Clayton Marcus Plays the Global Field With Diverse Offerings
November 15, 2000
Hickory, N.C. (USA) — As a member of industry giant LADD, which owns Pennsylvania House, American Drew, American of Martinsville, Barclay, Lea Industries, and Pilliod, Clayton Marcus has become a sought-after source for quality upholstery on an international scale.
Overall, the LADD companies operate 23 manufacturing facilities in eight U.S. states and employ 65,000 people. These companies distribute furniture to 50 different countries; so many, in fact, that the company Website (laddfurniture.com) supplies information in Arabic, English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Plus there is an international customer locator — a service that is common with U.S. manufacturers domestically but not always internationally.
Founded in 1960 as an upper-middle to high-end price point upholstery firm, Clayton Marcus is headquartered in Greensboro, NC, with manufacturing facilities totaling one million square feet in Hickory, NC.
According to Richard Posey vice president of sales and marketing, LADD's capacity to focus internationally has benefited Clayton Marcus. Posey attributes Clayton Marcus's global success to its choices of fabrics that have wide appeal. He and his team, which includes Cherry Whitener, senior fashion coordinator, and Elaine Bolick, vice president of fashion and design, are responsible for the styling, design, and fabric applications for the lines.
"We strategize on a regular basis about how we can best impact the market," said Posey. He said that strategies include taking into account what is happening on the fashion scenes in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. With color and texture directions in mind, the group begins shopping for fabrics each December by visiting individual mills.
"We begin working closely with some of our biggest mill partners, Quaker, Mastercraft, Culp, and we let their design teams present us with ideas and artwork," he said. "At the same time, we give them input on the colors and textures we need."
Then, at both the January and July Showtime fabric markets in High Point, NC, the Clayton Marcus fabric group views the balance of the mills' work to determine the upcoming season's line, which typically includes around 200 new fabrics.
Because Clayton Marcus's upholstery collections are varied — from the middle-of-the-road looks up to the "Bob Mackie" and "Jessica McClintock" licensed lines — Posey said he will consider including fabrics from $3 a yard to $22 a yard. "If the look is there, we won't let price stop us."
"We look for fabrics that have an enduring quality, both aesthetically and physically," said Whitener. "We need our fabrics to be able to work in multiple applications because our line is oriented toward special orders. Customers have to be able to order any fabric on any frame."
Often, Clayton Marcus partners with mills to develop exclusive fabrics. "About 15% to 20% are exclusives each season," said Posey. "It really depends on how strong the line is already. If we feel it's a weak fabric season in terms of introductions or that there are voids in a mill's lineup, then we will work with them on exclusives."
"Our main objective in working closely with a mill is determining their level of service," said Whitener. "It is critical that their delivery promises can be kept and that they offer a quick response when we have concerns."
At each Showtime, Posey and his team meet with international mills as well. "We purchase from all over the world." International suppliers include Merrimac, Hoffman, and American Decorative Fabric.
"What we concentrate on for all markets is texture, which is the most important element right now because it is associated with both comfort and durability. "We're mostly looking for chenilles with a bulkier texture and a softer hand." Whitener said that Chenille is so important because it takes on many different styling characteristics.
Although Posey said that Clayton Marcus does not cater to individual international markets generally because the company's line is varied enough to appeal to a broad range of customers, there is an exception: the Japanese market. Posey said special attention to this market is warranted because "space is a premium, so we really have to offer product that is smaller in scale." Because durability overrides the aesthetic appeal for many Japanese consumers, Clayton Marcus offers this market primarily quality plain cloths, "some plaids, and some small-scale overprints."
Whitener said that she expects the fresher colors that are capturing American consumers' interest to also turn heads in the international markets. "We're getting requests from dealers all over to add less vintage antique looks to our line and more colors. Color is becoming a very important determining factor for us when we shop for new fabrics."
Overall, the LADD companies operate 23 manufacturing facilities in eight U.S. states and employ 65,000 people. These companies distribute furniture to 50 different countries; so many, in fact, that the company Website (laddfurniture.com) supplies information in Arabic, English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Plus there is an international customer locator — a service that is common with U.S. manufacturers domestically but not always internationally.
Founded in 1960 as an upper-middle to high-end price point upholstery firm, Clayton Marcus is headquartered in Greensboro, NC, with manufacturing facilities totaling one million square feet in Hickory, NC.
According to Richard Posey vice president of sales and marketing, LADD's capacity to focus internationally has benefited Clayton Marcus. Posey attributes Clayton Marcus's global success to its choices of fabrics that have wide appeal. He and his team, which includes Cherry Whitener, senior fashion coordinator, and Elaine Bolick, vice president of fashion and design, are responsible for the styling, design, and fabric applications for the lines.
"We strategize on a regular basis about how we can best impact the market," said Posey. He said that strategies include taking into account what is happening on the fashion scenes in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. With color and texture directions in mind, the group begins shopping for fabrics each December by visiting individual mills.
"We begin working closely with some of our biggest mill partners, Quaker, Mastercraft, Culp, and we let their design teams present us with ideas and artwork," he said. "At the same time, we give them input on the colors and textures we need."
Then, at both the January and July Showtime fabric markets in High Point, NC, the Clayton Marcus fabric group views the balance of the mills' work to determine the upcoming season's line, which typically includes around 200 new fabrics.
Because Clayton Marcus's upholstery collections are varied — from the middle-of-the-road looks up to the "Bob Mackie" and "Jessica McClintock" licensed lines — Posey said he will consider including fabrics from $3 a yard to $22 a yard. "If the look is there, we won't let price stop us."
"We look for fabrics that have an enduring quality, both aesthetically and physically," said Whitener. "We need our fabrics to be able to work in multiple applications because our line is oriented toward special orders. Customers have to be able to order any fabric on any frame."
Often, Clayton Marcus partners with mills to develop exclusive fabrics. "About 15% to 20% are exclusives each season," said Posey. "It really depends on how strong the line is already. If we feel it's a weak fabric season in terms of introductions or that there are voids in a mill's lineup, then we will work with them on exclusives."
"Our main objective in working closely with a mill is determining their level of service," said Whitener. "It is critical that their delivery promises can be kept and that they offer a quick response when we have concerns."
At each Showtime, Posey and his team meet with international mills as well. "We purchase from all over the world." International suppliers include Merrimac, Hoffman, and American Decorative Fabric.
"What we concentrate on for all markets is texture, which is the most important element right now because it is associated with both comfort and durability. "We're mostly looking for chenilles with a bulkier texture and a softer hand." Whitener said that Chenille is so important because it takes on many different styling characteristics.
Although Posey said that Clayton Marcus does not cater to individual international markets generally because the company's line is varied enough to appeal to a broad range of customers, there is an exception: the Japanese market. Posey said special attention to this market is warranted because "space is a premium, so we really have to offer product that is smaller in scale." Because durability overrides the aesthetic appeal for many Japanese consumers, Clayton Marcus offers this market primarily quality plain cloths, "some plaids, and some small-scale overprints."
Whitener said that she expects the fresher colors that are capturing American consumers' interest to also turn heads in the international markets. "We're getting requests from dealers all over to add less vintage antique looks to our line and more colors. Color is becoming a very important determining factor for us when we shop for new fabrics."
