Magnussen signs agreement with Kinder

Magnussen Home, designer, importer and distributor of medium to high-end occasional tables, accent furniture and case goods, has signed a five-year licensing agreement with veteran home accents designer Carolyn Kinder.

Kinder will design five collections, which will debut in October at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C. and hit retail in January 2005. The collections will include about 150 SKUs of accent furniture including tables, chest, armoires, planters, mirrors and novelty pieces.

"By combining the brilliance of Carolyn Kinder with our Magnussen Express quick-ship delivery program we want to revolutionize this segment of the industry," said Jeff Cook, president and CEO of Magnussen Home.

Cook said 12% of Magnussen Home's total business is derived from accent furniture; a category he said has a tremendous opportunity for growth. And while the company's focus has always been on selling to traditional furniture retailers, Cook hopes this new division of home accents with Kinder will enable Magnussen to extend its distribution to interior designers and home accent retailers.

"We want to stay focused first on our home furnishings customers," Cook said. "We know them the best and have developed relationships with them. Once we've successfully met their needs with these new collections we will look to other markets."

While the initial rollout is accent furniture, Cook said the home accent industry is so fragmented they "cautiously may study other categories in home accents in the future, but for now our focus remains accent furniture."

Magnussen Home also is expanding its High Point showroom by 8,500 square feet, at least 5,000 of which will be devoted to accent furniture. The Carolyn Kinder for Magnussen Home division will have its own look and separate marketing program.

The showroom, located in Main 1010 of the International Home Furnishings Center, will take over the showrooms formerly occupied by La Vita and Hart. The entire space will be renovated with new interior design, sales, meeting and hospitality areas. This is the second showroom expansion for Magnussen Home in 18 months.