Concord, Cyrus Clark merge to form new co.

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 4/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Clark Holdings LLC has been formed from the merger of the home furnishings division of Concord Home and Cyrus Clark Co.

The owners of the holding company are Bill Zales, most recently a sales executive with Concord Home, who will serve as the ceo; Rus Clark III, the third generation of the fabric family; and Concord Fabrics, Concord Home's parent company, which specializes in apparel fabrics.

The offices of the combined companies, which have estimated sales of about $10 million, will be at the current Cyrus Clark offices at 267 Fifth Avenue here. The Concord Home line will be transferred to the Cyrus Clark offices and will be sold under the name of Cyrus Clark, Zales said.

The product focus, Zales explained, will be on the upper end of the converter market and will be directed to wholesalers, fabric retailers and manufacturers of bedding, pillows, table lines and furniture. The new company also will continue to offer the kinds of design that both businesses have been producing.

Egle Richter will be vp, design for the combined companies. The Cyrus Clark sales force will serve both lines.

Roger Burnim, vp, Concord Home, is no longer with the company, said Martin Wolfson, cfo of Concord Fabrics. Some employees of Concord Home may be offered employment in other Concord Fabrics segments, he added.