ShopHQ To Expand Bowling Green Warehouse Operation

Beleaguered ShopHQ will be expanding its warehouse operations in Bowling Green, Ky., bringing 250 new full-time and part-time employees to that Southern town, according to a report in the Bowling Green Daily News Tuesday.

http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/facility-obtains-funding/article_34737aa4-6237-56d5-8169-1c209e13b694.html

Warren County will be issuing up to $33 million in industrial revenue bonds for construction of an industrial building, a warehouse facility, that will be leased by VVI Fulfillment Center Inc., a ShopHQ company, the newspaper reported.

The official announcement about the whole shebang will be made April 15.

ShopHQ, the No. 3 home shopping channel, already has a facility in Bowling Green with 480 workers. The new plan calls for the construction of a warehouse with 346,260 square feet, taking ShopHQ’s overall warehouse space to 606,765 square feet, the Daily News reported.

ShopHQ will essentially pay off the bonds, as its lease payments will offset the bond payments, the newspaper said.

ShopNBC Launches Home Shopping’s First One-Rate Shipping Offer For Holidays

ShopNBC is launching an industry first, a one-rate shipping and handling program for its customers during the holidays, officials said Thursday.

The one-rate shipping initiative, titled “ValueShipping,” offers customers one low shipping rate for all purchases made within one day. All additional orders are shipped free.

ValueShipping is a component to the company’s overall Holiday 2009 ShopNBC With Confidence strategy, a broad-based program comprised of a number of strategic initiatives designed to deliver a premium shopping experience.

All items for sale at ShopNBC’s multi-channel platform of TV, Internet and mobile are eligible as part of ValueShipping, and they need not be purchased within the same transaction — only within the same 24-hour time frame between midnight and 11:59 p.m. ET.

The shipping rate charged within the 24-hour period is determined by charging only the highest shipping and handling cost of all of the items ordered. Items purchased must be shipped to the same address.

ShopNBC sayd ValueShipping is possible because of new technologies and logistics infrastructure processes at the company’s distribution center in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

With these advancements and a centralized distribution center, ShopNBC’s facility can package multiple items in one box. This results in increased efficiencies and savings to the company, which are passed directly on to the customer.

“We are constantly striving to make our shopping experience more enjoyable, easy and convenient,” ShopNBC president and CEO Keith Stewart said in a prepared statement. “ValueShipping is our latest effort in the company’s customer centricity focus. We have now simplified their purchase decisions even more so by removing the added consideration and extra cost of multiple shipping and handling fees. Launched just in time for Holiday shopping 2009, we are excited to provide this great value to our customers as a benefit of shopping with ShopNBC.”

Added Mr. Stewart: “Not only is ValueShipping a first in the TV shopping industry, but it also is a differentiator for us in our marketspace, which helps uniquely position ShopNBC to be more competitive and a true destination for gifts just in time for this holiday season. Customers will be able to shop all day long and pay only one shipping rate for their entire purchase. We are saving customers money while being more environmentally conscious by shipping purchases together.”