Michael Amini Brand Project

Michael Amini

Furnishings & DĂŠcor Brands: Profile, Products, Pricing, Processes, People, Press & Progress

Where Innovation meets Elegance

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Image: Michael Amini Sky Tower Collection

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Table of Contents Pages 4-9) Pages 10-19)

Profile: Company Type, Locations, Ownership, History, Company Data, Industry Position Products and Pricing: Classification, Collections and Categories, Licensing & Brand Partners,

Trends

Pages 20-22) Pages 23-26) Pages 27-29) Pages 30-33)

Processes: Procurement, Product Acquisition, Production and Manufacturing People: Key People, Consumers Press: In the News, Career Opportunities Progress: Issues and Challenges, ECommerce and Digital Strategies, COVID-19, Commercial

Expansion

Pages 34-35)

References

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Profile 4

Profile Ownership: AICO is a privately owned corporation founded by Michael Amini in 1988. Amini remains involved in the inner workings of the company as the CEO. History: Michael Amini, born in Tehran, Iran, moved to the United States during his 20’s. He went on to graduate from California State University in Long Beach with an engineering degree. He worked as an electrical engineer prior to building his furniture empire. Amini explored career paths in the automotive industry and fashion industry focusing on apparel before deciding to become a salesman for a furniture company in Los Angeles. During his employment, he received the opportunity to design furniture for the company, which soon became some of their top sellers.

Michael Amini started his own company in 1988 selling furniture for manufacturers, but soon began designing and producing his own collections. When he first began his brand was very traditional, but as time passed, Amini has extended his designs to reach other styles. Amini gets most of his inspiration for his design from countries he has traveled to. Amini strives to incorporate craftsmanship in his designs. His company has grown extensively expanding into new product categories. He now manufactures casegoods, upholstery and accent pieces. Amini designs his collections in a various styles allowing any consumer to bring an Amini product into their home.Amini has also collaborated on some lines with well-known names such as Kathy Ireland and Jane Seymour.

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Profile Company Type

Location

The Michael Amini brand, also referred to as AICO- Amini Innovation Corporation, is a manufacturer in the furniture industry. This brand designs, manufactures and distributes their products to furniture retailers around the globe.

The AICO Headquarters is located in Pico Rivera, California.

Address: 8725 Rex Road, Pico Rivera, CA 90660 Phone: 562-222-2500 Website: www.Amini.com Showrooms: Las Vegas, North Carolina, New York

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Profile Company Data Employees: 184 Revenue: $36 Million Available on: Aico - Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com

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Profile

Industry Position Top Competitors: Available on: Aico Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com

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Products & Pricing

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Products & Pricing Classification

Collections & Categories

AICO is primarily a manufacturer of residential furniture. The Amini Brand produces casegoods, upholstery, lighting, and accents in a series of styles. However, AICO has expanded into commercial good through the opening of a sister company, AICO Office Systems.

AICO Office Systems is an affiliate of AICO that manufactures office furniture and casegoods.

The Amini Brand manufactures furniture and decor that fit in many categories including bedroom, dining room, living room, home office, lighting, bedding, and decor. The Amini Brand also has an extensive number of collections, which each incorporate craftsmanship and various design styles that range from traditional to modern. Michael Amini has also collaborated with celebrities, Jane Seymour and Kathy Ireland, to design collections. AICO is constantly striving to exceed expectations by incorporating intricate details in each piece.

Michael Amini seeks to set new trends in the furniture industry with his designs.

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Cortina Collection Designed by Michael Amini

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Michael Amini designed this this line around the upper class/ royal, stately look. He incorporated carved wood, marble and curling metal into the collection to create the elegant look seen quite often in manors.

This collection was designed with an urban life in mind. Amini incorporated sleek lines and hardware completing the modern collection with a polished finish.

Urban Place Collection Designed by Michael Amini

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Melrose Plaza Collection Designed by Michael Amini and Jane Seymour

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“Glam with a contemporary twist� is the best way to describe this design, which incorporates sleek lines, a polished finish and completed by gorgeous crystal accents. This collection is made for any consumer who seeks to live lavishly.

Michael Amini collaborated with Kathy Ireland to create this coastal collection. However, the bronze hardware and solid wood incorporated into the pieces also give this collection an urban feel. The subtle colors light up any room creating an airy minimalist atmosphere.

Menlo Station Collection Designed by Michael Amini and Kathy Ireland

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Products & Pricing Licensing & Brand Partners Michael Amini has partnered with many celebrities and designers over the year in order to ensure product quality for his corporation. He has collaborated with Jane Seymour and Kathy Ireland to design incredible collection. In addition, Amini decided to partner with artists and designers in order to begin designing art and rugs for homes. AICO partnered with Janet Guy, the president of Prestige Art in Laguna Niguel, and created an art collection consisting of 22 pieces expanding AICO’s product selection into art. Michael Amini also partnered with Alex Peykar, president of Nourison in Saddle Brook, NJ, in order to design his rug collection. Since Amini has expanded into lighting as well he has been partnering with engineers and product developers as well.

