QVC In-House Clothing Designer Susan Graver Set To Launch Jewelry Line

QVC’s in-house fashion designer Susan Graver is doing a jewelry line for the network that is set to debut next month.

According to poster to QVC’s online forums, Graver will debut her jewelry Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve.

Graver’s apparel is a mixed bag. We find some items great and fresh, like this velvet skirt, and others look frumpy and out-of-date. We don’t like a lot of the synthetics she uses.

Graver herself is a bouncy, sweet, upbeat personality, someone you’d like as your BFF.

QVC’s Web site says that Graver “finds herself drawn to vibrant patterns and colors. Specialty fabrics, tasteful embellishments, and flattering silhouettes also come into play. Perhaps the best part of Susan’s signature collection is how it makes you feel polished and put together. Easy care, easy wear — that’s Susan Graver Style.”

Former Host Kim Parrish Makes The Move From HSN To ShopNBC With Her Apparel Line Friday Night

Kim Parrish

Former HSN host and vendor Kim Parrish makes her maiden voyage on ShopNBC Friday might, with her Kim Parrish Collection. Her show premieres at 7 p.m.

The pieces include a ruffle top, jeans and a dolman sleeve top, among other items.

Parrish has a devout following, who seem eager to see her on the No. 3 home shopping channel.

There have been a number of HSN vendors who have landed at ShopNBC, most notably actress-author Suzanne Somers and celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey.

Actress Molly Sims’ New Jewelry Line, Grayce, Premieres Friday Night On HSN

Molly Sims

HSN is really going all out to promote actress Molly Sims’ new jewelry line, Grayce. It debuts Friday night at 10 p.m.

There are several video clips of the gorgeous blonde on HSN’s Web site, and the network has been running many promos of Sims and her jewelry.

Sims, part of the cast of the show “Vegas,” even wrote a letter posted on HSN’s Web site.

“This is the first time I have ever put my name on a product, and I couldn’t possibly be more proud of the outcome,” Sims wrote.

“I started collecting jewelry at a very young age,” she continued. “My mother used to travel to estate auctions and sales and buy boxes and boxes of jewelry – so it’s no surprise I grew up playing in my mother’s jewelry box! Jewelry was the first thing that really distinguished my personal style, and to this day, I still build all my outfits around jewelry, whether it’s going to lunch with a girlfriend or to a red-carpet event.”

Sims’ pieces include large cuffs studded with crystals and a variety of necklaces.

“Grayce is inspired by all aspects of my life,” she wrote. “From my varying career roles (actress, model, humanitarian) to the many sides of my style and personality (downtown girl, all-American girl, glamour girl, traveling gypsy girl) – this collection truly represents all of me. I love having the freedom to be a different girl from day to day – or even in the same day!”

HSN CEO Mindy Grossman is so psyched about Sims’ collection, the executive even mentioned it during a third-quarter conference call Thursday.

ShopNBC To Report Third-Quarter Earnings Next Wednesday

ShopNBC will discuss its third-quarter results next Wednesday, the company said Thursday.

ShopNBC president and CEO Keith Stewart and senior vice president and chief financial officer Frank Elsenbast will conduct a conference call Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. ET.

The No. 3 home shopping network will release its third-quarter earnings the morning of the conference call.

QVC and HSN reported their third-quarter results this week.

Are We Getting HSN Shop By Remote? We Have To Call Comcast, Our Cable Provider

HSN’s Shop by Remote is the only service of its kind in the United States, according to HSN CEO Mindy Grossman. And it’s expanding its distribution, which we’re sure will thrill husbands across the nation.

It’s obvious how it works: You can order HSN goods by pushing buttons on your remote in some cable systems. No need to get up and call on the phone or order on your computer.

Our parents have Shop By Remote, and they are Cablevision Systems’ customers. Our dad was not so happy when this service was added, but our mom sure was.

During a third-quarter conference call Thusday, Grossman said that the service will be rolled out in more cable systems.

”Distribution for this HSN interactive shopping service continued to grow, with the new launch to more than 7 million Comcast subscribers and millions more to be rolled out in the coming year,” she said.

We’re Comcast customers, but we don’t think we have HSN Shop by Remote yet. What’s up with that?

