Host Kristen Keech To Leave JTV To Head Back East, Antonella Comes On Board

Our favorite host on JTV has given her notice, and we’ll miss her.

Kristen Keech, whose references to the Jersey shore and her roots in Pennsylvania have helped endear her to us, posted a video on Facebook tearfully explaining why she is leaving.

She has talked about her “Grammy,” being ill, and the many trips she has made from Knoxville to go back home to see her. Keech said she is tired of all the travel, and we hear that. She is also missing her family on the East Coast. Said she wants to see her nieces and nephews grow up.

So Keech’s last show is July 31.

We enjoy her. She’s gorgeous, down to earth, honest about some of her emotional issues, and pretty trustful about how she hawks the jewelry on JTV.

She loves her cats and dogs and horses, and that makes her tops in our book, as well.

Plenty of her fans lamented the fact that she is leaving.

Instead, we are getting former QVC host Antonella Nester. She was let go as a host on QVC, her husband was laid off, she was diagnosed with cancer and she and her husband sold their house to live on a board (an affordable option). We were very sympathetic when she posted videos about her health problems and other woes.

She is a very polarizing person. Some folks became suspicious and turned off by her, because of the way she acted in the videos. She made weird faces. She was apparently seen smoking, etc.

But then others still stand behind her and love her.

That’s how we originally felt, we were fans, and of course someone battling cancer is a terrible situation. But we gotta admit, after we continued watching the videos we just thought it was all too much.

Well, Nester is back to home shopping, coming on board, so to speak, on JTV with a show on Saturday nights live-streamed from her boat. Can’t wait.

Jersey Girl Nikki Stanzione Gone From ShopHQ?

Has there been another host purge at ShopHQ? And did it make a fellow Jersey Girl exit?

One of our readers pointed out that host Nikki Stanzione is no longer listed on the host page for this also-ran home shopping network.

Of course, we are biased. Nikki is from New Jersey, our home state. She brought a bit of ethnic flavor to ShopHQ, among the bland blondes.

We saw her recently on a gold show. Her enthusiasm was great.

We don’t get it.

Nikki posted on Facebook for the Fourth of July, and didn’t mention anything about leaving the network. So maybe she’s still there — but not on the host page.

Nikki is a veteran of JTV and ShopLC, by the way.

Ex QVC-HSN Super Star Joy Mangano Puts Her House On The Block For $20 Million

You can’t deny that Joy Mangano, home shopping’s mother of invention, worked hard for her success and wealth. So we can’t begrudge her the fact that she’s selling her gorgeous Long Island house for $20 million.

The Wall Street Journal, in its “Mansion” section on Friday, did a story about Mangano’s mansion. She told the Journal that she spent millions of dollars renovating the home, which was built in 1917. She bought it in 2000 for $1.35 million.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/miracle-mop-inventor-joy-mangano-lists-long-island-home-for-20-million-11653500713?page=1

Mangano said that the place’s huge kitchen was inspired by celebrity chef Todd English, the bloke she worked with on a cookware line for HSN. The story also mentions some of Mangno’s most successful products, such as the Miracle Mop and her Huggable Hangers.

The house? It has 14 bedrooms, a two-story great room, two sunrooms, an indoor pool, a gym, sauna, massage room, four-car garage, a waterfall and a tennis court. Divorced for some time, Mangano is now downsizing.

The article says that Mangano has sold $3 billion worth of products on TV.

Some of Mangan’s admirers posted comments on the Journal story.

“My wife and daughter have so many huggable hangers (they are great, BTW) that I feel like I should have a small stake in this beautiful property…..,” one man wrote.

“The beautiful house and grounds are a tribute to Ms. Mangano’s creativity and success – well done!” another reader posted.

“Yeah, but does she mop the floors?” asked one wiseacre.

What the Heck is Up with Amberly, Bali Babes, JTV And Sarda?

