Sip Sta co a nd t H 4.1 eim • F tex oye til! r1 2 Volume 23, Number 1
The Global Home & Contract Furnishings Newspaper
Winter 2012/2013
Calico Rebounds, Rebrands, Reboots, Restores, World’s Strongest Home Fabrics Retailer in North American Market
Bert Kerstetter, Ex Princeton football player, philanthropist raises consumer fabric consciousness with protégé Julie Morris By Eric Schneider
K
ennett Square, PA — After ten years on the sidelines, Bert Kerstetter 66, chairman and cheer leader has once again taken the management reins of Calico (formerly Calico Corners) together with Julie Morris, the
Julie Morris and Bert Kerstetter
newly named vice president of merchandising, to rebuild the 65 year old fabric Goliath’s custom products with a new generation of 30 something buyers in 37 States. It couldn’t come at a better time because U.S. consumers will unleash their pent-up demand
for fabrics and produce double digit gains for Calico in 2013, Kerstetter says. “They’re tired of doing nothing even if they haven’t moved to a new house. They might now be spending $25,000 on decorating and not $75,000 as before” and he believes Calico
will sell more fabrics at $45 a yard in the future instead of $90. With 750 highly trained sales people, Kerstetter (continued on page 10)
Designtex Large Format Digital Printing Adds Multi Million Dollar Surface Business Under Susan Lyons New president outsources internal marketing department to outside agency Sipco News Network
Ferrari LUCA
N
EW YORK, New York — Designtex is turning up new business markets and new ways to run its marketing under the leadership of Susan Lyons, president since June, 2012.
Manifattura Tessile Di Nole Turns 100
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One example of the new activity is Designtex Surface Imaging, a newly named division that is developing large format design and then digitally printing the image on a variety of surfaces including fabric, according to (continued on page 22)
Karim Rashid
Arben Textile
Page 13
Australia’s Redelman Fabrics, Wallcoverings Opens 10,000 SF Showroom In Sydney Sipco News Network
Emily Mould
Romo Black Edition
Page 34
S
YDNEY, Australia — Redelman Fabrics and Wallcoverings has opened a 10,000 square foot showroom in Sydney, Australia situated above its warehouse on 54 Rosebery Avenue.
“We are optimistic for the future as the global economic conditions appear to be stabilizing,” said Nadia Redelman, fourth generation of the Redelman family. “Australia has Geoff Redelman of Redelman wholesalers in the new Sydney, been less affected by the global eco- Australia showroom with his daughter Nadia and his brother nomic crisis than other countries.” David (continued on page 28)
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