Archive for July, 2015

More Details Revealed On QVC’s Planned Left Coast Hub

July 31, 2015

We’re already written about QVC’s plans to create a huge distribution center in Cali, a West Coast hub.

Here is the press release about the home shopping network’s landlord, SARES. The developer has purchased 150 acres in Ontario, Calif., where it will build seven industrial buildings with 3 million square feet.

QVC will be leasing the largest one of these buildings, for 1.1 million square feet.

SARES•REGIS Group Acquires Prime Industrial Land In Ontario, Calif.,

And Lands Video, E-Commerce Retailer QVC At Planned Project

Irvine, CA – In a pair of major transactions, SARES•REGIS Group acquired 150 acres of prime industrial land on Interstate 10 in Ontario, Calif., to develop state-of-the-art LEED certified industrial distribution buildings totaling approximately 3 million square feet. In concert with the land purchase, SRG pre-leased the largest of the seven buildings planned for the site to QVC for the giant video and e-commerce retailer’s first West Coast distribution hub.

“This is the largest and last tract of developable land in the western end of the Inland Empire and located on the I-10 Freeway. QVC looked at several properties on the market, and we’re pleased that our location was able to satisfy their logistic requirements,” said Larry Lukanish, senior vice president of SRG Commercial Development.

The property is part of the undeveloped 243-acre Meredith International Centre, which extends nearly a mile along the north side of I-10, opposite LA/Ontario International Airport between Archibald and Vineyard avenues.

SRG completed the land purchase with the Meredith family on July 1. As the land purchase was being completed, SRG and QVC executed a lease agreement for QVC’s 1,050,000-square-foot building to be completed July 1, 2016. The building will include 30,000 square feet of office and employee cafeteria space. In its statement, a QVC spokesperson said the company “anticipates hiring approximately 1,000 team members in total by 2020 as the distribution center expands fulfillment to all product categories.”

“At QVC, distribution plays a significant role in enriching the customer service experience. For each and every product we ship, we look at it as an opportunity to build trust, loyalty and engagement with our customers,” said James Reid, vice president of distribution operations at QVC. “This new distribution center will enable us to efficiently and swiftly serve our customers throughout the Western United States.”

SRG’s land purchase followed the Ontario City Council’s unanimous approval in April of a new Specific Plan and Development Agreement. In addition to SRG’s industrial project, there are entitlements for 1.1 million square feet of office and retail space and 800 apartment units on the 80 acres retained by the Meredith family. A family representative said that five acres have been sold for a planned Audi auto dealership and talks are under way with other interested buyers.

SRG’s six remaining industrial buildings planned for its 150-acre site are for lease. They range from 130,000 square feet to 575,000 square feet with 32-foot and 36-foot clear heights. SRG’s entire project will be completed by late next year. SRG has developed more than 21 million square feet of industrial space in the Inland Empire since 1994.

Chuck Noble, a principal broker of Lee & Associates who represented the Meredith family, said the Meredith property is the largest new entitlement in Ontario in 20 years. The Meredith interests were also represented by John Hatzis and Dave Hunsaker of Lee & Associates.

“This tract of land has been an important part of the city of Ontario’s long-range plans and a family’s legacy. For this reason, it required vision, a collaborative effort among the city, the landowner and the buyer and thousands of staff and consultant hours to produce these agreements,” Noble said.

SRG was represented in the land acquisition and the QVC lease by Joe McKay also of Lee & Associates. QVC was represented by CBRE brokers Erik Wanland in Ontario and Mike Barker in Wayne, Penn.

As a leading western United States real estate developer and property manager, SARES•REGIS Group has developed or acquired approximately 45 million square feet of industrial properties with an approximate value of $3.5 billion since 1994 primarily in Southern California. SARES•REGIS Group manages approximately 20 million square feet of industrial properties for its partners and clients. SARES•REGIS Group is California’s leading developer of LEED-certified buildings.

Evine Live To Post Second-Quarter Earnings Aug. 26

July 31, 2015

Evine Live Inc. will release its second-quarter results Aug. 26 at 8 a.m. before the market opens.

CEO Mark Bozek and Chief Financial Officer Tim Peterman will hold a conference call at 8:30 a.m. to review these results.

Those interested in participating in the conference call should dial 1-866-515-2912 at least five minutes prior to the call. The passcode is: 69028282.

There will be a simultaneous audio webcast available at the following link: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/qrfuutuw. A replay of the conference call will also be hosted on the company’s website for a limited time.

