Lea Inds. launches La-Z-Boy Kidz top of bed
By Jane Kitchen -- Kids Today, 4/1/2005 12:00:00 AM
High Point —
Lea Inds. is launching a new line of top-of-bed ensembles under the La-Z-Boy Kidz brand at this month's High Point furniture market. The 10 collections will be available exclusively to the 300-plus La-Z-Boy Kidz retailers, and will be manufactured by International Home Fashions of Black Mountain, N.C.
Johne Albanese, vice president of marketing for Lea, said the goal in creating the line was to help retailers create exciting and appealing displays, and to make the bedding saleable. "As part of that, it was a natural to create an exclusive line under the La-Z-Boy Kidz brand to help create a synergy between the furniture and the bedding," he said.
Seven of the 10 groups include reversible comforters, which will be packaged in three-piece sets of comforter, sham and pillow for a retail of $149; the additional three designs are aimed to coordinate with Lea's higher-end furniture collections, such as the licensed Jessica McClintock group, and feature more opulent, feminine looks, such as full-length bed skirts. Those sets will retail for $199.
An additional three-pack of dec pillows will retail between $49 and $69, and coordinating throws are available for $29 to $39. All of the collections are available in full size, and window panels are also available for each group for $29 a panel. Albanese said the company will add coordinating canopies in the near future.
Designer Debbie Jones of Atlanta-based Clover Home developed the fashion-forward line for La-Z-Boy Kidz. "There is a natural desire by children today to be very fashion conscious at a very early age," Jones said. "Our point of view was to take our style directions from their fashions, knowing that the fabrics and colors that a child wants to wear would also be what they would favor for their room."
The collections feature a mixture of fabrics, such as a tween girls group in hues of bright pink and green, with accents of polka dots, fleece and patent leather. A surfer-themed collection includes grass fringe borders, embroidered flip-flop motifs and striped terrycloth dec pillows.
Other looks include an extreme sports group with a black comforter and neon-colored dec pillows with animal prints and silver accents; a vintage sports collection with corduroy accents; an Americana look with red corduroy that reverses to denim and includes paisley accents; and a traditional flower pattern in shades of yellow and pink.
The higher-end line includes a lavender collection with Asian-print motifs, shimmery fabric accents and tulle-accented dec pillows, and a pink collection with glitter accents.
Albanese said he's aware that many consumers are not looking for top-of-bed items when they shop at furniture stores, so the items had to be extremely saleable. "To make these an impulse purchase item, it was necessary to make them very fashion-forward, unique and very appealing to both mother and child," he said. "In addition, the retailer had to be able to satisfy the consumer's desire to buy this item on the spot." To that end, the company has created an in-store fixture that retailers can use to display the items in a bag, ready for purchase.
La-Z-Boy Kidz retailers will not be required to purchase the bedding as part of their gallery programs, but Albanese said he expects that the vast majority of them will. "It's a natural," he said.
Albanese said a coordinating accessory line, including lamps, book ends, wall art and rugs, will be developed between now and the fall High Point market.
Lea Inds. is introducing 10 top-of-bed collections at the High Point furniture market.
Three of Lea Inds.' top-of-bed groups are geared towards higher-end lines, and feature more opulent, feminine looks, like full-length bed skirts. This twin collection will retail for $199.
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