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Amini and Ireland Hudson Ferry Collection www.Amini.c om to see both collaborations.

Prestige Art Partnership

Prestige Arts & Art Trends (prestigeartsandarttrends.com)

Nourison Partnership Michael Amini area rugs by Nourison

Products & Pricing Trends Michael Amini designs his pieces in various styles. However, some trends in his more traditional designs are carved wood, elegant hardware, leather and marble accents. These aspects all come together to create a warm atmosphere in a room. Many of these pieces are often seen designed with gorgeous details. In Amini’s more modern designs, the use of cool colors, sleek hardware, and clean lines is seen throughout his pieces. Trends in his contemporary pieces are established through his use of creams and upholstery creating a feeling of calm through his products. In many designs these styles are blended.

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Products & Pricing Trends Some trends seen in the forecast for 2020/2021 would be bold colors, in-home comfort, sustainability, organic forms, and minimalism.

As empowerment is becoming a common theme for people so is the desire to express oneself, and this can definitely be done through color. These bold colors are predicted to be seen in both the fashion and furniture industry. Michael Amini often gets inspiration for his products from the fashion industry, so it will be interesting to see how these trends take form in his products. As Amini designs furniture in a vast number of styles minimalism and organic forms are likely to be seen in with the coming trends.

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BEHR Color Trends 2021 Pallet

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Processes 20

Processes Where are AICO products manufactured/produced?

AICO products are made in factories all across Asia.

In 2019, Michael Amini broke ground in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. According to Furniture Today, this facility with be a “360,000 square-foot manufacturing and logistics center� (McLoughlin, 2019).

Michael Amini on Vegas, Vietnam and beyond - YouTube

Interview with Bill McLoughlin of FT

Procurement As stated, AICO products are produced in Asian countries by skilled craftsmen who manufacture products to the high quality standards Amini has established. High quality materials are used to bring Amini designs to life for consumers.

Product Acquisition AICO products are available through an extensive number of wholesalers. Some big names include Wayfair, Perigold, Luxe Decor and Amazon.

AICO manufactures and then distributes to retailers all around the world.

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Processes Production and Manufacturing In the following video, Michael Amini, explains the inner workings of his warehouse.

A tour of AICO from th e office to a warehouse - YouTube

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People High Point Market Center

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People Martin Poly Martin Poly is the President at AICO.

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Michael Amini

Chuck Reilly

Michael Amini is the Founder and CEO of AICO. He is the face of the company and designs the furniture

Chuck Reilly is the Executive Vice President for AICO.

People Consumers In an article titled, Americans Yearn for a Sense of Nostalgia, written by Anne Wear for Furniture Today, Wear discusses recent consumer characteristics and what direction they are moving in.

Often the design style of a consumer depends on where they live. One might find that southern states might have a larger market for farmhouse style, while the Northeast and West would be more modern. Top sellers for 2020 included storage furniture, accent chairs and media cabinets.

Consumers tend to be seeking more comfort and functionality in their homes recently. People also seem to be looking more towards affordable renovations and/or redesign. With this information, Wear predicts that a new design style will surface in 2021 called “Grandmillennial Style�, which would focus on furnishings and design that bring a nostalgic atmosphere to a room. According to Modsy, a sense of nostalgia is just what consumers are wanting to put into a room. In addition, sustainability is becoming more important to a consumer in their purchasing process. (Wear, 2020)

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Sense of Nostalgia in a Living Space

Press 27

Press In The News In AICO ‘All-Stars’ raise $36,000 for City of Hope event, written

by Furniture Today staff, it is explained how AICO raised money to go towards fighting and curing cancer for women.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the fundraiser was held virtually on October 4th. City of Hope leaders and doctors spoke out and cancer survivors told their stories. Although the event was cancelled, participants were still encouraged to walk their own route. The AICO All-Stars Team participated in this event being lead by Martin Poly in order to raise awareness and funds.

AICO’s participance in the event shows consumers that they are a compassionate company and look to better the world in any way they can help. (Furniture Today Staff, 2020) 28

Martin Poly and his Wife

Press Career Opportunities Currently there are two positions for hire at AICO. AICO is in need of an International Logistics Coordinator, which requires those interested to speak Mandarin Chinese for the position.

The Michael Amini brand is also in need of an ECommerce Customer Service Representative, who would be responsible for customer service in regards to emails, phone calls, and portals.

This job also entails fulfilling orders and data entry.

