Encore expands to accommodate United Design
Staff -- Home Accents Today, 4/1/2005
The Encore Group, a gift and custom product manufacturer based in Winston-Salem, N.C., and San Diego, has leased a 6,222-sq.-ft. showroom space on the 14th floor of Chicago's Merchandise Mart to make room for its newest division, United Design.
"We're growing to meet the needs of our customers and we're expanding our corporate showrooms to accommodate this growth," Encore Chairman Eldridge C. Hanes said. "The addition of United Design to The Encore Group moves us closer to our corporate goal of giving our customers the benefit of 'one-stop shopping.'"
In addition to premiering its larger showroom at the summer gift market, Encore also will exhibit in its current 12th floor space. The 14th floor showroom will remain open for business daily, while the 12th floor showroom will close after the gift market. Encore also has increased the size of its showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles.
The expanded showrooms accommodate additional product lines of United Design, which was acquired late last year. A number of key employees of Noble, Okla.-based United Design were retained and have became part of The Encore Group, according to Patrice Shaw, a company spokeswoman. All of its home accents lines, such as designs by Susan Goldstick, HenFeathers and Spiritual Harvest still are offered.
"The United Design name along with its brands, such as Frame-ology, Stone Garden and Stone Critters, add to the already formidable list of brands within The Encore Group," said Richard Snow, president and CEO of The Encore Group. "With this acquisition, Encore takes another step in its plan to build a strong consumer-based gift company recognized within its industry as a leader in quality, customer service and creativity."
United Design's majority shareholder is an affiliate of Charterhouse Group, a New York-based private equity firm. Snow said having Charterhouse as an investor in Encore with a representative on its board will be an advantage.
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