Records retrieved from the local newspaper The Berkshire Eagle state that as of December 31, Rugs USA and Fresh American will be closing the Annie Selke firms’ corporate headquarters in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as well as the company’s retail site in Lenox, Massachusetts.
On September 7, the business submitted the WARN warning to the Massachusetts government. CEO Lori King is among the approximately 47 individuals who will be impacted, according to the announcement. This week, notice was given to the staff.
Rugs USA sent the following statement to HTT sister newspaper Home Accents Today today: “We can confirm that we have separated with a number of associates.” This was not an easy choice, and we are dedicated to doing everything within our power to provide our teammates with considerate and caring assistance during this transition. We are appreciative of their assistance in creating market-leading brands for Annie Selke, NuLoom, and Rugs USA. We will continue to provide these brands to clients and increase our focus on company growth by further integrating operations into the Rugs USA footprint.
Rugs USA previously let off between 40 and 50 warehouse employees in July 2023 while reorganizing operations. Rugs USA bought the Annie Selke companies last year.
Rugs USA President Alyssa Steele emailed staff members, according to The Berkshire Eagle, saying, “Today we are making significant updates to our ways of working across the enterprise.” The marketing function has been substantially revised, teams have been realigned under functional competence with numerous brands served within a function, and several of our efforts and capabilities have been rethought and abandoned.
“The home décor category, which our business is part of, has suffered over the past several quarters because of challenging macroeconomic conditions,” Steele wrote later in the email. Many of these difficulties still affect our company.
“In 1994, Annie Selke harnessed her experience, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit to create beloved home brands Pinecone Hill and Dash & Albert,” reads the company’s website. The business’s webpage is still operational.
CEO Lori King stated, “I’ve worked with (Annie) for four years, and we’ve been developing the plan all along and formalizing it,” in an interview with Home Accents Today in May of last year. We went through the process of selling the business (to Rugs USA) very carefully. Two of Annie’s employees have been with her for 18 years and 15 years, respectively, as design director and vice president of product development. For years, they had sat side by side in meetings and traveled to India with her.Now that they have the authority to carry on Annie’s work, they are excelling at it.
Rugs USA told the local Massachusetts radio station WAMC that it has decided to “sharpen ([their] focus on business growth” by combining operations. The company described the decision as “not an easy one” and verified the layoffs and closures. According to the corporation, it is making every effort to assist the employees who are losing their employment.
