Whos Cleaning Up in Bath Rugs?
New York—Since Pillowtex began liquidating last summer, much attention has been centered on the impact it would have on the bath towel market. But over the past year, the company’s departure has also set off an almost equally frenzied scramble for shelf space in the bath rug department. While Pillowtex was not the largest bath rug supplier — having reported in 2002 roughly $47 million in sales, which represented its smallest business and set it at fourth place among the then-top five players — the company was admittedly the gatekeeper to several well-known brands that provided it enviable positioning at several key retailers. Now that all the Pillowtex inventory has worked its way out of stores, the clock is ticking on opportunities to grab that business. Scottsboro, Ala.-based Maples Industries is one of the first to take a piece of that pie. After several weeks of spirited bidding against at least one other major competitor, Maples earlier this month became the bath rug licensee for
