Polo Ralph Lauren Forms Branding Group

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/15/2007 12:00:00 AM

New York —

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation is starting a new group, Global Brand Concepts, which will develop new lifestyle brands for specialty and department stores, ranging from apparel to home furnishings.

Chairman and ceo Ralph Lauren noted, "There's a strong need in the marketplace for individuality to drive traffic into stores. We will meet that need by partnering throughout the process on quality design, operations, marketing, merchandising, and advertising. We can be all of that for stores looking for new, specialized brands."

President and coo Roger Farah added, "We are setting up a structure which can basically be a one-stop shop for companies in need of niche opportunities to meet customer's demands."

The brand currently has a position in home categories with licensees such as WestPoint Home for bed and bath, Yves Delorme for luxury linens, Bacova for bath rugs, a Town and Country division for table linens, and Henredon for furniture.