Gold Coast enters blanket fray

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 4/15/2002 12:00:00 AM

AT THE NEW YORK MARKET —

Taking the next step based on its growing throw business, Gold Coast has made blankets its newest category.

The collection has launched in three different styles: Serenity, a 240-gram fleece set at the introductory price point of $24.99 for a queen; All Seasons, a 180-gram micro-fleece set at the mid-level price point of $29.99 for a queen; and Tranquility, a more upscale offering made of 360-gram fleece with a special finish that prevents pilling, with a $44.95 price point for a queen.

Each construction is available in seven colorways.

"This is a new category that made sense for us," Tim Riddle, president and ceo of parent company Riddle & Co., told Home Textiles Today. "We're getting pulled into it because we've started to get a lot of calls for blankets from our customers."

All of the blankets, like the company's throw and coordinating decorative pillow collections, are made in and imported from China.

Looking ahead to October market, Riddle said Gold Coast plans to add a new construction, tapestry, to its throw and decorative pillow lines, as well as create stand-alone offerings for the first time of throws and decorative pillows.