Whitney Port Brings Low-Priced Clothing Line To QVC

July 28, 2015

We used to think we were up-to-date on popular culture, but doing this blog often shows us that it’s not the case. In other words, another celeb we’ve never heard of is doing a clothing line for a home shopping network.

Whitney Port and one of her QVC designs

Whitney Port and one of her QVC designs

In this case, it’s designer Whitney Port, described as a former star of “The Hill,” doing a low-priced collection for QVC.

http://www.qvc.com/CatalogSearch?langId=-1&storeId=10251&catalogId=10151&keyword=Whitney+port

E! online did a story about the young blonde’s QVC items, touting them as all under $60. That’s a lot cheaper than the high-priced Whitney Eve line that Port has.

http://www.eonline.com/news/679587/exclusive-first-look-whitney-port-gets-back-to-basics-with-new-qvc-collection

Here’s what QVC.com has to say about Port:

Fashion designer Whitney Port has mastered effortless, feminine California style with a little New York City edge — a look and a lifestyle that is the perfect definition of her youthful, fun, and eclectic collection, aptly named Whitney Port.

Feel fantastic in colorful, contemporary silhouettes like casual dresses, cozy sweaters, tailored pants, and flirty skirts that become your essential statement pieces.

QVC Returns To The Hamptons For Ovarian Cancer

July 22, 2015

QVC and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) are uniting once again for “QVC Presents Super Saturday LIVE,” an annual designer charity sale scheduled to be broadcast live from the Hamptons on this Saturday.

Ex-QVC host Lisa Robertson used to be all over this event, we wonder who QVC will have at this shindig now.

During the two-hour broadcast, fashions, beauty, jewelry and more will be offered for half the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, with 80 percent of the purchase price of donated merchandise benefiting the OCRF. Proceeds will also benefit Woman to Woman, OCRF’s nationwide patient program designed to support women undergoing treatment for gynecologic cancers.

“Ovarian cancer is often difficult to detect due to its subtle symptoms,” said Doug Rose, QVC’s senior vice president of brand and communications. “‘QVC Presents Super Saturday LIVE’ represents QVC’s commitment to raising both the awareness necessary for early detection and the funds needed to help conquer this deadly disease.”

Now in its ninth year, “QVC Presents Super Saturday LIVE” has generated more than $8.9 million to benefit the fund.

The live broadcast from OCRF’s Super Saturday NY will feature an assortment of brands such as Alex and Ani Charity by Design, Dooney & Bourke, Henri Bendel, Judith Ripka, Philosophy and many more.

“OCRF is proud to join forces with QVC once again to garner support and raise awareness of ovarian cancer,” said Audra Moran, the fund’s president and CEO. “Each year, the proceeds generated from QVC’s Super Saturday broadcast not only benefit women currently undergoing treatment for this horrible illness, but also bring us one step closer to eradicating the disease once and for all.”

QVC will launch #KeepinItTeal, a social media campaign featuring videos of celebrities and the faces behind some of QVC’s favorite brands, designed to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer. Viewers will be encouraged to share the videos on social media platforms and explain why and for whom they are #KeepinItTeal.

QVC Vendor Xcel Brands Buys C. Wonder Retailer

July 21, 2015

Yet again, thanks for the tip, dear reader.

Xcel Brands Inc., which owns several brands that appear on QVC, said Monday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the C. Wonder brand, consisting of the “C. Wonder” trademarks and related designs and other intellectual property rights.

http://ir.xcelbrands.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=922604

C. Wonder is the preppy retail company founded by billionaire Chris Burch, the ex-husband of designer Tory Burch. C. Wonder filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and closed all its stores, including the one it had in the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., mall capital of the world, according to Business Insider.

http://www.businessinsider.com/xcel-brands-is-acquiring-c-wonder-2015-7?r=UK&IR=T

Xcel, a brand management firm, was founded by Robert W. D’Loren in 2011 and owns the Isaac Mizrahi, Judith Ripka, H by Halston and H Halston brands, and designs and manages the Liz Claiborne New York brand, which is sold exclusively on QVC.

Of course, we all know that Mizrahi and Ripka have a strong presence on the No. 1 home shopping network.

http://xcelbrands.com/

The closing of the acquisition is subject to board approval and customary closing conditions.

Xcel is mum on its plans for C. Wonder: It said it will provide further information once it completes the deal.

Can we expect to see C. Wonder products being hawked on QVC in the future?

Here’s the boilerplate on C. Wonder:

The C. Wonder brand was founded by J. Christopher Burch in 2011 to offer a wide-ranging assortment of beautiful, versatile and spirited products that are designed to transport its customers to a place they have never been.