We saw a post on Facebook by Amberly Campbell Wilson, administrator of the Bali Babes page, that we can’t make heads nor tails of.

For those not in the know, the Bali Babes are huge fans of jewelry designer Janyl Sherman’s line of Balinese-crafted sterling silver goodies. We are a member of the group, and have bought Janyl’s pieces on both JTV and through Janyl’s Sarda website.

Amberly has done spotlight videos on Janyl’s Artisan Collection of Bali line for JTV.

But Amberly recently posted that she will no longer be doing those videos or participating in JTV Live on Facebook, where the home shopping network’s shows are streamed so viewers can comment on the items in real time (and have hosts say their names and states on-air).

Amberly said the decision about it was not her’s or Sarda’s.

“At this point I seriously doubt I [will] watch the JTV shows and join JTV Live at this time,” she wrote.

To us, it was a shocking post. What is it, JTV only wants people to buy Janyl’s jewelry from it, not the Sarda website?

And it all did not go over well with the other Bali Babes.

Rei Lum posted this on the matter.

“This group loves and supports Janyl and Sarda,” she wrote. “That will never change. With that being said, none of us should have to defend where we purchase or purchased our Sarda. JTV has exclusive pieces. We love Sarda — It’s normal to see something we love at JTV and want to purchase it. As long as you love Sarda, you are welcome here.”

She suggested not to boycott JTV Live, but to call JTV customer service to express their thoughts on the matter.

Others were not so magnanimous.

“This is total Bullshitisky,” one wrote.

Some Bali Babes said they will no longer buy the artisan jewelry from JTV. But others said they could only afford it by paying “stretch pays,” or monthly installments.

Any way you slice it, not a good look for JTV.

ShopHQ Outlines Preliminary First-Quarter Results

ShopHQ will release its official first-quarter earnings on May 24, but on Monday it offered this sneak peek at what’s to come. Sales seemed to look pretty good. Losses did not.

Here’s the press release:

Media Brands Announces Preliminary Q1 Results in Line with Previous Guidance
May 16, 2022 6:50am EDT

Reconfirms Full-Year 2022 Guidance

MINNEAPOLIS, May 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iMedia Brands, Inc. (“iMedia”) (NASDAQ: IMBI, IMBIL) today announced its preliminary Q1 financial results are in-line with its previously provided guidance and reconfirmed its full-year 2022 guidance previously provided on March 22, 2022.

“Our focus on the fundamentals of our business again delivered strong financial results for the quarter,” said Tim Peterman, CEO of iMedia. “On a daily basis we make important decisions based on our customers, the economy, the competition, and our internal capabilities and resources. I’m proud to provide a few key results of our efforts.”

Q1 2022 Preliminary Results. We anticipate reporting net sales between $154 and $157 million, which is a 35% to 38% growth over the same prior year period, and in line with the approximate $156 million estimate we provided on March 22, 2022.

We anticipate reporting adjusted EBITDA of between $8.5 and $9.5 million, which is a 10% to 11% increase over the same prior year period, and in line with the approximate $9 million previously estimated on March 22, 2022. We anticipate reporting a net loss of between $12.3 to $11.9 million, as compared to the $3.3 million net loss for the same prior year period.

Full-Year 2022 Outlook: We reconfirm our full-year guidance previously provided on March 22, 2022. We anticipate reporting net sales of approximately $675 to $725 million, which is a 23% to 32% growth over the same prior year period. We anticipate reporting adjusted EBITDA of approximately $50 to $60 million, which is a 20% to 44% increase over the same prior year period, and we anticipate reporting positive quarterly earnings per share beginning in the back half of the year.

Q1 2022 Earnings Release Date: As announced May 4, 2022, we will hold a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, May 24, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial results for the first quarter ended April 30, 2022. The Company will report its financial results in a press release prior to the conference call.

Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern time (7:30 a.m. Central time)
U.S. dial-in number: 1-877-407-9039

Heads Up: QVC’s Jai Jewelry Line Lands at T.J. Maxx

FYI: We were doing our usual weekly stop at the jewelry counter at one of our local T.J. Maxx stores when something caught our eye: the familiar green pouch that QVC’s Jai jewelry comes in.

We took a closer look. There were several rings with hands holding a gemstone — in blue topaz, opal and ruby — with tags that said Jai.

And then there were several of Jai’s signature round box chains in rose gold over silver and darker silver.

There were also several link bracelets that must have been XS. That’s usually our size, but they were even too tiny for us.

So keep a look out if you are a Jai’s fan, like we are. Nice discount on the QVC prices.

QVC, HSN Revenue Plummet 13% in First Quarter, Blame Warehouse Fire And Inflation

U.S. consumer sales in general have risen over the past few months, despite rampant inflation, but that wasn’t the cases at QVC or HSN. Not a good first quarter or a good look for the new CEO of the parent of the two home shopping networks, Qurate Retail.

Revenue for QxH slid from to $1.684 billion from $1.936 billion in the year-ago period, Qurate reported last week

“We took important first steps in our turnaround, with a focus on stabilizing our core US vCommerce business and setting the foundation for accelerating growth in streaming,” David Rawlinson, Qurate’s President and CEO, said in a canned statement. “We restructured the organization and leadership of the QVC US and HSN brands, formed a new dedicated streaming business unit and attracted a proven leader at Zulily.”

And here is his excuse:

“Our first-quarter results reflect the continued challenges of operating amidst extreme supply-chain disruptions,” Rawlinson said. “We don’t believe this quarter’s results reflect the long-term underlying health of our businesses. In addition, heightened inflationary pressure and the situation in Ukraine led to depressed consumer sentiment, and we experienced a larger-than-expected operational disruption related to the December fire at our Rocky Mount, NC, fulfillment center.”

When will things improve?

“While our turnaround will take time, and progress may be not be a straight line, we are starting from a position of strength with scale in our television and streaming reach, a strong financial profile, and core competencies in building consumer engagement,” he said.

Here are the dirty details from the press release:

QxH revenue declined primarily due to a 12% decrease in units shipped, reflecting supply chain constraints and product scarcity for home and electronics items, as well as weakened consumer sentiment due to inflation and the invasion of Ukraine and a decrease in shipping and handling revenue.

Average selling price was flat as price increases primarily in apparel were offset by mix shift away from higher price point categories including home and electronics. Although total customer count declined compared to the first quarter of 2021’s solid gains, QxH experienced a 7% increase in average spend per customer and a 6% increase in items purchased per customer. QxH reported declines primarily in home, electronics, accessories and beauty, partially offset by growth in apparel.

Operating income and adjusted OIBDA margin(3) decreased primarily due to deleverage of fulfillment (freight and warehouse) and operating expenses (customer service, commissions and credit card fees) and higher fixed costs, inventory obsolescence and bad debt expenses. These pressures were partially offset by higher product margins due to favorable category mix shift into apparel. Operating income was further negatively impacted by the $80 million in write-down of inventory remaining at the Rocky Mount facility, described below.

On December 18, 2021, QVC experienced a fire at its Rocky Mount, NC fulfillment center. Rocky Mount was Qurate Retail’s second-largest fulfillment center, processing approximately 25% to 30% of volume for QVC US and serving as QVC US’s primary returns center for hard goods. QVC has made a decision not to rebuild the facility; however, it is still in the process of determining future plans for the property.

Excluding Rocky Mount, QVC operates eight fulfillment centers in the US. QVC has taken steps to mitigate disruption to its operations including diverting inbound orders, leveraging its existing fulfillment centers and supplementing these facilities with short-term leased space as needed. While the Company has taken steps to minimize the overall impact to its business, it experienced elevated warehouse and logistics costs during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and anticipates these increased warehouse and logistics costs to continue during 2022.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, QVC recorded $229 million of fire related costs for which recovery was deemed probable and received $100 million of insurance proceeds. During the first quarter of 2022, QVC incurred an additional $2 million in fire related costs, net, primarily related to personnel costs and legal fees, that will not be reimbursed by QVC’s insurance policies and are included in operating income, and $14 million of other fire related costs for which recovery was deemed probable based on the Company’s insurance policies.

