By Dianne M. Pogoda
COMPANY NEWS
SKS NAMED APPLIANCE PARTNER FOR ‘WHOLE HOME’: Signature Kitchen Suite is returning as the exclusive kitchen appliance partner for House Beautiful’s 2022 Whole Home program. Now in its fifth year, the house is located in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood and is the first time House Beautiful is renovating an existing property for the Whole Home project. Among the featured appliances are SKS’s 48-inch built-in French-door refrigerator; the 48-inch Dual-Fuel Pro Range with built-in sous vide, induction and gas cooktops and two ovens; and a wall oven with Speed Cook. LG Studio provided a styler and WashTower for the laundry room and TV screens throughout the house. Read more here.
FORTUNE BUYING EMTEK, SCHAUB: Fortune Brands Home & Security has agreed to buy the Emtek and Schaub premium and luxury door and cabinet hardware business and the U.S. and Canadian Yale and August residential smart home locks business from Assa Abloy for $800 million. With revenues of about $350 million in 2021, Emtek and Schaub are key players in the fast-growing smart lock and premium/luxury hardware categories. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023. Read more at KBB.
FRANKE REBRANDS: Swiss appliance maker Franke Group has launched a rebranding campaign to update its brand identity and look of the future. The company began gradually rolling out new logos, visuals and website infused with a more modern approach. KBDN has more.
INDUSTRY NEWS
JCHS PROJECTS SOFTER GROWTH THROUGH 2023: Spending growth for home improvement will continue to slide through Q4 2023, reports the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. In the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), the Center predicts year-over-year home remodeling and repair spending to grow 6.5 percent in the 4th quarter next year, compared to its projection of 16.1 percent for the 4th quarter of 2022. Declining home sales, rising interest rates, and the increasing costs of contractor labor and building materials are the main culprits for the slide. ProRemodeler has more.
DPHA REVEALS WINNERS: NKBA members Bocchi, Belwith Keeler, California Faucets, Amba, Gessi, Infinity Drain and MTI Baths were among the firms getting Product of the Year awards from the Decorative Hardware & Plumbing Association. DHPA presents winner and honorable mention awards in nine categories annually. Read more here.
CABINET SALES STRONG THROUGH SEPTEMBER: The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association reported overall sales jumped nearly 24 percent in September compared to a year ago. Custom cabinet/vanity sales rose 8.4 percent over September 2021, while sales of semi-custom units gained 32.5 percent and stock cabinet sales increased almost 22 percent. Year-to-date, sales rose 17.6 percent compared to the same period last year. KBDN has more.
PEOPLE NEWS
MUSCH JOINS OATEY: Juli Musch has joined Oatey as senior vice president and chief financial officer. She was most recently CFO for Arden Companies and has more than three decades of financial management experience. Founded in 1916, Oatey has locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China, and produces plumbing products for residential and commercial applications under seven brands.
CHAPTER NEWS
CRUISE IN HONOLULU: The Aloha Chapter is hosting its holiday party on Dec. 9, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm., on the Star of Honolulu sunset dinner cruise ship, leaving from the Pier 8 Aloha Tower Marketplace, 1 Aloha Tower Drive in Honolulu. Cost is $75 per person for a celebration dinner show and fireworks cruise from Honolulu Harbor to Diamond Head, offering stunning sunset and Waikiki city views, a five-course meal with whole lobster and tenderloin steak and live entertainment. More info here.
GINGERBREAD HOUSES IN THE MOUNTAINS: The Mountain States Chapter is celebrating National Gingerbread Day on Dec. 12 with a gingerbread house-building party benefiting The Other Side Academy at the Connor House in Salt Lake City. The Other Side is a training school in which students learn pro-social, vocational and life skills allowing them to emerge with a healthy life on “the other side” of incarceration, addiction, homelessness and more. Additional details here.
