ITOCHU Announces Acquisition of Exclusive Import and Distribution Rights of the United States Casabella Brand
September 1, 2014
ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has acquired exclusive import and distribution rights in the Japanese market for Casabella, a brand of New York origin for housewares for fashionable lifestyles owned by Casabella Holding LLC (headquartered in the State of New York, U.S.; Bruce Kaminstein, CEO; hereinafter “CASABELLA”). Market release of the brand will begin in the 2014 autumn season through Doshisha Corporation (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Osaka; Masayuki Nomura, President and COO; hereinafter “DOSHISHA”).
Casabella was established in 1988 by Mr. Bruce Kaminstein, the current CEO, in New York, the United States. Mr. Kaminstein, who was at the time operating a hardware shop in New York, had been eager to offer some new and exciting housewares for consumers whose needs change over time. In the meantime, while on a trip to Italy, he came across a cleaning mop at an exhibition he happened to be visiting. So impressed with the “Italian cleaning mop, which was made with such a refined design and with high-quality materials despite being a basic product,” Mr. Kaminstein began importing the product and selling it in the United Sates, enjoying tremendous success. The experience led him to establish CASABELLA and begin promoting sales of cleaning and kitchen wares, available in functional and stylish designs that were at the time revolutionary.
CASABELLA has grown to become a leading brand in cleaning and kitchen wares, operating in many parts of the world, including Europe and South America, in addition to the United States, through major retailers and websites. Its success has been driven by its excellent design and planning teams in Rockland County, New York as well as designated factories located in various parts around the world.
ITOCHU, building on the brand business experience it has cultivated in the area of fashion products, is aggressively expanding its business into the full spectrum of lifestyles. In conjunction with the release of the Casabella brand in the Japanese market, it will leverage DOSHISHA’s abundant experience as well as its diversified sales networks, while vigorously promoting the brand with the release of attractive articles that make housework fun for people of all generations who love fashionable lifestyles, regardless of age or gender. With these initiatives, ITOCHUU will strive to boost brand recognition, with the aim of achieving sales of 1.0 billion yen on a retail basis in three years.
*Schedule of a planned exhibition (Gift Show)
Date: September 3 (Wed) – 5 (Fri)
Venue： Tokyo Big Sight
About DOSHISHA
| Company Name |
Doshisha Corporation |
| President and COO |
Masayuki Nomura |
| Head Office |
1-5-5, Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka |
| URL |
http://www.doshisha.co.jp/ |
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