At the fall High Point Market, lighting and home décor retailers were upset to learn that Carol Stream, Ill.-based Lamp Works had shut its doors. The company was founded in 1994 by Laurie Winter, who was later joined nine years later by her brother Jeff Woodall. The duo expanded the business and even relocated to larger facilities as its customer base grew to include national branded retailers, small chains, independent retailers, commercial contractors, designers, and hospitality clients.
According to the agreement, ELK Group has purchased certain assets of Lamp Works that include the inventory, trade name, hospitality resources, and Web site. The operations and inventory will move from Illinois to ELK Group’s headquarters in Pennsylvania, where it maintains 1.2 million square feet of warehouse space to handle all of its product storage and distribution.
“Lamp Works’ beautiful array of exclusive styles will complement our existing selections, broaden our price range while expanding our presence in the hospitality arena,” states Bradford Smith, CEO of ELK Group.
With the acquisition, ELK Group’s portable offering will be expanded to more than 500 lamp styles in a wide range of sizes and price points. The company also owns brands such as ELK Lighting, Dimond Home, Lazy Susan, Sterling, GuildMaster, Alico, and ELK Hospitality.
“We provide opportunities for customers to combine their purchase orders from our different lines in order to save on shipping expenses,” Smith explains, adding that having such a broad mix of categories allows retailers to unlock higher margins through these types of customer-centric programs.
Lamp Works will retain its permanent showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas, High Point, and Las Vegas. New products and a consolidated catalog will be released in the upcoming months.