C. Wonder offered women’s clothing, footwear, jewelry and accessories; housewares and home decor, great gifts, and a shopping experience designed to deliver delightful surprises at every turn.

Burch Acquisition, LLC, which is controlled by Mr. Burch, acquired the C. Wonder brand (including its trademarks and related intellectual property rights) following its chapter 11 filing in 2015, in order to explore strategic opportunities to re-develop and expand the C. Wonder brand.

Trailer On Film About HSN Queen Joy Mangano Sketchy At Best

July 19, 2015

We saw a movie trailer tonight for “Joy,” the new film about HSN Queen of Invention Joy Mangano, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.

The film by famed director David Russell, titled “Joy,” is due out at Christmas. By watching the trailer, you wouldn’t have any idea what the flick is about.

Jennifer Lawrence is portraying Joy Mangano in a new movie

Jennifer Lawrence is portraying Joy Mangano in a new movie

It starts out showing Lawrence, i.e. Mangano, as a kid being told she will grow up and get everything she wants — including a husband and children. Then there are shots of Cooper and Robert De Niro.

The final scene of the trailer depicts Lawrence firing a gun, what looks like a rifle.

There is no hint about who “Joy” is, or her connection to home shopping, that we could see in the brief vignette.

Our take was that the audience was perplexed. We found ourselves wanting to stand up in the theater and yell out, “This movie is about Joy Mangano, who invented Huggable Hangers and sells them on HSN.”

BTW, we went to see “Trainwreck” with Amy Schumer, and recommend it. But it’s not for prudes or kiddies.

QVC, HSN Announce August Dates For Second-Quarter Earnings

July 17, 2015

QVC and HSN will report their second-quarter earnings a day within each other in August.

QVC’s parent, Liberty Interactive Corp., will host a conference call to discuss its results Aug. 5 at 12:15 p.m. Following prepared remarks, the company will host a brief Q&A session during which management will accept questions regarding both Liberty Interactive and Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings.

Please call ReadyTalk at (844) 307-2219 or (678) 509-7635 at least 10 minutes prior to the call. Callers will need to be on a touch-tone telephone to ask questions. The conference administrator will provide instructions on how to use the polling feature.

In addition, the second-quarter earnings conference call will be broadcast live via the Internet. All interested participants should visit the Liberty Interactive Corporation website at http://www.libertyinteractive.com/events to register for the web cast.

Links to the press release and replays of the call will also be available on the Liberty Interactive website. The conference call and related materials will be archived on the website for one year.

HSN will release its second-quarter results the next day, Aug. 6, at 8 a.m. CEO Mindy Grossman and Judy Schmeling, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, will hold a conference call at 9 a.m. to review its earnings.

Those interested in participating in the conference call should dial 877-307-0246 or 224-357-2394 at least five minutes prior to the call. There will also be a simultaneous audio webcast available via the company’s website at http://www.hsni.com.

A replay of the conference call can be accessed until Aug. 20 by dialing 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406, plus the pass code 80665308 and will also be hosted on the company’s website for a limited time.

Evine Live Names HSN Veteran To Its Board

July 16, 2015

Evine Live Wednesday appointed an HSN alum to its board.

Lisa Letizio, HSN Inc.’s Chief Human Resources Officer from 1998 to 2014, is replacing Ronald Frasch, who resigned from the board last week due to time constraints.

http://hsprod.investis.com/site/irwizard/vvtv/ir.jsp?page=sec_item_new&ipage=10382119&DSEQ=1&SEQ=&SQDESC=SECTION_BODY&exp=&subsid=41

Letizio will receive a restricted stock grant of Evine Live’s common stock in an amount equal to $65,000, which will vest the day before the company’s 2016 annual meeting. She will serve as a member of the board’s Human Resources and Compensation Committee.

At HSN, Letizio oversaw the human resources teams for all of HSNi, a retail portfolio that encompassed the home shopping network HSN and Cornerstone, a whose brands includes Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, Improvements, Chasing Fireflies and TravelSmith.

Her responsibilities at HSNi included talent acquisition and assessment, leadership development, compensation, employee engagement, benefits/wellness, work life programs and community affairs.

Prior to joining HSNi, Letizio was vice president of human resources of Timberland Co. from 1992 to 1998.

Evine Live’s board now includes Letizio, Thomas Beers, Mark Bozek, John Buck, Landel Hobbs, Lisa Letizio, Lowell Robinson, Robert Rosenblatt and Fred Siegel.

QVC Officially Unveils Plans For West Cost Distribution Hub

July 15, 2015

We already had the scoop on this, but here is QVC’s press release on its new distribution center planned for Cali, which will employ 1,000 people.

