MillerKnoll and Catalyst + Western Merger FAQ

Why did Herman Miller acquire Knoll, and what does that mean?

There have always been the top-five furniture manufacturers Steelcase, Herman Miller, Haworth, HNI, and Knoll. Revenue-wise, they are in that order, which hasn’t changed over time. When a company wants to grow, it’s usually through new product introductions or mergers and acquisitions. All of Herman Miller’s competitors have, over time, acquired smaller companies to fill product gaps. Herman Miller wanted to make a huge statement, and the timing was right to make a big splash and acquire Knoll. This combination of brands is an excellent match for their shared design heritage.

What are the brands under the new MillerKnoll collective?

You can see them below, but the complete list is Herman Miller, Knoll, naughtone, HAY, Muuto, Design Within Reach, Fully, DatesWeiser, Geiger, Holly Hunt, Colebrook Bosson Saunders, Maharam, Knoll Textiles, Spinneybeck, FilzFelt, and Edelman Leather.

The new collective is pretty big, and each has its unique culture and way of going to market, but they all complement each other. They all have their own brand name, product managers, and teams supporting them.

Will products from any of these brands be discontinued because of the merger?

The simple answer is no.

These brands will continue to stand independently as they have in the past. The market itself will drive discontinuation, as it has always done. If a product line stops being specified and people stop ordering it, it’s become irrelevant. It’s either lived through its lifetime or, for some other reason, it’s no longer a viable product. That is when products will be discontinued. MillerKnoll will continue to support our customers with their existing install base and will not be discontinuing products because there is a similar line in one of the other brands in the collective.

Will any of these brands go away?

No, the brands will stay separate and coexist with a combined support base.

Will there be a MillerKnoll brand of furniture?

No. All these brands have their own product releases, product managers, and research. We can leverage the synergies between those companies to have the best use of the brainpower in their organizations but retain all their own identities.

How is the merger of Catalyst with Western Office Interiors Seattle location going?

Catalyst has hired almost all Western Office Interiors Seattle employees and welcomed them to our team. We’re very excited to have this vast knowledge base of Knoll at our dealership; it has allowed us to hit the ground running with the acquisition. All our employees are learning about a new brand right now, but we have substantial knowledge bases of each in our organization.

As an Architect or Designer, who do we call when we need help with a MillerKnoll product?

Nanci Scoular, MillerKnoll’s Strategic Relationship Executive, is your primary point of contact. She has a large team from which to pull resources and will engage other team members where needed. You can also reach out to your primary Catalyst contact, and they will also be able to get your questions answered, and additional help facilitated.

What dealers in Puget Sound can sell the MillerKnoll brands?

Catalyst is the largest and only certified dealer in the area, and MBI is also an authorized dealer. The difference between certification and authorization is access to the dealer network. This network allows Catalyst, a certified dealer, to work with other dealers across the country to facilitate installs as though executed by our Catalyst team. In addition, we participate in MillerKnoll’s customer satisfaction survey program; we send a survey to all our customers, which allows them to give us valuable feedback. These scores ensure a high level of service in all our departments.