Celebrity Chefs Are Hot For HSN, But There’s No News About Todd English And His Bride-Jilting Caper

HSN was crowing Thursday about the success of the high-profile chefs that hawk products on the network. We guess it’s no surprise that officials didn’t mention the tabloid headlines that Todd English made recently for allegedly jilting his bride-to-be.

During a third-quarter conference call Thursday, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman said that the network “marries the best chefs of HSN with our successful commerce platform,” citing English, Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse.

The home shopping network expanded its chef roster last with week with the premieres of cook/TV host/cookbook authors Padma Lakshmi and Ingrid Hoffmann as part of the channel’s second annual “HSN Cooks” event. Lakshmi is a host of Bravo’s hit “Top Chef,” while Hoffman does shows for Food Network and Univision.

“The combination of diversity of product, personality and programming resulted in a sales increase of 40 percent over last year’s event,” Grossman said.

HSN was able to strike a deal with Lakshmi and leverage “the tremendous popularity of the ‘Top Chef’ reality series” after talking to her in April about doing a line of cutlery, teas and spices. That Easy Exotic line launched and sold out during the cooks’ event, according to Grossman.

Not mentioned again in the call was English, who was recently in the news in his home base of Boston and in New York City when he left his fiancee, Erica Wang, at the altar the day they were supposed to get married in Manhattan.

Wang painted English as a rat in an exclusive interview with The New York Post. Days later, English filed domestic abuse charges against Wang in Boston, alleging that she hit him in the head with his own watch.

HSN Gets Momentum From ‘Her Side’ Of The Business, Like Jennifer Stallone’s Firma-Face: Suzanne Somers Not Missed

HSN CEO Mindy Grossman

Even though its third-quarter sales slipped a hair, HSN has momentum and is upbeat about the coming holiday season, according to company officials.

During a third-quarter conference call Thursday, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman fielded questions from Wall Street analysts about the company’s outlook for the rest of the year. 

“We’re optimistic going into the fourth quarter and seeing the trends continue from third quarter across multiple categories of the business, whether it’s new innovations in technology or, as you mentioned, in the ‘Her Side’ of the business,” Grossman said.

“We feel that both from an inventory perspective and a product-pipeline perspective we’re very well positioned going and in the quarter from everything from our gift strategies all the way to some of the new product introductions that we have had a lot of success with consistently,” she said.

Net sales for the HSN network and Web site (excluding HSN Inc.’s Cornerstone unit) decreased in the quarter to $467 million, versus $471 million last year, down 1 percent. However, operating income increased 115 percent to $37.1 million compared to $17.3 million in the prior year.

Chief financial officer Judy Schmeling said that the “slight sales decrease” was a reflection of the 6 percent lower-average price point for HSN items in the quarter, incuding an 18 percent decline in the average price point for the Today’s Special, “rather than any sizable mix shift.”

The network’s return rate dropped to 19.5 percent in the third quarter from 20.3 percent in the prior period; and inventory was down 15 percent.

In contrast to HSN, QVC saw its sales rise slightly in the third quarter. Earlier this week, QVC domestic posted $1.098 billion in revenue in the third quarter, a 2 percent increase from $1.073 billion in the year-ago period.

At HSN in the third quarter, gross profit increased 8 percent to $168.6 million. Unit growth was up 6 percent.

The No. 2 home shopping network has seen growing success with its fashion, beauty and jewelry lines, the “Her Side” of the business, according to Grossman.

“We have transformed our fashion businesses, exited unproductive brands and invested in the creation and developmemt of proprietary lifestyle brands with talented individuals who can bring a unique point of view to our customers,” Grossman said.

She cited as examples red-carpert designers Bagley Mischka, actress Molly Sims, rock star David Bowie’s model wife Iman and tennis champ Serena Williams. There was no mention of actress-author Suzanne Somers moved from HSN to ShopNBC during the third-quarter.

“It is important to note that at HSN we don’t just buy brand,” Grossman said. “We partner with visionaries, experts and design authorites to build propriety brands and bring them to life in unique and compelling ways.”

The CEO cited the line by Stefani Greenfield, Curations.

“We are now recognized in the fashion industry as a destination with strong leadership, innovation and a successful track record,” Grossman said.

