Crown Crafts

Crown Crafts is an American bedding company based in Gonzales, Louisiana. In 2005, it licensed the Sesame Beginnings brand for some products.

Company overview

Crown Crafts, Inc., a Georgia corporation founded in 1957, operates indirectly through its subsidiaries in the Infant Products segment within the Consumer Products industry. The Infant Products segment consists of infant bedding, bibs, infant soft goods and accessories. Sales are generally made directly to retailers, primarily mass merchants, large chain stores and gift stores. These products are marketed under a variety of Company-owned trademarks, under trademarks licensed from others, without trademarks as unbranded merchandise and with customers' private labels.

In response to changing business conditions in the consumer products industry, the Company made significant changes in its business operations. In addition to a program of cost reductions and rationalization, the Company outsourced virtually all of its manufacturing to domestic and foreign contract manufacturers with the exception of the specialty hand wovens produced by Churchill Weavers. The Woven Products division, with manufacturing primarily in north Georgia, was sold on November 14, 2000 and net proceeds of $32.3 million were used to reduce debt. Following the outsourcing of adult bedding, the Roxboro, North Carolina plant was sold on June 14, 2001 and the proceeds of $8.0 million were used to reduce debt. Also, the Company made a decision to exit the Adult Bedding and Bath Business, and its net assets related to that business of $12.4 million were sold effective July 23, 2001. Proceeds of the sale were $8.5 million cash plus the assumption of liabilities of $3.4 million as well as the assumption of certain contingent liabilities. Cash from the sale was used to reduce debt. Following the sale of the Adult Bedding and Bath business, the Company is now primarily in the infant and juvenile products business.

Products

The Company's primary focus is on infant and juvenile products. Historically, the company’s products also included two additional groups: 1) bedroom and bath products and 2) throws.

Infant products include crib bedding, diaper stackers, mobiles, bibs, receiving blankets, burp cloths, bathing accessories and other infant soft goods and accessories.

Throws are manufactured and imported in a variety of colors, designs and fabrics, including cotton, acrylic, cotton/acrylic blends, rayon, wool, fleece and chenille.

The Company’s bedroom products included comforters, comforter sets, sheets, pillowcases, sheet sets, pillow shams, bed skirts, duvets, decorative pillows, coverlets and jacquard-woven bedspreads.