Landau Sets Upscale Course at Brewster Wallcoverings
December 7, 2001
Firm Continues Growth With New Products, Expanded Distribution, Alliance With Folia
Randolph, MA (USA) - Brewster's newly appointed vice president of product development Mike Landau is bullish about the company's future. In an industry that has seen declines, Brewster and its affiliates are increasing their share and sales of wallcoverings.
Brewster, which is owned by brothers Kenneth and James Grandberg, has quietly become the second largest manufacturer and distributor of wallcoverings in North America and around the world, Landau said.
Through a number of new initiatives Brewster expects to continue its growth. The company has a division in Shanghai, China where it distributes the Genon® brand.
Brewster also distributes its own product lines in the U.K. Landau said the company has the infrastructure to be tops in their field. "We have formed many alliances with high-end wall covering producers worldwide."
Landau sees the resurgence of prints in both the residential and contract wallcovering business within the next two years.
"The lack of the use of prints in room decor for at least five years has been a prime factor in the decline of wallcoverings. However, prints are now coming back fast at the high end. There is a general trend in pattern and texture in home design," Landau said. "Before this time, it had been monochromatic - paint was in. Through the use of subtle patterns, wallpaper is gaining in residential versus painted surfaces and the same thing has happened in the contract market.
"There's a polarization taking place with the lower end and at the higher end with very little in between."
Brewster has tailored its general strategy to capitalize on these trends. "Our immediate goal is to develop upscale brands with new designs and designer labels through licensing agreements. These products will not be sold through 800 numbers in the back of magazines or in the mass market," he said. Independent design studios as well as Scancelli, the high end producer of rotary screen and hand-printed wallcoverings, will make special designs and lines for Brewster's new effort.
The company hopes that the new products strengthen retail distribution of wallcoverings. Part of this effort lies with juvenile product licensing where he has just signed a deal with Marvel Comics. "We want to put new zip into all of our brands," he said.
In another development, Landau helped broker a three-year agreement between Brewster and the Folia division of fabric converter P. Kaufmann. Folia sales agents will now offer the Brewster line to its decorative jobber customer base for the first time. Folia has 40 representatives in the U.S.A. and Canada with 60 showroom locations. This will be a major increase in distribution of the Brewster lines to interior designers, said Landau.
"This business used to be a double effort - one set of salesmen for the interior design trade selling fabrics and another set of salesmen selling wallpaper to the same designers. Now Brewster has one specialized sales force calling on the decorative trade through Folia. We will now focus on middle to upper price points with the designer trade."
He expects the agreement with Folia to produce millions of dollars of new business for both firms.
Brewster is also involved in a joint-venture with the industry's number one commercial vinyl wallcovering producer, Omnova Decorative Product, based in Fairlawn, Ohio. This venture is called Muraspec North America. Muraspec exclusively distributes 54-inch products from Omnova, while Brewster supplies 27-inch vinyls and other residential products including grasscloth. In addition to a new high-end brand to be named, Brewster also exclusively markets Parkview, Andover, Beacon House and Mirage brands.
Brewster is the second largest producer of fabrics in the wallcoverings industry behind Scalamandrè, said Landau. "We sell our own converted lines of fabric by the yard as well as finished products for a total coordinated story through the retailer." The company also buys from major fabric converters in the U.S.A.
While Brewster is mainly a residential wallcovering manufacturer and distributor, the company has plans to add contract lines under Landau. He said the link between residential and contract design has become closer than ever. The company is expanding its contract offerings by distributing Omnova's Muraspec contract brands, Genon® and Guard® in North America through its 60-person sales force.
Landau joined Brewster earlier this year after a three-year stint at Imperial Wallcoverings in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to that, he was president of the F. Schumacher wallcovering division for 19 years. He is also the current president of the trade industry group Wallcoverings Association and is recognized as a wallcoverings guru.
As president of the Wallcoverings Association, he is trying to foster greater use of wallcoverings. A large part of that effort is battling the perception that vinyl wallcoverings are harmful to the environment. (Landau said this view is unfounded) He is also seeking to include wallcoverings in the general design school curriculum.
