Universal to buy Pa. House
Will relaunch brand as solid-wood line
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, September 10, 2007
High Point — Case goods and upholstery importer Universal Furniture, which last week agreed to buy the Pennsylvania House brand, plans to relaunch it as a solid-wood line marrying the latter's reputation for quality with Universal's emphasis on value, a key executive said.
"We're basically taking the name and not buying the company," said Kevin O'Connor, president and CEO of Samson Marketing, Universal's parent. "We've acquired some residual inventory that we're going to close out. Then we're going to reintroduce the name, probably at the April 2008 market. But we're going to do it whenever it's right."
Universal is buying the brand from La-Z-Boy, which bought the company in 2000 as part of its purchase of Ladd Furniture. Earlier this year, La-Z-Boy put Pennsylvania House, along with Sam Moore and Clayton Marcus, on the selling block, saying those companies no longer
