Home furnishings industry icon Ethan Allen will open its Ethan Allen Design Center at Las Vegas Design Center in September. It will be the company’s first foray into a true design center.
The opening of the new concept Design Center, operated by the 77-year-old industry leader, will correspond with the September 2009 Las Vegas Market. Located in showroom C-196, Ethan Allen’s 10,000-square-foot company-owned Design Center will attract prospective worldwide licensees during the biannual Las Vegas Market while catering to designers and consumers visiting Las Vegas Design Center throughout the balance of the year.
“Las Vegas Design Center and World Market Center give Ethan Allen a unique opportunity to be part of a design-focused destination that fits perfectly with our business model, as well as with our ability to offer our clients in the Las Vegas area design expertise and a diverse and eclectic range of home furnishings,” stated Farooq Kathwari, chairman, president and CEO of Ethan Allen.
By establishing a presence at Las Vegas Design Center, Ethan Allen is positioning itself to be an active part of the design community while also maintaining a global presence and expanding its retail license base.
Robert Maricich, president and chief executive officer of World Market Center Las Vegas, described Ethan Allen as one of the most successful and admired public companies in the industry. He went on to express pride in Ethan Allen’s decision to become a part of World Market Center Las Vegas. “Ethan Allen’s executives chose us for this important launch because we are a great international location addressing not only the furniture industry but also the design channel of distribution. Our unique and world class business platform is much more than just a furniture market or a traditional design center,” Maricich said.
Maricich added that the infrastructure, affordability and amenities of Las Vegas make it an attractive location for exposing a growing and prestigious international brand like Ethan Allen.
In addition to Las Vegas, and other domestic Markets, Ethan Allen is opening Design Centers in Amman Jordan, Dubai UAE, and China this year.
Randy Wells, vice president of Las Vegas Design Center, said that “bringing an industry icon like Ethan Allen to Las Vegas Design Center is very exciting. We are redefining the business model for design centers in a way that emphasizes the value and accessibility of exceptional design and we couldn't ask for a better partner in that regard. Ethan Allen has a designer-facing, consumer-embracing approach which dovetails perfectly with our strategy.”
About Ethan Allen: Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH) is a leading interior design company and manufacturer and retailer of high-quality home furnishings. The company sells a full range of furniture and decorative accessories through ethanallen.com and an international network of approximately 300 Design Centers and Design Studios, and offers free signature design service. Ethan Allen owns seven manufacturing facilities in the United States, including two sawmills, one cut-and-sew factory in Mexico, and manufactures approximately sixty-five percent of its products in its United States plants. For more information on Ethan Allen’s products and services, visit ethanallen.com.
About Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas: Sitting at the epicenter of the world’s fastest growing home furnishings complex, Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas is a year-round resource for design-seeking consumers and designers showcasing top names in fine furniture, decorative accessories, wall décor, lighting, floor coverings, fabrics and trim. Through a partnership between Las Vegas Design Center and The American Society of Interior Designers’ (ASID) California Central/Nevada chapter, LVDC is now open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., boasting hundreds of leading manufacturers’ lines. An important source of education for the industry, Las Vegas Design Center also attracts many of the industry’s most prominent thought leaders to its comprehensive slate of seminars, networking receptions and other sought-after events. For more information, visit www.lvdesigncenter.com.