Welspun to Produce Waverly Lines

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 1/28/2008 12:00:00 AM

New York —

Welspun USA has become a strategic partner to expand the Waverly brand into new categories.

Under the agreement, Welspun will design, produce and market bath towels, bath accessories; and bath, accent and scatter rugs; down and synthetic filled comforters and blankets; pillows; and mattress pads.

Rick Platt, president of Waverly, a division of NexCen Brands, told HTT, "This relationship is a large leap forward to the goal of expanding the Waverly brand into a complete lifestyle resource for our Waverly customers."

The Welspun license covers the United States, Canada and Mexico, Platt said. Distribution will be keyed to "mid-tier department stores and above, as well as current customers — JCPenney, Lowe's, Linens 'n Things, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Belk's."

Welspun expects to debut a small collection of the new products under the Waverly brand at the New York Home Fashions Market Feb. 11-15.

Basic bedding will come first.Welspun will offer down alternative constructions "with a 'coming attractions' approach with a small collection in the presentation next month here," explained Charles Gaenslen, Welspun coo. Welspun's new bedding facility "is enormous in scale and a phenomenal facility but it will be happening on its own" in terms of production, Gaenslen noted. "We're not jamming product through there. We're bringing it on gradually with our retail partners and controlling our growth." Feather and down lines will come later.

Basic bedding will be a three-tier program with "non-solid solids as well as prints, with the goal of blurring the lines between basic bedding and the fashion world" with decorative elements not typically used in the category. Beautiful Things will be the opening collection, a 300-count construction, with the bed pillow at $9.99, pads at $59.99 for the queen, a fiber bed and down alternative comforter at $100.

The Town & Country group is a 600-count construction with printed toile gussets and cord embellishments at $19.99 for the pillow, pads at $79.99 for the queen, a fiber bed at $129.99 and the comforter at $149.99.

Modern Essentials, a silk and cotton blend with an all-over print that layers in a fashion element, retails for the four products at: $29.99, $99.99, $149.99, and $199.99 respectively.

In solid and jacquard towels, which will come later, the core price point is expected to be $9.99, but there could be $7.99 and higher prices, Platt said.

Coordinating rugs will come later, as will blankets, to be produced in Welspun's India plant.

The relationship , Gaenslen said, "gives us access to an incredible collection of designs, as well — as a brand to anchor our new product categories to."