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Cariloha Bamboo Courts New Retail Opportunities
Retailer on path to expand home line, brand reach
Organic bamboo home textiles and apparel manufacturer/retailer Cariloha is seeking new distribution.
Cariloha is already on a well-paced retail expansion strategy that is adding 10 to 15 new stores per year. The company, which manufacturers all of its home goods and makes them of organic bamboo fiber, is now looking to move beyond its own nameplate and into new retail venues, including upscale boutiques and shops.
Scott Brady, VP of Communications for parent PW Companies, told POSH Cariloha Bamboo is in the process of expanding its home products into more categories. It’s working on several programs – including private label – to serve upscale retailers with offerings specific to their stores.
“We’re interested in growing our luxury line for home,” he said. “One way is to develop special lines for private label that can retail at boutiques and specialty shops for a higher price point.”
Brady noted some programs are already in the works, and are slated for rollout [throughout] 2018, “maybe sooner.” These include new bedding, bath and accessories collections, some of which carry the Cariloha brand and others made for private label.
To distinguish the new lines from its own upscale house line of Cariloha Bamboo home goods, the company is incorporating several new features specific to luxury-tier retailers. These include the use of different weaves, higher thread counts, hand-crafted details, new embellishments and special packaging.
“We’re constantly being contacted by different retailers and companies from the middle to high end to partner with us for our products,” he said. “So this has been the thinking behind this new strategy. We’re looking at how else we can get our products out there, into more doors.”
Cariloha has already begun the effort at a more mass merchant level via Bed Bath & Beyond, where in January it launched a select line of bedding – sheeting, top of bed and utility components – and bath towels and robes under its house brand. The program is exclusive to BBB and carries the Cariloha brand.