Archive for November, 2014

QVC Worker Killed In Forklift Accident In South Carolina

November 30, 2014

A worker at QVC’s distribution center in South Carolina died in a tragic workplace accident on Thanksgiving Day, and she was apparently beloved by her fellow employees.

CarolinaLive.com reported that Agnus Ann McKithen, 45, of Timmonsville died in the mishap at the QVC center on TV Road in Florence, S.C.

http://www.carolinalive.com/m/news/story?id=1129017

The website said that McKithen was on a forklift 30 feet up in the air when it was struck by another forklift. Her forklift fell over, and she fell with it.

McKithen died at a local hospital, and her death was mourned.

“I will miss you Agnus RIP,” said one post on the story. “Your smile will add to the light in heaven loving friend and co-worker.”

“Rest in peace, Auntie,” wrote another.

“Our outbound supervisor in Rocky Mount, NC, pulled us to the side for a meeting after lunch today, with tears in her eyes,” said another post. “My prayers go out to everyone involved.”

We offer our condolences to McMcKithen’s family, as well. That was terrible news to hear at any time, but especially on Thanksgiving.

Joy Mangano Busts Record With 157,000 Huggable Hanger Sales

November 27, 2014

Damn, that is one shit-load of Huggable Hangers!

HSN Mother of Invention Joy Mangano last Saturday busted her own record, selling more than 157,000 sets during her Holiday Home Gift Event. Mangano beat her old record of selling 99,000 Huggable Hanger sets in a single day on HSN earlier this year.

Huggable Joy Mangano

Huggable Joy Mangano

The Huggable Hanger Gifts by The Dozen set featured her most popular product in a one-time special “six in one” holiday gift set.

“Thank you to the millions of customers who have transformed their closets and their lives with Huggable Hangers,” Mangano said in a canned statement. “I am humbled by this recent milestone, which speaks volumes to how our smart shoppers have fallen in love with the art of organization.”

HSN CEO Mindy Grossman Chats On Bloomberg TV

November 26, 2014

For those curious to hear about HSN’s strategy from the horse’s mouth, take a peak at clips from CEO Mindy Grossman’s interview Wednesday on Bloomberg TV.

Grossman appeared on “In the Loop with Betty Liu” to discuss the key strategies on how retailers will be successful throughout the holiday season.

Here are some talking points from Grossman’s chat:

* Betting Big on Mobile
* Consumers Are Smart And They Understand Value
* Making The Shopping Experience Personal
* Entertainment and Celebrity Partnerships Drive Engagement

A replay of the video is here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/hsn-ceo-mindy-grossman-on-mobile-sales-holiday-shopping-hUT4y_DIRX~A8BGst4lGMQ.html

N.Y. Post Puff Piece On ShopHQ And Honcho Bozek

November 22, 2014

The New York Post’s business section finally did a story on ShopHQ’s name change to Evine Live (better late than never), and you will have to pardon our French here.

The article was what we in the journalism business would call a bl-w job. What does that mean? It was a fawning, unskeptical piece on the No. 3 home shopping network’s planned rebranding by new CEO Mark Bozek.

Here’s the headline; “Bozek’s No Clown: Brings Mojo to TV Shopping Channel.” The Post credits the former HSN honcho with bringing “brands with fans” to ShopHQ.

If you read the story, you get management-speak mumbo jumbo from Bozek about how Evine Live is going to be a competitor to Amazon.

Really? Well we’re going to earn $1 million (like Mr. Bozek) in the next year. Just because you say something doesn’t make it happen.

We appreciate Bozek making bold moves at ShopHQ, but rebranding a network, any network, is tricky business. We wish him luck.

http://nypost.com/2014/11/21/shophq-ceo-says-hes-the-man-to-change-the-industry/

ShopHQ Execs Bozek, Nuce’s Outrageous Comp Packages

November 20, 2014

There’s a lot going on at ShopHQ, we mean Evine Live, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And boy, are ShopHQ execs Mark Bozek and Russell Nuce making out like bandits.

You’d never know the home shopping network was struggling based on their executive comp — $1.13 million for Bozek and $567,000 for Nuce. And that doesn’t include their monthly allowances and moving expenses, etc.

First of all, veteran reality TV producer, and hit maker, Thom Beers is no longer on the No. 3 home shopping network’s board. This comes in the wake of Nuce being named Chief Strategy Officer at the company.