The Grandberg brothers, Ken (CEO) and James (president of the manufacturing affiliates) own the business. Brewster has two manufacturing facilities: International Wall coverings of Toronto (purchased in 1999) and Fine DÈcor in Holmes Chapel U.K., (purchased in 2000). Both facilities print up to eight colors, and all kinds of paper embossed and unembossed. F&FI
Randolph, MA (USA) - Brewster's newly appointed vice president of product development Mike Landau is bullish about the company's future. In an industry that has seen declines, Brewster and its affiliates are increasing their share and sales of wallcoverings.
Brewster, which is owned by brothers Kenneth and James Grandberg, has quietly become the second largest manufacturer and distributor of wallcoverings in North America and around the world, Landau said.
Through a number of new initiatives Brewster expects to continue its growth. The company has a division in Shanghai, China where it distributes the Genon® brand.
Brewster also distributes its own product lines in the U.K. Landau said the company has the infrastructure to be tops in their field. "We have formed many alliances with high-end wall covering producers worldwide."
Landau sees the resurgence of prints in both the residential and contract wallcovering business within the next two years.
"The lack of the use of prints in room decor for at least five years has been a prime factor in the decline of wallcoverings. However, prints are now coming back fast at the high end. There is a general trend in pattern and texture in home design," Landau said. "Before this time, it had been monochromatic - paint was in. Through the use of subtle patterns, wallpaper is gaining in residential versus painted surfaces and the same thing has happened in the contract market.
"There's a polarization taking place with the lower end and at the higher end with very little in between."
Brewster has tailored its general strategy to capitalize on these trends. "Our immediate goal is to develop upscale brands with new designs and designer labels through licensing agreements. These products will not be sold through 800 numbers in the back of magazines or in the mass market," he said. Independent design studios as well as Scancelli, the high end producer of rotary screen and hand-printed wallcoverings, will make special designs and lines for Brewster's new effort.
The company hopes that the new products strengthen retail distribution of wallcoverings. Part of this effort lies with juvenile product licensing where he has just signed a deal with Marvel Comics. "We want to put new zip into all of our brands," he said.
In another development, Landau helped broker a three-year agreement between Brewster and the Folia division of fabric converter P. Kaufmann. Folia sales agents will now offer the Brewster line to its decorative jobber customer base for the first time. Folia has 40 representatives in the U.S.A. and Canada with 60 showroom locations. This will be a major increase in distribution of the Brewster lines to interior designers, said Landau.
"This business used to be a double effort - one set of salesmen for the interior design trade selling fabrics and another set of salesmen selling wallpaper to the same designers. Now Brewster has one specialized sales force calling on the decorative trade through Folia. We will now focus on middle to upper price points with the designer trade."
He expects the agreement with Folia to produce millions of dollars of new business for both firms.
Brewster is also involved in a joint-venture with the industry's number one commercial vinyl wallcovering producer, Omnova Decorative Product, based in Fairlawn, Ohio. This venture is called Muraspec North America. Muraspec exclusively distributes 54-inch products from Omnova, while Brewster supplies 27-inch vinyls and other residential products including grasscloth. In addition to a new high-end brand to be named, Brewster also exclusively markets Parkview, Andover, Beacon House and Mirage brands.
Brewster is the second largest producer of fabrics in the wallcoverings industry behind Scalamandrè, said Landau. "We sell our own converted lines of fabric by the yard as well as finished products for a total coordinated story through the retailer." The company also buys from major fabric converters in the U.S.A.
While Brewster is mainly a residential wallcovering manufacturer and distributor, the company has plans to add contract lines under Landau. He said the link between residential and contract design has become closer than ever. The company is expanding its contract offerings by distributing Omnova's Muraspec contract brands, Genon® and Guard® in North America through its 60-person sales force.
Landau joined Brewster earlier this year after a three-year stint at Imperial Wallcoverings in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to that, he was president of the F. Schumacher wallcovering division for 19 years. He is also the current president of the trade industry group Wallcoverings Association and is recognized as a wallcoverings guru.
As president of the Wallcoverings Association, he is trying to foster greater use of wallcoverings. A large part of that effort is battling the perception that vinyl wallcoverings are harmful to the environment. (Landau said this view is unfounded) He is also seeking to include wallcoverings in the general design school curriculum.
The Grandberg brothers, Ken (CEO) and James (president of the manufacturing affiliates) own the business. Brewster has two manufacturing facilities: International Wall coverings of Toronto (purchased in 1999) and Fine DÈcor in Holmes Chapel U.K., (purchased in 2000). Both facilities print up to eight colors, and all kinds of paper embossed and unembossed. F&FI