Joy Mangano Exits HSN in Wake of Its Purchase by QVC

For anyone who has been following what is going on after HSN was purchased by QVC’s parent, this should not be much of a surprise: HSN mother of invention Joy Mangano is leaving the network. We think she’s steamed.

So the inventor of the Miracle Mop and Huggable Hangers, whose life story was depicted in a movie, is hitting the road.

The press release doesn’t have any comment from Mangano, which we read as a tip-off that she is not happy about all of this.

Here it is:

HSN Announces Joy Mangano Departing to Pursue Other Professional Opportunities

December 20, 2018: Retailer will continue to offer inventive products, such as Huggable Hangers and My Little Steamer.

St. Petersburg, FL (Dec. 20, 2018) – HSN announced today that after nearly two decades with the company, inventor, designer, entrepreneur and HSN team member, Joy Mangano, will be leaving HSN to pursue other professional opportunities.

“We and our customers are enormously grateful for all that Joy has done for our shopping community,” said Mike Fitzharris, President, HSN. “She has been an important part of the family for many years, and her creativity has influenced us all. We thank her for her contributions.”

Over the years, Mangano has delighted HSN customers with a steady stream of innovative products, such as her record-setting Huggable Hangers (more than 800 million units sold via HSN platforms), her My Little Steamer, SHADES Readers, Forever Fragrant line of cleaners and fresheners, Ultimate Closet line of organizers, and her collaborations with IMAN and Ming Tsai. Mangano launched her first invention, the Miracle Mop, on QVC in 1992 and continued with QVC until HSN acquired Mangano’s company, Ingenious Designs, Inc., in 1999.

“Joy may be leaving, but our customers will be able to continue to shop Huggable Hangers, My Little Steamer and many of the great products she has presented on HSN over the years,” said Fitzharris. “And at the same time, customers will continue to see other fresh, innovative brands come to HSN as we add to our product assortments and create engaging new customer experiences.”

Fitzharris added that HSN has launched more than 100 brands over the past year, including new brands, propriety brands, crossover brands from QVC, and brands that HSN had worked with in the past. “We are incredibly encouraged by our customer response to our new offerings and look forward to bringing more for her to shop and enjoy in 2019,” he said.

In October, Qurate Retail Group, announced a series of initiatives designed to restore HSN to growth by focusing the business on offering more diverse products, enhancing the on-air presentations, driving digital growth, and improving the customer experience. These initiatives included the consolidation of the HSN and QVC US buying teams into one organization, with the goal of increased speed to market with the best brands, products, ideas and entrepreneurs; optimized product assortments to maximize customer choice; a more aggressive pursuit of “white space” opportunities; and better alignment with product suppliers.

The writing was on the wall when Qurate, owner of QVC and HSN, in its October announcement said it was merging buying functions for the two home shopping networks. In that press release was also word that Qurate was shutting down Mangano’s company, Ingenious Designs on Long Island, and shifting its work to West Chester, where QVC is based. We mentioned all that in our blog. And in our lede we wondered how Mangano would be affected.

Integrated QVC-HSN, Dubbed QXH, Means 2,000 Layoffs

Newsday later reported that Ingenious Designs had issued so called “WARN” notices that it was going to lay off 66 workers starting in late December and ending Feb. 28.

https://www.newsday.com/business/miracle-mop-joy-mangano-layoffs-1.22406818

Joy Mangano’s New Miracle Mop Gets Lousy Reviews

Joy Mangano’s updated Miracle Mop has only averaged a 2.2 rating out of five stars, based on more than 1,400 reviews, according to HSN.com.

But when we started to go through them, we had a hard time finding anything but “pristine” five-star ratings. What’s up with that?

http://www.hsn.com/products/joy-new-miracle-mop-wself-wringing-helix-technology/7861086

We heard from one reader that the mop is so tricky to assemble that the home shopping network has now included special instructions on putting it together on its website.

We’re a little behind to blog about this point, but Mangano’s products are now not only being sold in Macy’s. They are also being peddled in other brick-and-mortar retailers such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target.

If we had known that, we would not have bothered to order Mangano’s mop and bucket from HSN.

Right now they are sitting, still in their boxes, in our living room.

Mangano, the inspiration for the Jennifer Lawrence film “Joy,” sold more than 210,000 mops in one day.

HSN’s Joy Mangano Cleans Up With Her Miracle Mop

Well, we were among the folks buying one of the more than 250,000 updated Miracle Mops that Joy Mangano was hawking on HSN Sunday.

On its website the home shopping network is boasting that Mangano, the subject of the Jennifer Lawrence movie “Joy,” broke records with her TS.

We have to hand it to HSN and our buddy, honcho Bill Brand: Those execs really capitalized on the flick. (Full disclosure: We have not seen the film yet.)

We heard Mangano field many calls from viewers who said they had seen the movie and were inspired by it – and apparently inspired enough to open their wallets and buy the mop, like us.

We also got the big bucket to go with it.

The film, which we stress is loosely based on Mangano’s rags-to-riches success story as an inventor, is in large part about the Miracle Mop, Joy’s first big product.

We heard one caller laud Mangano for succeeding despite her terrible family. But from what we have read, the fact is that Mangano’s family was very supportive, and her ex-husband is still with her company.

We also thought we heard that “Joy”‘s director, David O. Russell, ordered the new mop.

There is no one on this planet who hates house cleaning more than us. We are hoping that this mop inspires us to clean our floors more than once a year.

One can only hope.