Late last month, Arteriors founder Mark Moussa signed sales distribution agreements with four European and Russian partners to expand the company’s product availability of lighting, furniture and accessories globally. Major agreements with Latitude 39, Wohnkulter, Kafuji and Litehouse Agency will bring Arteriors’ full spectrum of product to showrooms in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Denmark, Belgium, Luxemburg, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

“Arteriors has grown exponentially throughout our 25 years in business and our expansion to Europe and Asia is an ongoing part of that effort,” said Moussa. “I regularly travel to Europe and have met with customers who are anxious to gain easier access to our products and I am thrilled that we are now able to bring Arteriors to this region in the world.”

This reporter spoke with Moussa—a veteran of the home accents business who grew up working in his father's import business, and founded Arteriors Home in 1987—and learned the details of the expansion.

What was the motivation behind this global expansion?

We have been selling for many years to international customers on an individual-request basis, but the interest level has increased drastically over the past year. We felt like it had grown to the point where we needed to start building out the international support team and get focused on the opportunity and bring more international customers the product they want in a direct way.

What countries seem to be the most interested in Arteriors?

The initial round of 18 countries covered in these new agreements paint a pretty good picture of where the demand is right now—a mix of Western and Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation. We also recently signed an agreement with Cadicus Folium to represent us in Central and South America. Our products became available in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year.

Why did you choose to expand to the countries that you did?

The selection of geographies to target was based on a combination of factors but three really come to the top: 1. Where we were already were experiencing international demand, 2. Where we see growing international interest in American brands, and 3. Where the Arteriors aesthetic filled a known market need.

Is there a different selection of products that are popular abroad, as opposed to the US?

The Arteriors line is so broad with so many different materials, we have been pleasantly surprised at how well our domestic top-sellers have translated to international markets.

Do you see your competitors doing this as well, or are you sort of pioneering this venture?

Many home furnishing companies wait to expand internationally when their domestic sales start to plateau—that’s not the approach we are taking. We are growing aggressively both at home and abroad.

The new partnerships will service the following areas:

•    Latitude 39 will service Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

•    Wohnkulter will cover Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Denmark.

•    Kafuji will service Belgium and Luxembourg.

•    Litehouse Agency will service customers in the Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.