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It’s so nice to see this
renaissance of sorts for Zwiesel, such a wonderful producer that has been off
the radar for the past few years.
Fortessa [the Virginia-based business mostly
marketing in foodservice took over Zwiesel’s sales and logistics in 2004] saw
the potential for Zwiesel and has dedicated itself to building their retail
business here. Although Zwiesel has never been out of retail, a prior
relationship [Oneida was the distributor] wasn’t very successful.
You joined the company at about that time after almost 30 years with glass
producers. That’s quite a history you’ve been part of. [Price has held executive
positions at Libbey, Wheaton, Arc, and Bormioli.]
I’ve worked with most retailers and manufacturers and I’ve seen plenty of
change. Years ago, glass and crystal had many more variations; colored and
decorated glass were much bigger factors. And, of course, imports weren’t a
factor. Today, thanks to so much competition in all walks of life, it’s more
important than ever to have sophisticated logistics. Merchants are much smarter
and travel the world sourcing their own products. It’s also tougher to do
business today because there are fewer people to do business with.
And how about some favorable changes?
Simple clear glass has become the standard, and
since that’s the majority of our business that’s very good. Also, stemware is a
hot category with so much focus on wine which is also good for us since Zwiesel
is a stemware company.
With the Zwiesel partnership, Fortessa has moved back into retail after years
dedicated to mostly foodservice.
Historically, the bulk of our sales was anchored in
foodservice mixed with key account retail sales. We now have synergies for the
retail market.
Business has been very good for Fortessa in the foodservice market.
Today we have three warehouses totaling 200,000
square feet. Hospitality represents 85% of our current volume, but we expect
retail to grow as a greater percentage. We have long been an innovator and
continue as a leader supplying the hospitality industry. Our success in
hospitality translates to the retail sector where we have a strong commitment to
building a strong retail business.
And that’s where you come in.
Yes. That’s my background. One of the first things I
did for Fortessa was a complete analysis of the stemware market to see where
Zwiesel would fit. We discovered, to our pleasure, there was room for a better
stemware line with high quality and a value price. The timing was perfect
because Zwiesel had just developed Tritan, a strengthened,
technologically-advanced high-quality unleaded crystal. Another reason we have
high expectations for Zwiesel is because of Fortessa’s excellent customer
service, shipping, inventory, delivery, and pricing. And the last ingredient we
offer is a variety of shapes and styles with purpose and fashion.
No doubt Zwiesel has always been known for its first-rate product, but was some
of that goodwill negated because of past distribution?
We always knew retailers looked favorably upon the
brand even if some of the goodwill was lost. Our idea was to start with a clean
slate and capitalize on Fortessa’s great track record and Zwiesel’s great new
shapes, great new patterns, and great new technology.
Right, Tritan which you mentioned earlier. Tell us about that.
It’s the only crystal with a worldwide patent. It’s
made from titanium and zirconium in a very expensive, highly technical process
for which Zwiesel has always been known. It makes the glass extremely tough and
break-resistant. It was developed in conjunction with Schott Industries and
Zwiesel Kristallglass. Zwiesel is known to have the best quality glass in the
world, and Tritan was our way to get back into the market. We started and
continue to grow with high-end independent stores and now we’ve opened
department stores. But we’ve maintained our marketing strategies so all channels
of distribution remain profitable for the retailer to sell, grow, and prosper
with Zwiesel and Fortessa.
continued . . . .
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