Rowe Furniture Back In Action

From FURNITUREToday,

Last market, buyers were shying away from long-established Rowe, reluctant to place orders with a company that had filed for bankruptcy protection and was widely believed to be looking at liquidation.

This market, the 60-year-old midpriced upholstery producer, acquired by a high-powered investment company with close ties to the furniture industry, is back in action with new money behind it and a whole new attitude.

Stefanie Lucas, named last week as president of Rowe, said that new product is available,

including a collection in its Robin Bruce line from designers outside the industry, who were commissioned...to put a fresh face on Rowe’s offerings.

The designers, Silvano Banfi, Frank Zambrelli and Banfi Zambrelli, have designed for such fashion-forward companies as Judith Leiber, Calvin Klein and Coach. The group has never done furniture and approached the task like it was a big, empty canvas, Lucas said.

Lucas said it helps to be a woman as president of Rowe, because she is a target customer of Rowe's marketing.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery carries Rowe, with its lower price point, as a complement to Sherrill and Duralee.

Bev & Mike