New Brylane kitchen book a hit

Multititle mailer Brylane’s February launch of its new Home Kitchen catalog has “far exceeded” projections, says chairman/CEO Russell Stravitz. The company didn’t even bother testing the spin-off but rolled it out in its inaugural mailing to a combination of Brylane Home customers, buyers from Brylane’s two other divisions—special sizes and misses and apparel—and some prospects.

The Home Kitchen catalog, which had a remail in March, will have three or four more editions this year, Stravitz says. “Our strategy is to expand the brand to other categories,” he says. The book sells small kitchen appliances, cooking gadgets, tabletop items, small storage containers, and small bathroom accessories.

The new title is an extension of the New York-based company’s two-year-old Home Lifestyles division, which includes linens catalog Bylane Home. The Home Kitchen book “was a plan we’ve had for a number of years, and each year we intend to launch new extensions of this home business,” Stravitz says.