QVC TO OPEN FIRST WEST COAST DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA

New facility will create hundreds of local jobs

WEST CHESTER, PA. (July 14, 2015) – QVC, the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer, announced today that it will open a state-of-the-art distribution center in Ontario, California. When the new facility begins operation in the third quarter of 2016, it will serve as a West Coast distribution hub for QVC.

As QVC ramps up operations, the center is expected to employ more than 500 team members by 2018. QVC anticipates hiring approximately 1,000 team members in total by 2020 as the distribution center expands fulfillment to all product categories.

“At QVC, distribution plays a significant role in enriching the customer service experience. For each and every product we ship, we look at it as an opportunity to build trust, loyalty and engagement with our customers,” said James Reid, vice president of distribution operations at QVC. “This new distribution center will enable us to efficiently and swiftly serve our customers throughout the Western United States.”

QVC’s current U.S. distribution centers are located in Suffolk, Virginia; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and Florence, South Carolina. The existing distribution network has shipped more than 570,000 units in a single day.

“California Governor Jerry Brown, the County of San Bernardino, and the Ontario government and staff were instrumental in our decision to select this site,” added Reid. “QVC looks forward to working with local business and government officials, and becoming an active part of the Ontario community.”

The West Coast distribution center will be designed to accommodate approximately 20% of QVC’s total U.S. business, with plans to store and ship all product categories.

“We are honored that QVC chose California for the location of their new state-of-the art facility and look forward to continuing to help them expand in the Golden State,” said Mike Rossi, senior advisor for jobs and business development to Governor Jerry Brown. “QVC applied and was awarded a California Competes tax credit that has proven to be a valuable recruitment tool to attract global companies to California.”

Over the past 28 years, QVC has shipped more than 1.7 billion packages in the United States.

“I am excited to welcome QVC, the world’s leading video and e-commerce retailer, to the city of Ontario,” said Ontario Mayor Paul Leon. “The addition of QVC’s new West Coast distribution center furthers the council’s goal to invest in growth that will continue to drive the city’s economy.”

The new LEED-certified facility will utilize high efficiency systems for lighting, heating and cooling and will feature a 250 kW solar array on its rooftop. The West Coast distribution center will also lower the company’s use of trucking by more than 10 million miles annually, leading to a reduction of more than 35 million pounds of CO2 emissions per year.

QVC Host Carolyn Gracie Discusses Double Mastectomy

July 9, 2015

Once again, one of our readers tipped us off to some news, about QVC host Carolyn Gracie. We weren’t even aware that Gracie had been on sick leave since June. In a very moving blog on QVC.com, the host explained what is going on: She has breast cancer and had a double mastectomy.

If you are like us, we bet you have friends and loved ones who have or had breast cancer, so Gracie’s story will resonate with you, we’re sure, as it did with us.

QVC host Carolyn Gracie and a canine member of her support group

QVC host Carolyn Gracie and a canine member of her support group

“I feel it is time to let you know what’s up,” Gracie blogged. “There have been a few speculations popping up on Facebook and the QVC Community pages (no, I have not had knee replacement surgery) and I know it is only because you have been so worried. I asked my fellow Hosts to keep all of this private until I could tell you myself, which is why you haven’t heard anything yet. So here is my story.”

http://community.qvc.com/t5/Blogs/Taking-Care-of-Me-For-a-Change/ba-p/1937234

Gracie, who lost her brother to cancer when he was 14, describes in detail the process she went through in order to make the decision to have the mastectomy.

The 56-year-old host is undergoing reconstructive surgery now, and is able to joke about it.

“I told my husband that he now has something in common with Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks (other than being handsome and funny)…his wife will now have undergone the same surgery as their wives and he will be taking care of me, just like they took care of Angelina and Rita,” Gracie wrote. “As it turns out, both of my surgeons are Chiefs of Surgery in their specialty areas at the hospital that I chose. I have been VERY well taken care of by these two and their staffs.”

Gracie lauded her fellow QVC hosts for their support during this tough time.

“They have cooked me the most delicious homemade meals (which Nancy Hornback, who is also a breast cancer survivor, has so kindly delivered to my door on several occasions),” Gracie wrote. “Shawn Killinger organized a group of the hosts to send us healthy, yummy Blue Apron meals, which I can now cook at home myself. The hosts send me wonderful messages every day to cheer me up! … I have received the most beautiful flower arrangements from so many thoughtful, caring folks…family, friends and co-workers.”

We wish Gracie a swift recovery and pray for a happy outcome for her, as we do for our friends and family who have battled breast cancer.