Apr 2, 2011

Laura Ashley Presents Awards To Top Licensees

FORT MILL, S.C. – Laura Ashley, Inc. — one the world’s most recognized brand names in fashion and home furnishings — recently presented performance awards to outstanding licensees during its Annual Licensing Conference held in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

For the second consecutive year, the Laura Ashley Licensee of the Year Award went to The Bon Ton, parent company of seven major department stores located in the northern mountain, central and eastern states of the U.S. The Bon Ton holds the exclusive license for Laura Ashley women’s apparel, handbags and shoes. Bon Ton’s Laura Ashley collection is also available online at http://www.bonton.com.

Brother International Corporation, which designs, manufactures and distributes Laura Ashley limited edition sewing and embroidery machines, won the Best Marketing Award. Upon introducing its first Laura Ashley sewing machine – the NX-2000 – in 2010, Brother helped ensure its successful launch with a multi-media campaign that included television and magazine advertising, social media marketing, and point-of-sale displays. Brother has continued this strategy with the introduction of its second Laura Ashley machine, the NX-800.

Best Sales Performance was awarded to Hollander Home Fashion, which has the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute Laura Ashley basic and utility bedding throughout North America. By adding subtle, yet distinctive, Laura Ashley design touches to its products every season, Hollander was able to create recurring demand for its full line of Laura Ashley bedding products.

A relative newcomer to Laura Ashley’s family of licensees, Tenax UK Limited, received the Best Brand Vision Award with its line of gardening and outdoor accessories. Incorporating Laura Ashley archive patterns into its distinctively British product designs while never compromising on quality helped Tenax maintain brand relevance across all its products from wicker picnic baskets to garden tools to Wellingtons.

final winner of the 2010 Laura Ashley Licensing Awards went to Revman International for Best E-Commerce. Producers of Laura Ashley fashion bed linen and bath products, Revman continued to grow its e-commerce presence for Laura Ashley by regularly adding new retailers and featuring Laura Ashley products on its own website at www.beddingstyle.com.

The complete list of 2010 Laura Ashley licensing award winners was:

Licensee of the Year: The Bon Ton Department Stores (women’s fashion and accessories)

Best Marketing: Brother International (sewing and embroidery machines)

Best Sales Performance: Hollander Home Fashion (basic and utility bedding)

Best Brand Vision: Tenax UK Limited (gardening and outdoor accessories)

Best E-Commerce: Revman International (fashion bed linen and bath)

Penne Cairoli, Vice President of Licensing at Laura Ashley, said, “This year’s winners have remained steadfast in their efforts to create inspiring, fashion forward products while staying true to the distinctively classic Laura Ashley brand. As a result, their sales have been exceptional and they continue to make significant strides for the Laura Ashley brand in North America.”

About Laura Ashley

Since 1953, Laura Ashley has been one of the world’s most beloved and best-selling brands of women’s wear, children’s wear and home furnishings. Laura Ashley, Inc. maintains its North American headquarters in Fort Mill, S.C., where it licenses the Laura Ashley® brand name throughout North and South America. Today, 39 licensees, such as Kincaid Furniture, Russell Newman and Hollander Home Fashions, manufacture and distribute a variety of quality fashion and home furnishings products under the Laura Ashley brand name. For a complete list of Laura Ashley licensed products sold in the U.S. and Canada, visit http://www.lauraashley-usa.com.