American Dawn takes aims at retail

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 8/5/2002 12:00:00 AM

COMPTON, CA —

American Dawn Inc. (ADI), traditionally a supplier of kitchen textiles goods for the institutional industry, is now aggressively expanding its reach to become a supplier of other home textiles goods to the retail sector.

The company recently established a marketing department in an effort to help it grow its fledgling home fashions division, comprised of decorative pillows, bath towels, kitchen textiles, throws and table runners.

Two new staffers were hired to the marketing department, assigned to newly created positions, over the past month, and the plan is to continue growing the department over the next year.

Andrea White has been appointed marketing analyst, and Julie Lai has been appointed graphics designer.

Both report directly to Ernie Turocy, general manager.

For its growing home fashions division, operated by director of sales and marketing Dixon Rosas, ADI both imports and domestically manufacturers its products. Most of the decorative pillows are made here. The division currently makes up about 17 percent of the total company between its decorative pillow and towel offerings.

"Our objective is to increase our growth to approximately 35 percent of the total," Rosas said. "It has become a meaningful business for the company."

Products from the home fashions division target specialty and department stores, as well as regional and national distribution channels. Price points for decorative pillows range from $14.99 to $99.99.

The division currently is a licensee for decorative pillows of designer Raymond Waites and is exploring the possibility of adding slip covers and other products to the collection, which has experienced "unqualified success," Rosas said.

ADI's new marketing department is in the process of developing ADI's first advertising campaign ever to further help grow the home fashions division.

"It is amazing how much growth we've experienced within the division to this point without the advertising, so we think it can grow even more with advertising in place," White said. "We will try to combine our industry knowledge with intellectual analysis, marketing fundamentals and creative talents to direct the phenomenal growth of which the ADI home fashion division is capable. We will specifically use discreet competitive and market research as well as many different forms of advertising."