In terms of the beauty category, HSN has added brands such as Benefit and Lancome, as well reaping success with its proprietary brands, such as Jennifer Stallone’s Serious Skin Care and FranBrand, the skincare line launched this week kby actess Fran Drescher.

HSN’s launch of Serious Skin Care’s Firma-Face in just four days in September sold almost 100,000 units, and more than 60 percent of customers signing up for Autoship, to ensure regular delivery, according to Grossman.

HSN has adjusted its jewelry product mix, resulting in unit growth of 13% this quarter, she said. Silver and fashion jewelry continue to be strong, with sales up 30 percent over last year “as customers responded to our wider range of price points and new designer introductions,” Grossman said.

She added that she is looking forward to the launch of Molly Sims’ jewelry line, Grayce, later this week.

Despite the dire economny, there was a 7 percent growth rate in sales from HSN’s best customers.

“We have been very focued in that segment of our business, and what we are seeing is her continuing to buy across multiple categories,” Grossman said

She explained that HSN is offering “The World of Carlos Falchi” and “Global Chic” from Iman.

Those are “businesses that completely go across jewelry, apparel, accessories, beauty, etc.,” Grossman said, noting that HSN’s viewers are “buying across multiple categories and we’re seing the increase in that best customer in the number of purchases she’s been making.”

Sans Suzanne Somers, HSN Sales Dip 1 Percent In The Third Quarter, But Earnings Skyrocket

Suzanne Somers

The No. 2 home shopping network HSN saw its net sales slip 1 percent in the third quarter, versus growth of 4 percent in the prior-year period, the company reported Thursday. But earnings rose sharply.

Net sales for the HSN network and Web site (excluding HSN Inc.’s Cornerstone unit) decreased in the quarter to $467 million, versus $471 million last year. However, operating income increased 115 percent to $37.1 million compared to $17.3 million in the prior year.

In contrast to HSN, QVC saw its sales rise slightly in the third quarter. Earlier this week, QVC domestic posted $1.098 billion in revenue in the third quarter, a 2 percent increase from $1.073 billion in the year-ago period.

At HSN in the third quarter, gross profit increased 8 percent to $168.6 million and the gross profit margin improved 310 basis points to 36.1 percent in the third quarter compared to 33 percent in the prior year. The significant improvement in gross profit was due to a reduction in inventory reserves, improved product margin and net shipping and handling costs.

“In our first year as an independent public company, we have clearly demonstrated our ability to leverage our differentiated business model, strengthen our foundation and exert strict financial and operational discipline to maximize results,” HSN CEO Mindy Grossman said in a prepared statement. “Despite the continued macro-economic challenges, we emerged as a stronger company at the end of the third quarter with EBITDA growth of 30 percent and $238.7 million in cash.”

For the first nine months, HSN’s net sales slipped 1 percent, to $1.396 billion from $1.410 billion in the year-ago period.

In the third quarter HSN’s shipped units increased by 6 percent while the average price point decreased by 6 percent as a result of a continued focus on key items and price/value. Return rates improved by 80 basis points due to improved product quality, apparel fit initiatives, and lower price points.

HSN.com net sales grew 7 percent over the prior year following 17 percent growth in the prior year. Sales from e-commerce represented 29.8 percent of HSN’s total net sales, up from 27.6 percent in the prior year.

“At HSN, sales momentum continued to build as the quarter progressed,” Grossman said. “Our strategy of driving customer engagement through unique interactive experiences, differentiated brands and products, and a continued focus on customer service resulted in a 6 percent increase in unit sales and best customer growth of 7 percent. And 10 years after the launch of hsn.com, we now have one of the most video pervasive sites in e-commerce and our hsn.com sales penetration now represents 30 percent of our total business.”

The improvement in net shipping and handling was due to lower fuel costs and warehouse productivity improvements. Gross profit margins also benefited from a reduction in inventory reserves related to HSN’s inventory levels. Continued efforts on aligning inventory purchases with sales demand and reducing aged inventory resulted in a decrease in inventory by $39.6 million, or 15 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 32 percent to $47.1 million in the third quarter compared to the prior year as a result of the increase in gross profit.

