Peking strides into utility

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/5/2012 2:01:09 PM

San Francisco - Multi-category supplier Peking Handicraft threw the spotlight on fashion bedding during the spring market. This month, it's rolling out a new product category: utility bedding.
Tom Burke joined the company this summer as director of basic bedding. He spent 22 years at WestPoint in a variety of positions, including merchandising, product development, operations and business management. In his last four years at the company, he was vp of merchandising, overseeing the growth of the Lauren Ralph Lauren business as well as private label programs.
"We're going full force for market," Burke told HTT.
Peking's utility offerings will include down and down alt comforters, pillows, filled blankets mattress pads and fiber/feather beds as well as cotton, fleece and plush blankets. In addition, there will be a utility collection under the Mary Jane's Farm branded license.
The company has also expanded the team at its Shanghai facility to support to basic bedding business.
Chief operating officer Mark Grand said the new category is just part of Peking's "expanded bandwidth" and the company's ability to execute across multiple facets of the home.
"We're gotten a chunk of the window business," said Grand. "The branding activity has been aimed at addressing a level of fashion we had not been known for."
As was the case during the spring market, Peking will highlight its better bedding goods - "and it's even more luxurious," said Carol Antone, vp of creative.
The new collection features high thread counts, Egyptian cotton and high-quality jacquards, she said. In addition, Peking is reintroducing its fashion quilt assortment based on lifestyle: Modern/Zen, Global/BoHo and Mid-Century-inspired.
Peking will also feature true stand-alone decorative pillows during the market.
"We've been doing so well with Trina Turk that we feel we've gotten to go-ahead to be bold and brave," said Antone.