The Company Store Expands Cautiously

Home textiles cataloger The Company Store is expanding into the home furnishings market — slowly. The mailer, part of Weehawken, NJ-based Hanover Direct’s stable of titles, introduced its line of couches, lamps, and other home furnishings in its core book last fall.

Some copies of the October edition included a 16-page stitched-in supplement titled At Home, which was devoted to the rolled-out product line. “We targeted a subset of our universe” with catalogs featuring the supplements, says vice president of marketing Pete Bather, though he would not disclose the quantity.

While the At Home supplement could lead observers to expect a spin-off in the future, “we don’t think the environment is right for an aggressive and significant launch of any great degree,” Bather says. “I don’t foresee a stand-alone home furnishings catalog in the upcoming short term.”

The Company Store will continue developing the line within its core catalog, however, with marketing strategies such as the stitched-in supplement. “But I would characterize our marketing plan for the home furnishings line as low-key for 2002,” Bather says.