No wonder Russell Nuce and Mark Bozek are smiling

No wonder Russell Nuce and Mark Bozek are smiling

“As a result of the consummation of the transaction, the Company’s board of directors has determined that Mr. Beers will no longer serve as an independent director as that term is defined in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ Stock Market and at this time, will no longer be a member of the Company’s corporate governance and nominating committee,” the SEC filing said.

What is Nuce getting for coming on-board?

An initial base salary of $375,000 annually, a signing bonus of $75,000 and a one-time first-year bonus of $116,667, payable upon completion of the fiscal year ending Jan. 31 next year. Wow, sweet! We’re no math experts, but we think that adds up to about $567,000.

And how about this?

To help with Nuce’s relocation to the company’s headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., he will receive a living expense allowance of $4,000 a month for up to six months, plus a $10,000 family travel allowance for up to 12 months.

Bozek this week also entered into a generous executive employment and severance agreement, which provides for an initial base salary of $625,000 a year, a signing bonus of $125,000 and a one-time first-year bonus of $381,849, payable upon completion of the fiscal year ending Jan. 31.

To assist with Bozek’s relocation to the company’s headquarters, his employment agreement provides for a living expense allowance of $2,500 a week for up to six months, plus an additional amount to make Bozek whole for taxes on the living expense allowance.

His employment agreement also provides that he be reimbursed for up to $20,000 in reasonable and documented legal expenses and other costs associated with the negotiation of his employment arrangements, and for an award of performance restricted stock units under the Company’s 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan with a fair value of about $1 million.

And how about this as a golden parachute?

If Bozek is canned without cause (other than as a result of death or disability) or he exits “with good reason,” he will receive severance benefits consisting of a cash severance payment equal to one and one-half times the sum of his base salary and his average annual bonus over the prior three fiscal years (or such fewer number of prior years for which he has been employed by the company).

The multiple will be increased to two times Bozek’s base salary and average annual bonus following a change in control.

Read it all for yourself here:

http://hsprod.investis.com/site/irwizard/vvtv/ir.jsp?page=sec_item_new&ipage=9909017&DSEQ=&SEQ=&SQDESC=

ShopHQ Sees 7 Percent Sales Gain In Third Quarter

November 19, 2014

In addition to unveiling its name change Tuesday, ShopHQ also reported its third-quarter earnings, posting a 7 percent increase in net sales, to $157.1 million.

The year-over-year revenue gain was due to strong sales in the fashion, accessories, beauty, health and fitness categories, the network — soon to be called Ervine Live — said.

Mark Bozek

Mark Bozek

Adjusted net income rose to $1.6 million, or three cents a share, compared with an adjusted net loss of $900,000 a year ago.

“I am pleased with our third-quarter results,” ShopHQ CEO Mark Bozek said in a canned statement. “We achieved improvements in operating metrics across the P&L, and we are excited for the holiday season. I am also looking forward to accelerating our transition to a true digital commerce company and implementing our new, unified strategy, which should expand our reach and further drive long-term growth.”

Chief Financial Officer William McGrath also chimed in.

“We ended the quarter with $26 million in cash and restricted cash,” he said. “During the quarter, the company had borrowings under our PNC credit facility of around $5 million to fund capital expenditures incurred for our Bowling Green distribution center expansion.”

ValueVision, ShopNBC, ShopHQ, Evine Live?

November 19, 2014

Honestly, we’re not sure if we remember all of the monikers that the No. 3 home shopping network has had over the years. And we don’t like the latest one.

It started out of ValueVision. We think it next changed to ShopNBC, but we may have missed a name here.

Then it was rebranded as ShopHQ under Keith Stewart’s reign, and we actually that was a pretty good name.

EVINELive_LOGO_RGB

But on Tuesday the new management at ShopHQ, led by Mark Bozek, announced that it was renaming the network yet again, immmediately, as Evine Live Inc., “marking an important next step in the Company’s long-term strategy to become a true digital commerce company.”

Effective Thursday, the company’s NASDAQ trading symbol will also change from VVTV to EVLV.

“EVINE Live will focus on all things digital,” the press release said. “The ‘Es’ that bookend the EVINE Live brand speak to the ease, exclusivity and energy of this new entertaining consumer experience. The inclusion of the word ‘Live’ is all about real-time impulses to act and interact on all digital platforms.”

