Safavieh Creates Custom Mass Market Division

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 7/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Port Washington, N.Y. —

In response to demands from large rug retailers for private label and customized programs, upscale area rug company Safavieh has created its new Custom Mass Market division to accommodate this growing business segment.

Headquartered at the company's Easton, Pa,. warehouse complex, the unit will design private label rugs and collections for mass production with container minimums.

Heading the effort is Ken Shahi, who has been promoted to manager of the Custom Mass Market division from his former post as territory manager covering six markets — Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Texas and Washington, D.C.

Cyrus Yaraghi, principal of Safavieh, said Shahi has developed several national mass market accounts during his six years with Safavieh. "Ken has been instrumental in building volume business, making us a category leader in this market segment," Yaraghi said. "His work with our product development team to create unique programs for mass market stores inspired the new program."

A special showroom has been created at the division's headquarters to display conceptual ideas to customers. Custom options will be explored with each retailer on site, and retailers will have the option of hand-picking available stock in the Safavieh warehouse.

"This showroom and program have been created to target customers who work in a scale beyond our programmed collections for smaller retailers, and we will be selling a different type of goods," Shahi said.