By Mark Seavy  

Home textiles suppliers are expanding into new categories and partnering with new brands as they seek to shore up struggling sales of home décor. 

And, at the recent New York Home Fashions Market, licensees broadened their collections to position themselves as one-stop shops amid a move by licensors to consolidate business.  

Pem America, for example, introduced table linens (runners, place mats, napkins) under their own brands as a first step toward licensing. The company is also preparing for the launch of a bedding, bath, and kitchen collection under Beyond Inc’s Bed Bath & Beyond brand that is due in early 2026 and will target mass to mid-tier retailers. Pem benefitted in landing the Bed Bath & Beyond agreement by having worked with Beyond Executive Chairman Marcus Lemonis at Camping World, where he remains CEO. 

“It’s consolidation and brands matter and I think the licensors are looking for an efficiency they would gain by giving it to one company and having them do everything,” said Kim Rizzardi, VP of Licensing Brands at Pem America, which features multi-category collections under the Scout, Royal, and other brands. “That way, retailers don’t have make as many buying decisions and it looks better at the store level and makes it easier to shop and buy.” 

Similarly, Berkshire Blanket & Home is expanding with decorative pillows under its own label, although it does also offer them under Peanuts and licensed artist Mia Charro brands. Berkshire is also fielding a Peanuts collection that adds a quilt for the first time as part of the brand’s 75th anniversary in 2025, which is being marked by a new style guide that emphasizes the original graphics. That new collection comes along with one from licensed artist Krissy Mast, whose designs have been added to a holiday collection of throws, pillows, and sheets. 

The collection strategy could also be found at Town & Country, which is relaunching a set of decorative pillow and reversible rugs under author Eric Carle’s (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) brand.

“Licensors increasingly appreciate being able to talk to one person about an entire line,” said Judi Alvarez, VP Licensing and Marketing at Town & Country, which in 2018 acquired Home Dynamix (rugs, mats, bath accessories) and Amalgamated Textiles (window treatments). “There were once many more companies, and many of the smaller companies have been acquired or didn’t make it through the pandemic. What is left is key players that understand the licensing business.”  

Yet this consolidation hasn’t prevented companies from launching a licensed brand business.  

Gul Ahmed’s Sky Home USA subsidiary, for example, signed a licensing deal with former Real Housewives of New York star Jill Zarin for sheets, pillows, throws, and other products in entering the licensed business for the first time. Sky Home has signed a distribution for sheets, throws, and pillows through 60-store Bealls Department Store in Florida.  

Textiles supplier EnVogue, meanwhile, signed a licensing agreement with Gordon Brothers’ Laura Ashley brand for kitchen textiles, aprons, decorative pillows, and tote bags. And Jennifer Adams Brands launched rugs and mattresses as it exited the outbound licensing business save an agreement with Covington Fabric + Design for fabric. 

“Some of this might be that business isn’t that great right now, so why not move into another category and be more things to more people,” said Ahmad Faraz, President of Sky Home. “With minimum MGs and royalties, any brand we have has to generate $10 million in annual sales. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense because there is cost with any substantial brand.”