Sethia and Rodeo by Stark to use Laneve wool brand

24 Nov '10

3 min read

In the past few weeks, several new contracts have been signed in support of Wools of New Zealand's premium strong wool brand, Laneve. These contracts include commitments from Sethia Enterprises, a British based trading house and textile flooring supplier, as well as Rodeo Collection by Stark, a new division of Stark that is being launched in the United States.

Sethia Enterprises will introduce their new Laneve range at “Domotex 2011” a trade show in Hannover, Germany. As a supplier to leading carpet houses in the US, Britain and the Netherlands, this range has tremendous potential and is creating excitement across the industry and will boost returns directly to growers.

The Rodeo by Stark Collection will be launched at “Surfaces 2011”, a trade show in Las Vegas, in the United States, exclusively through Wools of New Zealand's Premier Partner Program. Premier Partners will have exclusive rights to the line for six months before it is offered to other retailers.

In addition, Wool Partners has already announced a third contract for Europe's largest carpet distributor, Headlam to use the Wools of New Zealand brand on a range of carpets coloured and styled by Wools of New Zealand.

“The significant factor in all these arrangements is the royalty that will be paid for the use of the LaneveTM and Wools of New Zealand brands plus contributions towards the marketing costs of the new product ranges,” says Iain Abercrombie, Chief Executive Officer of Wool Partners International. “Our growers will directly benefit from these value-adding components.”

Wools of New Zealand European Market Manager, David Hammond adds, “There is strong interest in Laneve in Britain and Europe from industry at all levels. As a worldwide organisation we are able to take this interest and ignite it on a global scale. Sethia is just one example of how we can support partners who operate worldwide.”

Sethia supplies carpet consultants Linney Cooper, whose work includes contracts for the Royal Albert Hall in London, Windsor Castle, The National Trust and English Heritage; Cunera in the Netherlands, which specialises in tiles, carpets and rugs made from natural fibres.

“Our experience in plant fibre floor covering made a single fact unavoidable – there exists a strong requirement for exceptionally creative, environmentally responsible, high quality natural textile floor coverings,” says Ashok Sethia, principal of Sethia Enterprises. “LaneveTM has the certified environmental and quality features we desire to set our brand at the leading edge of the international wool carpet market.”

The international arena is of growing importance to many manufacturers. “A lot of our mill partners have global dreams,” says Wools of New Zealand's US Market Manager, Elise Demboski. “We are making those dreams a reality by utilising our global strength to create new markets and opportunities.”

“Through our Premier Partner Program we are uniting what will soon become the largest group of luxury flooring retailers in the United States. These retailers are forming a pathway through which global partners can sell their Wools of New Zealand and Laneve brand products. Together, we are taking the wool industry in new directions of growth with the goal of adding significant value that will see premiums returned to our growers.”

WPI is a New Zealand owned business that works along the total supply chain to create value for growers and their industry partners. Selected assets of the company – including leading international brands, the Wools of New Zealand business, the National Wool Auction Centre, and the procurement network – will be purchased by Wool Partners Co-operative Limited contingent on the successful conclusion of that company's capital raising on 30 November 2010.

Wool Partners International Limited