Domain News & Press

As a both a leader and trendsetter in the home fashions industry, Domain has always received substantial press coverage. In addition to Domain Home Fashions, the charitable and entrepreneurial activities of the founder of Domain, Judy George, have won the company plaudits as a civic leader and as an advocate of women entrepreneurship. Below are just a few of the recent press releases and other articles written about Domain.

DOMAIN’S JUDY GEORGE SELECTED TO RAISE BRITISH ICON TO AMERICAN PROMINENCE

Aga Foodservice Names Leading U.S. Retailer to Board

March 25, 2003 – British giant Aga Foodservice PLC announced today that Judy George, founder and CEO of Domain Home Fashions and one of the top retailing executives in the U.S., will join its global board of directors on July 1. As its first U.S. director, George is being charged with raising the profile of the Aga brand throughout the U.S. and translating the European phenomenon of the Aga Range into the premier cooking instrument of choice for American consumers. George, who was recently named to the 2003 top 25 “Power Elite” in U.S. retailing by one of the industry’s leading magazines RIS News, is the mastermind behind the Boston-based, high-end specialty home furnishing chain, Domain. Recognized for its distinctive European styling, Domain has enjoyed phenomenal growth under George who is a master at keeping the company in front of the consumer and at the forefront of consumer desires. Since its inception in 1986, Domain has grown from two to 27 stores with six new openings scheduled throughout 2003. Sales continue to increase with an 8.3 percent increase in 2002 to become a $65 million business. “This announcement supports Aga’s commitment to global expansion – with a focus on the U.S. marketplace,” says Kit Farrow, Chairman of Aga Foodservice Group. “We’re charging Judy with doing for the Aga brand what she has done so successfully with Domain.” In 2002, Aga Foodservice purchased Domain with plans to use the retailer’s stores to showcase the Aga Range. Aga has also tapped the company’s brand-building skills to launch Aga in the U.S. The first Aga/Domain store opened outside of Washington, D.C. in Fair Oaks, Virginia in November 2002. Throughout Europe, Aga is a brand icon with sect-like followers. The company’s flagship product, the Aga Range, was first developed in 1922 by a Nobel Prize winning scientist and is now installed in more than 700,000 homes worldwide. With well-proven success, the company hopes to transcend the love of its brand to the U.S. marketplace. Over the past year, under its newly-established U.S. headquarters in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Aga Ranges, Inc., has built a national distribution network with more than 160 dealers nationwide. “Well-known American consumer brands like Coca-Cola, Nike and McDonald’s learned early on that their success in foreign markets depended on translating an American product and message to a native taste and sensibility,” says George. “My job is just the reverse – to take a cultural icon in Great Britain and make it a success story in the U.S. Americans are extremely receptive to all things British. When I get one of my Domain customers in front of an Aga, they ooh and aah, loving its styling. To see it, is to admire it. To cook on it, is to love it,” she continues. In addition to her recent inclusion in the “Power Elite”, George has won numerous awards, is a best-selling author and motivational speaker, and has appeared on national television and radio shows and in magazines. Domain is an upscale retailer of unique and high quality home furnishings. The company currently operates stores from Boston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. Well-loved for its affordable decorator looks, fully-accessorized displays and classic European-styling, Domain has won numerous industry and customer awards, including Outstanding National Furniture Store Chain. The company also boasts one of the most successful websites of any furniture retailer (www.domain-home.com). Aga Foodservice Group PLC, with $425 million in market capitalization, designs, manufactures and retails successful consumer and commercial brands. The premier brand in the consumer portfolio is the legendary Aga Range. Well-known in the U.K. for superior craftsmanship, timeless design and consumer-led product development, Aga enjoys tremendous brand recognition and has a rich heritage of over 70 years. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Aga Ranges, Inc. is a division of the Aga Foodservice Group, which is based in Birmingham, England. Aga Ranges, Inc. offers a signature product, the Aga, as well as the Aga Companion and the Aga Cook Shop Collection – a full line of Aga cookware and accessories. For more information, please visit www.aga-ranges.com. # # # Editor’s Note: High-resolution press photography is available at www.domain-home.com/press/press.htm

back to index