“We remain on the forefront of transactional innovation,” Grossman said. “In addition to launching the first live in-flight television shopping experience, we are the only retailer streaming live video across three different screens – television, online and mobile and we continue our roll-out of Shop by Remote, the only interactive shopping platform of its kind in the U.S. We are excited about our opportunities as we continue to fully maximize our capabilities combining innovative products and lifestyle brands with our unique ability to interact with our customers across multiple platforms.”

On NARS Makeup Debut, You Can Buy An ‘Orgasm,’ But QVC Host Lisa Robertson Can’t Say It

Is orgasm a naughty word? Well, it’s apparently too racy for QVC.

You can’t make this stuff up. On Wednesday night QVC premiered the high-end NARS cosmetics line, but no one was allowed to say the name of the popular color of one of the brand’s lip glosses and blushes, the aforesaid “Orgasm.”

Host Lisa Robertson from the get-go warned viewers about the names of the NARS items, saying, “Some of them are provocative, some a little shocking.”

Hey QVC: If you can’t say the name of a makeup color on the air, don’t sell it. The Orgasm blush is extremely popular, iconic even.

NARS rep Stephanie Gower referred to the forbidden Orgasm color lip gloss as “the one that cannot be named.” Some of the lip gloss names that Robertson was permitted to say were “Triple X” and “Striptease.”

The “O” problem resurfaced when Robertson talked about the  NARS’s stick blush, which also has a color “Orgasm.” Once again, it was the word that dare not be spoken on QVC.  All Gower could tell viewers was “I do use the Big O.”

By the way, the Orgasm blush color was described as “a peachy pink with shimmer.”

Although QVC banned Robertson and Gower from saying the apparently dirty word, the network did show the name “Orgasm” onscreen in the product descriptions.

The irony was that the NARS debut took place during QVC’s “What a Girl Wants” 24-hour special. Well, we thinks most girls want an orgasm.

By the way,  the French makeup master Francois Nars was missing in action in West Chester, Pa., for his line’s premiere on QVC. That was pretty lame and disappointing. 

“He is a busy, busy gentleman,” Robertson said.

We don’t care. Francois should have gotten his French butt to QVC’s studios. The brief video clip of him was no substitute.

(In retrospect, maybe Francois was a no-show because he was mad that QVC, lead by us prudish Americans, wouldn’t say the name of his Orgasm blush on the air.)

GemsTV Veteran Nancy Hornback Comes To QVC As Host, Threatened With Kiss From Fur Designer Dennis Basso

We guess the PR department at QVC doesn’t like to do too much work, or they would have put out an announcement on one of the network’s new hosts, Nancy Hornback. Or maybe we somehow missed it on QVC’s online list of press releases (although we checked it three times).

This from a company whose CEO Mike George just bragged earlier this week about QVC’s improved public-relations effort.

Hornback was on Wednesday afternoon with coat designer Dennis Basso and host Jill Bauer, who claimed that this was only Hornback’s second day on the air. Basso threatened to kiss Hornback, and Bauer told him not to scare her away.

Basso, by the way, is from New Jersey, from Lake Hopatcong in Morris County, we believe. We grew up in Morris County.

But here’s the scoop about Hornback from QVC’s Web site, where at least the Web meisters seem to be working.

Hornback joined QVC in September (although she just went on the air this week) as a program host, according to the site.

Prior to joining the QVC she served as a presenter for GemsTV USA, where she showcased the company’s gemstone jewelry offerings.

Hornback’s professional background includes corporate hosting roles for LG Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, Panasonic and Sharp – among others.

She starred in the off-Broadway show “Sealed for Freshness” and has performed on various opera and musical theater stages. Hornback also played the role of “Belle” in Walt Disney World’s main stage production of “Beauty and the Beast” at MGM Studios.

In her spare time, Hornback relaxes with her family, plays tennis, skis and bicycles.

“She has a passion for learning and education, which she finds extremely important in her eternal quest for personal and professional growth, as well as for expanding her creativity,” according to QVC’s Web site.

Hornback holds a master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music from Indiana University. She is also a Gemological Institute of America Accredited Jewelry Professional.

Some QVC online posters were griping that QVC had hired another female host.