Panama Jack brings 4 collections to market

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, October 13, 2012

HIGH POINT - Panama Jack, the brand built on beach living, is introducing three new collections of outdoor furniture and a new collection of indoor furniture at an expanded showroom at this week's High Point Market.
     Panama Jack's Coronado dining set - the centerpiece of an indoor collection launched last spring - was also named a finalist in the Pinnacle Awards product design competition sponsored by the American Society of Furniture Designers.
     New to the home furnishings market two years ago, Panama Jack furniture is now carried by more than 100 top retailers across the country, according to officials at Palmetto Home, which designs and produces the company's indoor Home Collection.
     "Panama Jack furniture has been very well received by retailers," said Stephen Giles, Palmetto Home's president. "They like the fun lifestyle it represents, and appreciate its great styling and good value. Pieces are also selling extremely well."
     Panama Jack has been working with its partner retailers to create a comfortable "oasis" on showroom floors that evokes the cool, casual vibe of the brand, he said. A Panama Jack beach-cruiser bike might be displayed next to a signature chaise lounge, for example.
     Increasingly, retailers are also showing pieces from Panama Jack's outdoor and indoor collections together.
     "There's a definite synergy between Panama Jack's Home and Outdoor collections and it's creating a lot of excitement at market," Giles said.
     "We are very pleased that Panama Jack furniture is resonating so strongly with retailers and consumers," said Kim Manna, president of the Panama Jack licensing company. "People today are looking for value and versatility in the products they buy, whether it's sunscreen products or patio furniture. We are proud that people know, with absolute certainty, that they have those attributes in Panama Jack products."
     The addition to the indoor Home Collection is Key Biscayne, featuring bedroom, dining room and living room furniture. An interlocking weave pattern gives the pieces a fresh design element and visually appealing texture, officials said. A queen panel bed retails for $799.
     The new offerings from the Panama Jack Outdoor Collection are St. Barth's, Fire Pits and Adirondack. Designed and made by exclusive outdoor licensee Pelican Reef Wicker, the new product lines target younger consumers with lower prices and more casual styling.
     Panama Jack's Outdoor Collection introduced two new collections last year - Island Breeze and Leeward Island.
A sixth collection - Umbrella - is also in the works, and will be sneak-previewed at High Point Market.
     The indoor line can be seen in the Panama Jack showroom, Market on Green 208, and the outdoor line is in the Pelican Reef Wicker showroom, Showplace 1523.