CBK EXPANDS PRODUCT LINE AND SHOWROOM SPACE AT THE MERCHANDISE MART
Respected home accents wholesaler debuts new larger space
at the Chicago Gift & Home Market,™ Jan. 19-26, 2005
CHICAGO (Sept. 28, 2004) — CBK has signed a multi-year lease with Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) to inhabit a new showroom, increasing its space by 2,500 square feet. The company has been in The Merchandise Mart since 1991, currently occupying 5,000 square feet on the 15th floor of The Mart. In its new location, CBK will expand to approximately 7,500 square feet of space. The showroom will debut with a grand opening featuring a live band and cocktails at the January Chicago Gift & Home Market,™ Jan. 19-26, 2005. The move comes on the heels of a product line expansion and will allow the company more breathing room for the massive selection of items it offers.
“To better serve our customer base, we are always striving to give the independent retailers what they want and need,” said Glenda Ray, vice president of marketing, CBK. The company’s main focus is independently owned, small-sized retail operations, even designing its policies and procedures around this customer base, which is 95 percent of its business. Randy Eller, president of CBK, recently participated in the first-ever industry symposium at the Chicago Gift & Home Market as part of a six-person panel. In his closing statements, Eller discussed the importance of dedicating resources to the independent retailer.
CBK’s product lines consist of eight divisions including:
Metal Arts
Frame Traditions
Company 2000
Pinnacle Lamps
Seasons Unlimited
Trendsetter
Wicker Gallery
Textures
Wall Art (one of the new product offerings that will be available within the showroom)
“It’s a thrill for us to watch companies within our building grow and thrive like this,” said Megy Karydes, director of marketing, Chicago Gift & Home Market. “We look forward to many more successful decades with CBK, and can’t wait to see what the future will bring for them.”
CBK is one of the country's leading importers and wholesalers of quality home décor products and accessories at competitive prices, and its brand is sold by more than 25,000 independent retailers throughout the United States. The company’s products consistently rank at the top of their competitive categories in point-of-sale surveys conducted by giftware industry publications. With its headquarters in Union City, Tenn., CBK has 165 employees in addition to a national sales staff of 185. More information may be found at the company's Web site, www.cbkhome.com. CBK recently expanded its L.A. Mart® showroom as well.
CHICAGO GIFT & HOME MARKET™ GROWS TO MORE THAN 1 MILLION SQUARE FEET
The Chicago Gift and Home Market™ at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago is the original and longest-running gift and home accessories market in the country. In January 2005, the Market will grow again, when an additional 100,000 square feet of resources will be unveiled on the 7th and 8th Market Suites floors. This latest expansion brings the total amount of Chicago Gift & Home Market dedicated square footage to 1,150,000, which includes 350 permanent showrooms and almost 1,000 temporary exhibitors.
For more information about CBK, please contact Glenda Ray at 731-885-7836 or visit the company’s Web site at www.cbkhome.com. For more details regarding the January 2005 Chicago Gift & Home Market at The Merchandise Mart, please visit www.merchandisemart.com or call 800-677-6278 (MART).
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, Chicago Apparel Center, and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
The Chicago Gift & Home Market is a trademark of MMPI.
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:
Joanna Mineau
Director of Public Relations
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
312.527.7074
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