You got that corporate speak?

http://tcbmag.com/News/Recent-News/2014/November/ValueVision-Rebranding-Now-Called-EVINE-Live

“On the heels of a solid third quarter, we strongly believe definitive change and innovation are necessary to build on our recent momentum and drive the Company to the next level,” Bozek, CEO of EVINE Live, said in a canned statement.

“We believe that fully embracing this new transformation will enable EVINE Live to forge new paths and new relationships that allow us to be far more competitive, far more creative, and far more disruptive on all our platforms,” Bozek said. “EVINE Live has the opportunity to be fearless in our strategies to transform the worlds of retail and entertainment while, at the same time, driving greater customer engagement.”

The network said that it expects to transition from doing business as “ShopHQ” to “Evine Live” over the coming months, with the complete rebranding planned to take place in the first half of next year.

Russell Nuce and Mark Bozek

Russell Nuce and Mark Bozek

In the coming months, the channel intends to introduce new proprietary brands from the worlds of fashion, beauty, jewelry, home and fitness.

“This new approach should enable us to build a stronger foundation for long-term growth,” added Bozek.

The company also announced that Russell Nuce has joined as its Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to Bozek.

“Russell has been a longtime colleague whose experience in strategy, licensing, corporate law and entertainment will help provide the architecture for all that comes next,” Bozek said.

We haven’t listened to the analyst call yet about this news, and the network’s third-quarter results. More on that in another blog.

Brooke Shields’ Mom And Her QVC, HSN Cubic Zirconia

November 17, 2014

Catching up on my blogging here, after a busy week.

First of all, actress/model/New Jersey native Brooke Shields new memoir, “There Was A Little Girl,” has just been released. She spends a good part of it, apparently, talking about her alcoholic mother-manager, the late Teri Shields, who developed dementia and died.

BROOKE

According to Shields, when she went through her mom’s things she discovered a treasure trove of jewelry the woman had ordered from QVC and HSN.

“I have never seen so many cubic zirconia items,” Shields said.

http://www.people.com/article/brooke-shields-liam-neeson-engagement-breakup

This is her second book. Her first, “Down Came the Rain,” was about postpartum depression, and caused Tom Cruise to have a hissy fit, blasting Shields. He’s not a believer in medications. Our guess is that he has never lived through the agony of clinical depression.

We had a male friend whose friend had dated Shields. That guy says that Shields was the only woman he had ever dated who looked beautiful, without a stitch of makeup, when she woke up in the morning.

Next, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi of “Jersey Shore” fame debuted her limited edition wedding fragrance, “Snooki Love,” last week on HSN. Polizzi will soon be wed at the gorgeous Venetian in Garfield. N.J., where our BFF Ann attended a wedding last week.

Next, HSN CEO Mindy Grossman was prominently featured in a Wall Street Journal story with the headline “Female CEOs Make Room for Female Directors.”

And maybe this is old news, but we didn’t know that high-end designer Tory Burch, whose clothes and purses we can’t afford (even discounted at TJ Maxx) is Ellen DeGeneres’s partner on E.D., a line of merchandise that recently premiered on QVC.

http://www.qvc.com/EDOnAir.content.html?ref=GAS&cm_ven=googlePAID&cm_cat=Q-QVC+Keyword&cm_pla=Sitelink+Ellen+DeGeneres&cm_ite=sY3I0jtVG|dc_29348692860_qvc&cvosrc=ppc.google.qvc&mkwid=sY3I0jtVG|dc_pcrid_29348692860_pkw_qvc_pmt_e&cvo_crid=29348692860&matchtype=e

The New York Times discussed the line, which kicked off with holiday housewares, Sunday in a story headlined “The Goop Effect,” a feature on Gwyneth Paltrow’s much-maligned lifestyle website.

The Goop story had a photo and interviews with Paltrow and Lisa Gersh, Goop’s new CEO. We know Gersh from our years covering the cable TV industry, as she was a co-founder of Oxygen, the women’s network.

Congrats on the new gig, Lisa.

