News

High Point, N.C. – March 23, 2009 – La-Z-Boy Incorporated’s Lea Division today announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with Nickelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) to develop youth furniture featuring some of the top-rated and most popular characters from Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego,Go!, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Wonder Pets! and iCarly, as well as designs based on the network’s signature Slime. The licensing agreement includes children’s and teen’s bedroom furniture, home office, bureaus, display cases, armoires and entertainment systems.  The iconic Nickelodeon and Slime names, trademarks and logos are also included in the agreement.

Lea will use kids’ imagination as inspiration to develop three age-related product lines, which will be introduced at the October High Point Market.  The three lines in development are:

·         Nick Jr., which will be designed for ages three to seven.  The Nick Jr. line will focus on Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, and will also include classic images from SpongeBob SquarePants.

·         Nick, which will focus on ages seven through 11.  The Nick line will concentrate primarily on the Splat logo, which represents the irreverent and kid-like spirit that is uniquely Nickelodeon. This line will be complemented with more stylized and silhouetted SpongeBob SquarePants graphics.

·         TEENick, which will focus on the tween/teen market.  The TEENick line will be designed to offer more sophisticated and contemporary gathering places for kids.

“Nickelodeon gives kids a home base on TV, and our new collections will soon give them a more kid-friendly environment within their own home,” said Jack Richardson, president of American Drew and Lea.  “Nickelodeon is the leader in kids’ entertainment, has universal appeal among boys and girls, and is trusted and respected by parents.  It is an extremely powerful brand that will translate well into youth furniture, and we are extremely excited by the opportunity that this new agreement brings to our company.”

“The Nickelodeon brand stands for all things kids, and Lea embodies this ideal within the furniture industry,” said Hal Snik, Senior Vice President of Domestic Licensing, NVCP. ” Kids have a special relationship with the Nickelodeon brand, and we’re excited to bring our audiences’ favorite adventures and characters from the television screen to the furniture in their bedrooms.”

The new line will use higher quality features, such as full extension drawers, and will retail at the middle price points.  Retail shipments will begin in January 2010.  

About Lea

Lea is the leading producer of youth bedroom furniture, and also makes second bedroom furniture in a wide variety of styles and finishes, at moderate prices.  Lea is a La-Z-Boy Incorporated company.

About La-Z-Boy Incorporated

La-Z-Boy Incorporated is one of the world’s leading residential furniture producers, marketing furniture for every room of the home. The La-Z-Boy Upholstery Group companies are Bauhaus, England and La-Z-Boy. The La-Z-Boy Casegoods Group companies are American Drew/Lea, Hammary and Kincaid.

The corporation’s proprietary distribution network is dedicated exclusively to selling La-Z-Boy Incorporated products and brands, and includes 328 stand-alone La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores and 449 Comfort Studios, in addition to in-store gallery programs at the company’s Kincaid, England and Lea operating units. According to industry trade publication In Furniture, the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries retail network is North America’s largest single-brand furniture retailer. Additional information is available at http://www.la-z-boy.com/

About Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the world's third largest licensing business, representing leading properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th anniversary year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

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