniture stores. For us, the key was that our new space is so well-located and highly visible."
White launched the company in 1986 as The Vista Corp., selling Adirondack-style chairs, outdoor planters and benches. In 1996, with a name change to Summer Classics, the company added painted wooden furniture, market umbrellas and umbrella bases.
Today, Summer Classics offers a diverse line of products including hand-wrought and cast aluminum, weather-resistant wicker, imported indoor furniture, decorative accessories and outdoor fabrics. The line is available in all 50 states and Canada.
Halfway around the world, Universal Furniture PT has become Indonesia's largest casual furniture company. It is not related to Universal Furniture Inds.
Founded in 1993, the company has grown to include several factories totaling more than one million square feet of production space and 8,000 employees, serving customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. From its beginnings using woven natural Pulut rattan, Universal PT's offerings now include synthetic wickers, all produced under lead-free and environmentally aware practices.
In the IHFC, the company will show in space H-534.
Tom Mitchell, president and CEO of the IHFC, said the addition of Summer Casuals and Universal PT adds to High Point's influence on the casual category. "More furniture stores and designers shop High Point. So it's only logical for more casual producers to show in the IHFC to tap that channel," he said.
The fall High Point Market runs Oct. 16-21.
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