Kohl's to Carry Cristina's Furniture Line

By Nancy Ayala
Talk-show host Cristina Saralegui and her husband, Marcos Avila, have partnered with

Kohl’s Corp. to carry the Casa Cristina Collection, a furniture line the business couple started in October 2004. The furnishings will be available in 200 stores and on kohls.com starting in December.
Marketing and advertising plans were not disclosed, nor were financial terms of the transaction.
The Hispanic- and Mediterranean-inspired collection has been available in various stores across the country, but this is the first exclusive deal with a national retailer. Saralegui’s other name-branded products, including the bed and bath lines, also will be available. Fans have been able to locate where to find the items across the country by plugging their zip codes in a search tool on cristinaonline.com.
The Miami-based host told Marketing y Medios in August that a major partnership would be signed by the end of the year. The hands-on businesswoman said she would integrate her products on her Spanish-language Cristina show in the future, but the new deal allows her to reach a broader audience.
About her collection, she said, “Generally, when you are a celebrity and you license your name, a lot of the licensing goes on without the celebrity actually giving the partners a headache like I do because I really want our stuff to be special. I work very hard at that.”
The Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based specialty department store estimates it will have 817 stores in 45 states by the end of 2016. The line will launch in all stores in spring 2017, with bedding, bath and table linens; the collection’s pillows, rugs and decorations will follow.