Lexington, Tommy Bahama Team for Outdoor Furniture

December 11, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on December 12, 2011

Lexington Home Brands has expanded its license with Tommy Bahama to include casual furniture for outdoor living.

The move further solidifies the company's position in the upscale island category. Lexington launched the initial Tommy Bahama lifestyle collection in April of 2000, and has built that business into one of the categories most successful brands.
 
Lexington will facilitate a seamless transition of the existing business from the previous licensee. Bill Echols will operate in a consulting role for Lexington, continuing to serve as director of sales for Tommy Bahama Outdoor, and the current Tommy Bahama Outdoor independent account managers will continue to represent the line. Existing inventory, as well as work-in-process inventory, will be purchased and moved to Lexington€™s distribution complex in North Carolina. All other operational elements of the business will be managed at Lexington's corporate center in High Point. Retailers will soon see expanded product offerings and new designs. 

"Tommy Bahama is the number one brand in a style category that has experienced exceptional growth despite the economic downturn," said Phil Haney, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands, Thomasville, N.C. "The brand is iconic, with designs and a lifestyle message that have proven highly effective in attracting the aspirational consumer. Tommy Bahama Outdoor is a natural extension for Lexington. We have a keen understanding of the brand, and will leverage our design and marketing expertise in energizing the product line through the current outdoor distribution channels. At the same time, we see an opportunity to partner with our traditional home furnishings retailers and design professionals in adding an exciting new dimension to our successful indoor business." 
 
"Given the phenomenal success that Lexington Home Brands has demonstrated in their lifestyle designs for indoor product, the decision to expand our relationship to include the rapidly growing outdoor category was one that felt very appropriate," said Chrisann Furciato, vice president of licensing for Tommy Bahama. "When it comes to interpreting the relaxed sophisticated style of Tommy Bahama in the home, Lexington totally gets it."

Lexington plans to continue to show the Tommy Bahama Outdoor line at the International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market at the Chicago Merchandise Mart in September. In addition, the company will expand the Tommy Bahama presentations in its High Point and Las Vegas showrooms to accommodate the new outdoor assortment.
 
"One of the signature elements of our Tommy Bahama designs has been the concept of bringing the outdoors in," Haney said. "It seems somewhat intuitive that it would work with equal impact in the opposite direction. The basis of our success with the Tommy Bahama brand has been a strategy of lifestyle extension. While island styling is central to the essence of the brand, three of our last four Tommy Bahama introductions have not been defined by that benchmark."

Haney noted that those collections, Ocean Club in contemporary Pan-Asian design, Royal Kahala in British Expeditionary design and Road to Canberra, a casual contemporary Australian design, have broadened the brand's reach.

"Extending the brand appeal to embrace consumers in non-coastal areas has been central to growing the business and keeping the designs relevant and exciting," he said.
 
The Tommy Bahama Outdoor agreement marks the second strategic business expansion for Lexington Home Brands in the past sixty days. It was announced earlier that the company has acquired Sligh Furniture Company, a premier home office and home entertainment resource.