Design Works bows bed ensemble

By Marvin Lazaro -- Home Textiles Today, 6/10/2002 12:00:00 AM

ATLANTA —

Hoping to create more opportunities with a fresh marketing strategy, Design Works Inc. is introducing its latest product, a Complete Bed Ensemble.

Borrowing from the bed-in-a-bag concept, the Complete Bed Ensemble includes a 270-count sateen comforter, bedskirt, printed flat and fitted sheet, two pillowcases and two shams all contained in a newly developed package and marketed under the company's high-end Royal Sateen brand. But unlike bed-in-a-bag, Design Works is offering the ensemble in three sizes only: queen, king and California king. According to Glen Giordano, director of merchandising, a queen-sized ensemble will retail at $399, while a king will go for $480.

The introduction marks the first time an ensemble will be marketed under the Royal Sateen label.

"We're looking for opportunities within our current customer base for promotional activity, since Royal Sateen is an upper-end program," Giordano told HTT of the concept, which was unveiled during the April market. "We came up with the idea as a way to hit different advertising events and broaden our appeal.

"We weren't getting opportunities to get into more of our customers' promotional or volume sales events like one-day sales or their big seasonal sales," he added.

Six patterns, culled from past market offerings and from newly developed looks, will be offered. Sorrento, Rapallo, Highlights, Sari, Millennium and Washi will all incorporate Royal Sateen's signature combination style and look of full prints with deep saturated colors.

The Complete Bed Ensemble is scheduled to ship to retailers in the early fall.

"We haven't taken anything out of our products," Giordano said, addressing the issue of potentially diluting the Royal Sateen label. "It's just an opportunity at a lower thread count for us. We're giving good value at a low price."