While there can be no assurance, based on the provisions of QVC’s insurance policies and discussions with insurance carriers, QVC determined that recovery of certain fire related costs is probable, and has recorded an insurance receivable with a balance of $143 million as of March 31, 2022, net of $100 million of insurance proceeds received in advance (see Schedule 4).

Qurate Retail is still in the process of assessing the extent of damage to property and recoverability of inventory and submitting relevant insurance claims. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, QVC recorded an $80 million write-down related to Rocky Mount inventory which was included in cost of goods sold in the quarter. Due to the circumstances surrounding the write-down of the inventory, this write-down has been excluded from adjusted OIBDA.

These write-downs are expected to be submitted as part of QVC’s business interruption insurance claim; however, there can be no assurance they will be recovered. QVC expects to continue to record additional costs and recoveries until the property damage and inventory recoverability assessment is completed and the insurance claim is fully settled.

Our Bad: QVC, HSN Had Huge C-Suite Shuffle

It’s no good excuse, but overwhelmed with our workload at our day job, we missed this press release awhile back from Qurate Retail, parent of QVC and HSN.

Check out these management changes:

Streamlined organizational structure to accelerate innovation, drive operational improvement, and enhance differentiated experiences at QVC and HSN.

West Chester, Pa. – Today, Qurate Retail, Inc., President and CEO David L. Rawlinson II announced new executive leadership appointments for Qurate Retail Group, as the company looks to accelerate its leadership in video commerce (“vCommerce”), drive continuous operational improvement, and deepen its differentiated brand experiences across its core vCommerce brands in the U.S.: QVC and HSN. vCommerce includes video-driven shopping across linear TV, ecommerce sites, digital streaming and social platforms. QVC and HSN are part of Qurate Retail, Inc. (NASDAQ: QRTEA, QRTEB, QRTEP).

“QVC and HSN are storied brands and are in positions of strength to lead the evolution and proliferation of vCommerce in the U.S.,” said Rawlinson. “This change places our best leaders in positions to execute and accelerate our turnaround efforts. We will be focused and agile as we deliver engaging ways to shop for our customers and other important outcomes for our stakeholders. I am confident that our teams for our flagship QVC US and HSN businesses, along with our shared services teams, will be able to drive innovation and return these brands to growth over time.”

These appointments create separate operating models for QVC US and HSN and include enhancements to each brand’s individual digital and merchandising capabilities. The following appointments are effective immediately. These executives report directly to Rawlinson.

Mike Fitzharris has been named President, QVC US; in FY 2021, QVC US represented approximately three quarters of QxH’s reported $8.3 billion in revenue.

Rob Muller has been named President, HSN; in FY 2021, HSN represented approximately one quarter of QxH’s reported $8.3 billion in revenue.

Mary Campbell has been named President of a new business unit created to accelerate Qurate Retail Group’s efforts in streaming and other live video commerce initiatives.

The new structure is designed to strengthen brand differentiation between QVC and HSN by giving each brand team direct control over its own merchandising, planning and programming, brand marketing, broadcast, and ecommerce organizations. The structure will establish clearer lines of accountability and accelerate decision making while maintaining the cost efficiencies gained through the prior integration of the businesses.

“This new operating structure will help us better leverage the core strengths of each brand, most notably the large, engaged and highly loyal customer base at each brand,” said Rawlinson. “We built both QVC and HSN on the power of live vCommerce experiences, storytelling and curation – which demand highly specific capabilities that other players in retail, ecommerce and media are just starting to develop. That said, we need to move at speed to stay competitive and relevant in this highly dynamic time for retail. Giving each brand more autonomy allows each team to stay on the pulse of its discrete customer base and better anticipate how to evolve to serve them. Further, our new structure will allow our seasoned leadership team to transform, unlock value, and bring these businesses to their full potential.”

