Venus expands reach of imports

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Venus Home Fashions

Foothill Ranch, CA

President: Kirit Patel

Exec vp: Vivie von Walstrom

Principal businesses: Bath, beach, kitchen towels, bedding

Venus Home Fashions, based here, has been importing for 30 years — in the beginning strictly for its institutional business but more recently also for its retail division.

Hence, the company's sourcing activities have become more diverse and have grown by 20 percent in the past five years, said Vivie von Walstrom, executive vp.

Whereas Venus only imported from India originally, today the company imports a variety of home textiles also from Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia. Only in India, however, does Venus own partial interest in several mills as well as an agency in Mumbai where staffers are employed to oversee production. In all the other countries from which it imports, Venus works closely with agents.

Venus has stepped up its imports, especially for its retail side, in a large way because of overseas manufacturers' willingness to work on special styles and samples of fabrics, including damasks and yarn-dyes.

But the downside to importing, von Walstrom said, is lead time.

From China and Indonesia, Venus imports high-thread-count sheets and kitchen towels. From Turkey and Egypt, the company imports towels, both bath and beach.

And from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Venus imports towels, kitchen textiles and table linens.