Steelcase Inc. will discontinue its 13-year-old Revest operations, according to documents filed in a federal lawsuit. (The company has not formally announced it will close Revest, and a spokesman said a final decision on Revest's future has not been made.) The line of inexpensive, remanufactured furniture accounts for 5-15% of sales for Steelcase dealers across the country, many of whom were surprised to hear news of its demise. Minneapolis-based Omni Remanufacturing Inc., which according to court documents would lose about $23 million a year if Steelcase eliminates Revest, has filed a lawsuit claiming Steelcase "...has recently sought to cannibalize the market built up by Revest Midwest by offering its new platform line of products, including its new 'Kick' line as a replacement for the 'Revest' line." Steelcase has filed a U.S. District Court complaint to force Omni to negotiate the issue. Steelcase spokesman Allan Smith says a transition plan is in place to provide "appropriate product" replacements for the Revest line, should the company decide to eliminate it. "Our goal is not to disrupt [the business of] our customers or our dealers," he said. The apparent move to eliminate Revest follows the trend of large office-furniture makers leaving the refurbishing market.

(From “Court documents suggest Steelcase is ending its refurbishing operations” by Rob Kirkbride in The Grand Rapids Press)
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