QVC US – Mike Fitzharris

As President, QVC US, Fitzharris is responsible for driving growth, innovation and team member engagement for this vCommerce business. QVC empowers shoppers with knowledge and shares insights in a lively and engaging way. QVC offers an ever-changing collection of familiar brands and fresh new products – from home and fashion to beauty, electronics and jewelry – and connects shoppers to interesting personalities, engaging stories and award-winning customer service.

Fitzharris most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer for QVC US and HSN, with responsibility for merchandising, planning and programming, and operations (including fulfillment and customer service and experience) for both brands.

Fitzharris has served in a variety of senior leadership roles at QVC International and HSN over the past 10 years. From December 2015 to December 2017, Fitzharris served as CEO, Representative Director, and Chairman for QVC Japan, QVC, Inc.’s largest international market. During his two years in this role, Fitzharris re-energized QVC Japan while building a sustainable business for the long-term. In FY2017, QVC Japan achieved more than $930 million in revenue. Fitzharris also served as President, HSN, where he led the brand’s integration into the Qurate Retail portfolio and restructured to deliver on cost synergy expectations.

HSN – Rob Muller

As President, HSN, Muller is responsible for driving growth, innovation and team member engagement for this vCommerce brand. HSN takes shoppers on a journey – embracing the new, exploring untrodden paths, and bringing shoppers a unique perspective that enriches their lives. HSN offers a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names in health and beauty, jewelry, home/lifestyle, fashion/accessories, and electronics and incorporates entertainment, personalities and industry experts to provide a unique shopping experience.

Muller previously served as SVP, Global Strategy and Business Development for QVC and HSN, with responsibility for accelerating and scaling strategies to bring live and on-demand video shopping experiences to customers across devices and technologies, while promoting daily digital discovery and creating seamless experiences across customer touchpoints worldwide.

Across his 20-year career with Qurate Retail Group, Muller has served in a variety of senior leadership roles. From November 2016 to March 2021, Muller served as SVP and Market Leader for QVC UK. Under Muller’s leadership, QVC UK sustained strong viewership and revenue and grew its digital sales by more than 50%. In FY2020, QVC UK recorded approximately $700 million in revenue.

Accelerating Streaming Innovation – Mary Campbell

As President of the new business unit, Campbell is responsible for accelerating efforts in streaming and other digital live video commerce initiatives. This unit will be a source of innovation and a catalyst for growth. Campbell and her team will be accountable for growing digital revenues, separate from QVC’s and HSN’s traditional multiplatform experiences.

This new business unit will include key elements of the advantaged vCommerce ecosystem that QVC and HSN have built across newer digital platforms and devices – most notably, QVC and HSN’s interactive streaming shopping service on Roku, Comcast X1 and Xfinity Flex, Amazon Fire TV, LG, Apple TV, Android TV, Google Play Store and Google TV. This app offers six linear channels, VOD, and original programming designed for streaming. The app has been downloaded more than 7 million times on Roku, where the app has consistently been in the top 30 free movies and TV apps.

The new business unit will also house all other innovation efforts around live streaming services and new platforms, along with dedicated marketing, business development, customer experience and merchandising resources to accelerate Qurate Retail Group’s growth and ownership of digital live streaming shopping.

Campbell previously served as Chief Content, Digital and Platforms Officer, QVC US and HSN, with responsibility for platform distribution, content, and digital and broadcast platforms for the two businesses. During her 20-year tenure with the organization, Campbell has held a variety of leadership roles across merchandising and new media, including Chief Merchandising Officer, Qurate Retail Group, and Chief Commerce Officer, QVC US and Executive Vice President, Commerce Platforms for QVC, Inc.