AICO also encourages people interested in working for the company to reach out to them whether through email or LinkedIn. 29

Progress

Progress Issues and Challenges According to Furniture Today’s article, AICO to build facility in Vietnam, Michael Amini faced challenges when he bought the land for his new facility in Vietnam. The original plan was to build a distribution facility, but after two years of planning, they discovered that you cannot build a distribution center without a factory. This caused a delay in getting approval to break ground on the land. However they did get the plans approved and began construction spring of 2019 and were due to open May of this year. I have done extensive research, but was not able to find out if they opened on schedule or ran into issues with COVID-19. (Furniture Today Staff, 2019)

COVID-19 Some effects COVID-19 had on AICO were often parallel to the pandemic’s effects on other industries. COVID-19 forced AICO to focus primarily on online marketing. For many businesses COVID-19 came with negative effects, however AICO’s business came back strong with their revenue reaching just under $40 million around April of this year according to ZoomInfo. With people working at home and in quarantine, a study showed that “69% of people engaged in a home redesign project in 2020 with functionality being the No. 1 motivator”. Therefore, there became a demand for furnishing products. (Wear, 2020)

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Progress ECommerce and Digital Strategies

Website: www.Amini.com Facebook: @MichaelAminiDesigns Instagram: @Michael_Amini Twitter: @AICO_Amini

AICO markets its products on many online platforms. Their website does well in ecommerce as it displays product categories in an easy-to-navigate way allowing consumers to find products efficiently. In addition, the Amini website tells consumers where they can buy their products. The website is visually pleasing and engaging to visitors.

AICO also has accounts on social medias which are both aesthetically pleasing to look at and informative to consumers. These marketing strategies are effective in attracting consumers digitally.

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Images from AICO’s Instagram

Progress AICO’S Expansion into Commercial Design with AICO Office Systems AICO Office Systems- AOS- is an affiliate of AICO. This company was founded by Michael Amini, who continues to be the CEO. This sister company offer in the following product categories: office desks, seating, storage, and conference tables. AOS has its headquarters also located in Pico Rivera, California and manufactures products in a 322,000 square-foot warehouse. AICO Office Systems, like AICO, prides itself on high quality pieces and excellent customer service. They have six collections of office furniture including Incept, Linq, Prevue, Queue, Tuscano®, and Windsor Court®. The furniture pictured to the left is from AOS’s Incept collection.

Website: AICO Office Systems | Amini Innovation, Corp. (aosaico.com) 33

References White, R. D. (2015, June 28). How an unhappy electrical engineer became a thriving furniture designer. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-amini-20150628-story.html Slaughter, P. (2019, February 04). Michael Amini, AICO. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://www.furnituretoday.com/business-news/michael-amini-aico/ AICO Office Systems: Amini Innovation, Corp. AICO Office Systems | Amini Innovation, Corp. http://www.aosaico.com/collection.php?code=13000.

Color Trends 2021: Palettes and Paint Colors of the Year. Behr. https://www.behr.com/consumer/inspiration/2021-color-trends/.

Michael Amini Furniture Designs: amini.com". https://amini.com/aboutus.asp.

Pantone. (2020, November 17). Pantone. Pantone.com. https://www.pantone.com/articles/fashion-color-trend-report/new-york-fashion-week-spring-summer-2021.

Hudson, S. (2014, November 10). Furniture Firm to Make Rooms With Brand Deals. Furniture Firm to Make Rooms With Brand Deals | Los Angeles Business Journal. https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2014/nov/10/furniture-firm-make-rooms-brand-deals/.

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References Nourison. Michael Amini area rugs by Nourison. Nourison. https://www.nourison.com/products/brands/michael-amini.

Home Living Furniture. Discount Aico Furniture Collections On Sale. https://www.homelivingfurniture.com/m2/aico-furniture.

Furniture Today. (2019, June 26). AICO breaks ground on new Vietnam facility. Furniture Today. https://www.furnituretoday.com/international/aico-breaks-ground-on-new-vietnam-facility/.

Wear, A. (2020, November 23). Americans yearn for a sense of nostalgia. Furniture Today. https://www.furnituretoday.com/design-trends/americans-yearn-for-a-sense-of-nostalgia/.

Furniture Today. (2020, November 2). AICO 'All-Stars' raise $36,000 for City of Hope event. Furniture Today. https://www.furnituretoday.com/community-news/aico-all-stars-raise-36000-for-city-of-hope-walk-for-hope-event/.

Furniture Today. (2019, April 6). AICO to build facility in Vietnam. Furniture Today. https://www.furnituretoday.com/furniture-manufacturing/aico-to-build-facility-in-vietnam/.

Furniture Today. (2019). Michael Amini on Vegas, Vietnam and beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSLDSZRYXjk. Furniture Today. (2019). A tour of AICO from the oďŹƒce to a warehouse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK8BkxRd1wE. ZoomInfo. Aico - Overview, News & Competitors. ZoomInfo. https://www.zoominfo.com/c/aico/6215563.

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