Theodore Alexander acquires upholstery source TRS Furniture & Textiles

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, June 7, 2012

THOMASVILLE, N.C. — High end case goods and upholstery resource Theodore Alexander plans to boost its presence in upholstery with the purchase of TRS Furniture & Textiles, which produces bench-made fabric and leather upholstery at its plant here.

The company announced the sale Thursday but did not reveal the price or other terms.

The company said it will continue to have the line produced at the TRS factory in Thomasville and that it plans to retain all TRS employees. It will show the existing TRS line and new styles developed within that line at the October High Point Market.

Theodore Alexander already produces upholstery at its plant in Vietnam. The acquisition will expand that portfolio and produce designs for the company's licensed Althorp Living History and Keno Bros. collections along with the Theodore Alexander and TRS brands, the company said.

The company also said that in the coming months, all sales of TRS product will be handled by the Theodore Alexander sales force. Price points for TRS sofas are in the $4,000 to $8,000 range.

"Integrating TRS into our portfolio of premier home furnishings products provides a
balanced complement of hand-crafted, bench-made goods across all our categories for
both our U.S. and global customers," Harvey Dondero, Theodore Alexander's CEO, said in a statement. "It is also key for us to have high levels of service for our special order customers in the USA and Canada."

The company said that Thomas Woller, president of Theodore Alexander's upholstery division, will lead the expanded upholstery operation from the company's U.S. headquarters in High Point. Customer service operations also will be handled out of High Point.

Woller effectively replaces longtime TRS president Sumner Finch, who retired this week, according to the company.

"We are excited to provide luxury upholstered seating with the same exacting high standards Theodore Alexander has always been known for," Woller said in a statement. "Our customers can expect an unrivaled level of workmanship from the talented and experienced craftsmen and women, as well as comfort in our products, flexibility and responsiveness in our service and styling second to none."

The company said TRS upholstery sales in the U.S. will be headed by Tom Burke, who has been vice president of sales and marketing of TRS since 1992. He reports to Russell Towner, president of Theodore Alexander USA.

International sales of the TRS line will be headed by David Parker, vice president of international sales for Theodore Alexander.

As the company is still is working out logistics issues involving the upholstery line, it was not clear whether Theodore Alexander will continue to produce upholstery in Vietnam.