Joseph Plata Corp. buys Susan Turner

Atlanta— Women's apparel manufacturer and designer Joseph Plata has bought textile manufacturer Susan Turner Baby for an undisclosed amount. As part of the deal, Susan Turner herself will remain involved with the company as designer, but the manufacturing will shift from Marshallville, Ga., to Joseph Plata's Atlanta facility.

Turner said the move was a win-win situation for both parties; she had considered retiring at the end of the year after feeling bogged down with the manufacturing side of the business, and Joseph Plata wanted to expand his business to bring in a juvenile line. The move allows Plata to take over the manufacturing side of things in a facility that Turner said is much larger than her Marshallville site, while Turner can focus on designing and traveling to find fabrics.

"I'll have more time...in the design side, and I'll have more one-on-one relationships with the stores," said Turner. "That's the most important thing to me."

The Susan Turner Baby name and Neeman, Turner's signature bunny, will both remain and the price points will stay the same. Turner said the transition should be seamless. Mandy McDaniel, Turner's personal assistant and a liaison with retailers, is also staying on with the company.

Although Turner did not show at the Atlanta gift market last month, she said stores can expect to see photography and fabric swatches with the new winter designs shortly. Turner plans to continue introducing four new sets twice a year, but said it was too early to know in which markets the company will exhibit in 2006.