Appliance maker Dacor Inc. moved its headquarters from Diamond Bar to Costa Mesa last week.
Dacor, known for upscale kitchen appliances, said it moved into Plaza Tower near South Coast Plaza to be closer to its target customers and chief executive.
“South Coast Plaza is a world-renowned shopping center, especially for luxury products, so we will be positioned very close to there,” said Stephen Joseph, vice president of marketing at Dacor.
The other reason for the move was to be closer to Chief Executive Michael Joseph, who lives in Newport Beach.
“An advantage of the move is he’ll be closer to the office,” said Stephen Joseph, who is the chief executive’s son.
Dacor signed a lease with C.J. Segerstrom & Sons LLC’s The Offices of South Coast Plaza. Terms of the ground-floor suite lease weren’t disclosed.
The family company was started in 1965 by Stan and Florence Joseph in Pasadena. Back then, Dacor sold refrigerators.
It since has expanded into cooktops, dishwashers and other products.
The company doesn’t disclose its sales. The Business Journal estimates Dacor does about $200 million in yearly sales.
Like other appliance makers, Dacor has seen sales slow with the housing market’s swoon of the past few years.
“Overall business has been very challenging,” Joseph said.
Dacor originally moved from Pasadena to Diamond Bar eight years ago to be closer to its plant in City of Industry, where its products are designed and made.
The appliance maker moved its executives, senior management and marketing and accounting departments—about 60 people in all—to Costa Mesa.
It doesn’t plan on hiring, according to Joseph.
Dacor used to run a showroom in Diamond Bar for distributors and interior designers. The company now is looking for showroom space in Orange County, Joseph said.
The company sells through 1,200 independent appliance dealers in the U.S. and Canada.
Dacor recently added Whittier-based appliance and electronics retailer Pacific Sales Inc., part of Best Buy Co., to sell its appliances.
Dacor competes with Thermador, a unit of Germany’s BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GMBH, Mississippi’s Viking Range Corp., General Electric Co.’s Mono gram and Minnesota-based Whirlpool Corp.’s KitchenAid.
Dacor caters to about 2% of the market with its products, according to Joseph.
“Not everyone is in the market for luxury appliances,” he said.
Dacor has developed a line of products that targets entry-level buyers called the Distinctive line, which is due in March.
“It’s still a great, fully featured luxury product but at a more affordable price,” Joseph said.
The company has three tiers of products including deluxe high-end appliances, premium products and its latest mass-market items.
Dacor is marketing its new line through tradeshows, dealer meetings and working with interior designers.
The company also focuses much of its marketing on advertisements and partnerships with culinary, lifestyle and shelter magazines, including Bon Appétit magazine.
“Print is traditionally our biggest medium,” Joseph said.
Dacor has been stepping up its marketing efforts in the past few months, attempting to capitalize on the discounted advertising market.
The company launched radio ads through stations KNX and KFWB in Los Angeles.
“We desire to get our name out there in front of people,” Joseph said.
