Eschenbach USA has changed its name to Fortessa Inc. and plans to promote the lesser known brands in its lineup, become more responsive to trends in the marketplace and expand its retail partnerships….
Eschenbach USA has changed its name to Fortessa Inc. and plans to promote the lesser known brands in its lineup, become more responsive to trends in the marketplace and expand its retail partnerships. It continues to market Eschenbach porcelain and liscensed Guy Buffet tableware, as well as the cutting-edge designs of the Arzberg label, manufactured in Germany. The company recently formed partnerships with two Italian manufacturers – IVV, for functional art glass tableware and accessories, and Tognana, for more casual dinnerware. And it is putting its muscle behind its own Fortessa brand of tabletop, the fashion-forward specialty pieces it launched at trade shows late last year. “It more reflects who we are as a company today,” said Scott Hamberger, vice president of Fortessa, about the change in corporate identity. Fortessa, he said, can now offer a broader range of product in virtually every medium: glassware, pocelain and metalware. Hamberger ranks Fortessa in the top 30-40% of the American tabletop market and said that all of the brands fit within the spectrum in terms of pricing. In addition to upscale consumers and independent retailers, Fortessa will court retailers that it hopes will be drawn to the Fortessa and IVV brands. After a successful collaboration last spring with IVV, Fortessa and the Italian glassware company have formed a long-term partnership to broaden distribution, enhance consumer service and raise awareness of the Italian glassmaker“s brand in the US. The company, which runs a small production facility outside Rome, experiments with colour and texture. Marketing its functional art-glass product will be a major goal for Fortessa in 2001, Hamberger said.