Additional Leadership Updates

Qurate Retail Group has launched a search for a Chief Operating Officer, who will report directly to Rawlinson. This new role will lead U.S. fulfillment center operations, supply chain, customer support, global business services, procurement, and corporate real estate and workplace services.

Qurate Retail Group has also added a Chief of Staff role to Rawlinson’s leadership team to optimize business processes and own nascent strategy and business development functions. Krystyna Taheri has been appointed to this position effective immediately. Taheri joins Qurate Retail Group from Google and has an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

HSN President Promises Bigger Assortment, Better Values

This is so shocking we wouldn’t have believed it unless we saw it with our own eyes! Did any of you guys get an email from HSN President Robert Muller? Our BFF friend Ann did, and it’s a dozy.

Is HSN mending its ways, giving us a better and bigger choice of goods and lowering prices?

Here’s part of the email letter:

“We at HSN understand the challenges everyone is facing, with rising inflation making it more difficult to stretch your shopping dollars as far as you were able to in the past. Increasing costs have caused most retailers to pass some of this along to consumers through raising prices. HSN hasn’t been immune to this challenge, which led us to make similar difficult pricing decisions over the pasty year.

As always, we listened intently to your feedback and heard loud and clear that you’re looking for HSN to step up by bringing you a broader assortment of great product at a more compelling value.

After we assessed our assortment and pricing against the market, we did find some unexpected gaps that needed to be addressed. In the coming days, weeks and months we will be working to create even more competitive values across our everyday product assortment, while still providing limited-time unmatched deals, versus what you can find at other retailers.

Out Today’s Special Value will always be our best value of the day. And, starting tonight at midnight, we’re launching our new Weekly Deal Drop — even incredible deals dropping every Monday.

I assure you that you’ll be pleased when you tune in to our TV channels, engage on our website or app, and watch our streaming service. I’m confident you’ll already see the positive changes we’re making to not only help stretch your dollar, but also bring some welcome excitement and joy to your day at a time when it’s needed most.”

ShopHQ Promotes Merchandising Exec Anliker To President

ShopHQ has made an addition to its C-suite, promoting Cassie Anliker to the post of president. She had previously served as senior vice president of merchandising at the Minnesota-based home shopping network.

If you like Mackenzie-Childs, you’ll love her. If you are sick of Medic Therapeutics, you’ll hate her.

Anliker will now take on additional leadership responsibilities for programming, planning, creative and television production for ShopHQ, as well as its sister television networks, ShopBulldogTV, ShopHQHealth, and ShopJewelryHQ (which we didn’t even know existed).

“Cassie’s leadership in merchandising over these past two years has been the driving force in ShopHQ’s successful turnaround, and her 10 years of tenure here demonstrates her commitment to our company and our customers,” CEO Tim Peterman said in a statement. “Cassie is an entrepreneurial leader who demonstrates every day how to respect ShopHQ’s heritage while celebrating current trends. I am proud to announce her in this new role in our organization.”

Anliker began her career at ShopHQ in 2012 within the home merchandising category, and quickly assumed additional leadership responsibilities. She is credited with successfully launching several of ShopHQ’s most successful brands today, including Mackenzie-Childs and Medic Therapeutics.

In 2021 Anliker was appointed senior vice president of merchandising after successfully guiding her to teams to launch over 100 new brands in a two-year period that reversed ShopHQ’s seven-year customer file decline trend. In addition, she successfully relaunched Christopher & Banks, one of ShopHQ’s most popular fashion brands. Cassie holds a BA in English from the University of St. Thomas.

“We have an incredible opportunity to become the trusted entertainment source for the coveted 55-plus demographic of U.S. viewers seeking engaging information, products, and services in the wearable categories,” Anliker said in a statement. “Over the last three years, I feel fortunate to be part of our cultural transformation that has made us relevant again in the eyes of our viewers and I am appreciative of Tim’s confidence to help lead our continued innovation.”