Kathy Ireland eyes Malaysia and Other Asian Market

Frankfurt, Germany, January 23, 2006--One of America’s most profiled suppliers of consumer products, including furniture, flooring, lighting, window coverings, beddings and socks, is now eyeing new markets in Asia, including Malaysia. California-based Kathy Ireland, who is the namesake for Shaw Industries' Kathy Ireland Home collection of flooring, whose products are tailored to the needs of busy working mothers, has become a household name in the United States. In an interview with Bernama at the Heimtextil exhibition in Frankfurt, Ireland said she was “deeply impressed” by the quality and innovation of products showcased at the Frankfurt event. Kathy Ireland Worldwide, the $1.4 billion consumer products empire she heads, has sensed the money-spinning potential of the markets of Asia, including Malaysia, where the growing number of busy working mothers constitutes a huge market for the kind of products that bear the Kathy Ireland brand name. Ireland, a former model sought by many big corporations to introduce or promote their products, has become equally successful in her present incarnation as an entrepreneur. Her products are sold by some of America's well-established and largest retail stores. Patrick Lee, a Singapore-based businessman who also has extensive business ties with Malaysia, told Bernama that Kathy Ireland's products could become a “big hit” in Malaysia if the right marketing strategy was devised. “When I visit my business associates in Malaysia, I will discuss this matter,” he said on the margins of the just-concluded Heimtextil trade fair, which is touted as the world’s largest home textile event and attracts hordes of exhibitors, touring sales representatives and also buyers from the Asean region. But Lee would not disclose further details. Ireland was interested in entering “new terrain” with her branded products, which, she averred, would be well received because of the “high quality and the excellence” they represent. Using the Heimtextil trade fair as a platform to introduce her products to new customers, she revealed that she was targeting independent retailers. “Customers today are looking for quality, comfort and pricing. Comfort is a major trend in the home-furnishing segment and is a key factor in ordering products.” “I have received orders here not only from the US but also from India and Russia. Indeed, I have also received trade enquiries from other Asian countries which, we are sure, will lead to tangible business in the future,” she said. Her ambitious project is to build up a global brand for the home in much the same way as in the US. She acknowledged, however, that there were challenges on the road to such a goal but she relied on an “incredible team of design geniuses” who would pave the way for her global ambitions. “Yes, we do need to learn a great deal still but we are already exporting to a number of countries, including the Middle East, Australia, Venezuela and Canada,” she said. As far as designs and styles were concerned, she discerned a “certain level of compatibility” with other regions, attributing this to an effective channel of communication her company maintains with customers in other parts of the world.

Related Topics:Coverings, Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

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