Keith Urban Back At HSN With Guitars Nov. 15

November 12, 2014

We’ve written about this already, but here’s the full scoop on Keith Urban’s encore on HSN:

Four-Time GRAMMY Award Winner Keith Urban Returns To HSN For 1st Anniversary Guitar Event Live On November 15

— Limited Edition “Night Star” Series to be offered at Special One-Day-Only Price just in time for the Holidays —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — On the heels of Keith Urban’s success last week during the 48th Annual Country Music Live Awards Show where he took home a CMA for Musical Event of the Year for his #1 song “We Were Us” featuring Miranda Lambert and performed his record breaking 32nd consecutive top 10 single “Somewhere In My Car”, leading entertainment and lifestyle retailer HSN welcomes Urban back for the world premiere of his “Night Star” Guitar Collection.

Appearing live across all of HSN’s platforms – TV, online and mobile – four-time GRAMMY Award® Winner Keith Urban will be on HSN on Saturday, November 15th at 12:01 AM ET and throughout the day. Urban follows up his previous two guitar collections for HSN, which saw record sales, with this limited-edition set that will be available for $289.95, $100.00 off of the regular HSN price for one day only.

Keith Urban

Keith Urban

Hot off his “Raise ‘Em Up” concert tour, Urban takes the magic of guitar playing from the concert stage right into the comfort of your own home as he continues on his mission to spread the joy of music. Whether you are a beginner who has always wanted to play the guitar, or you are just simply looking for a new guitar to advance your skills on, Urban has created a guitar package that fits your needs. Not only do these one-of-a-kind guitar packages include all the accessories and tools necessary to play and sound great, but they also feature Keith personally guiding and teaching you in a special DVD series of one-on-one lessons with the award-winning artist.

The “Night Star” limited-edition series arrives just in time for the holidays and features two versions of the “Night Star” guitar – an all-wood, handcrafted, Acoustic-Electric guitar with on-board four-band EQ and tuner; or the Solid Body Electric guitar with double humbucker pickups, four volume and tone control knobs and a three-way selector switch.

Each complete 22-piece set is available in five beautiful colors including: Black Night, White Rain, Midnight Blue, Grey Heat and Raw Grain. Other features include: a beautiful, faux leather semi-hard case; guitar strap; chord chart poster; polishing cloth; powerful 15-watt amplifier; an extra set of comfort-coated strings; four signature picks; and the exclusive “Player: Beginning Guitar with Keith Urban” double-lesson DVD.

Urban recently released his seventh studio album FUSE, which marked the first time that ANY country artist has simultaneously debuted at #1 on the all-genre charts in the United States, Canada and Australia. He recently completed his “Raise ‘Em Up” Tour, and received three Academy of Country Music® Awards earlier this year, bringing his total to twelve, and he has won four GRAMMY Awards. He is the first artist to win the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award® for best new artist and to go on to win Best Male Vocalist, a title he’s captured three times, as well as the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. He’s won an American Music Award® and People’s Choice Award®. He’s had 16 No. 1 singles, including two from FUSE, and five consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums.

“No one does it better than Keith Urban, and we are so happy to have him return to HSN this holiday season,” said Joy Mangano, President of Ingenious Designs. “America has fallen in love with Keith as an award-winning musician and judge on American Idol, and now he will inspire you to experience the joy of music through this brand new closed limited edition guitar collection.”

The Keith Urban “Night Star” Collection launches on HSN live on Saturday, November 15 at 12:01 AM ET for a one-day-only price of $289.95 for the complete guitar package.

Libby Floyd Joins Host Exodus Out Of Jewelry Television

November 10, 2014

ShopHQ is losing yet another host, ShopHQ veteran Libby Floyd.

Floyd posted the news, which some had already predicted, on Facebook. She is heading back to Cali, and her handsome husband.

Libby Floyd

Libby Floyd

She wrote:

Busy packing all of my party dresses! Excited to be moving back to CA full-time! I’ve had a great year as a host at JTV and have loved reuniting with so many old friends and making new ones but I’ve decided to head back home to my hubby, my kitty cat and to the beach!

Nov. 13th will be my last day on the air at JTV and I’ll miss shopping with all of you but the surf and sand is calling me! I have lots of new ventures in the works and will post soon but first I will head to London for a royal family wedding! Thanks for all of your love and support!

Here is her blurb from JTV’s website:

Libby has been a jewelry host in the home shopping industry for 15 years. She enjoys everything about hosting – the customers, the jewelry, the live television experience; they are all so exciting and no day is ever the same!

There are no rules in jewelry but I feel a woman can’t go wrong with having a classic white pearl strand, a diamond or Bella Luce tennis bracelet and silver or gold chandelier earrings in their jewelry wardrobe.
my favorite gemstone.