The coming Holiday season may be somewhat less bleak for non-store retailers, such as home shopping television networks, e-commerce websites and catalog merchants, as consumers look for ways to save on gas. The prediction comes from TNS Retail Forward Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, which projects overall a 1.5 percent gain in retail sales during the November-to-January period, down from a 2.7 percent increase last year. One of the rosier predictions for retail sales this Holiday season comes from Deloitte, and it’s hardly rosy. They’re betting that this will be the worst holiday season in more than 15 years, with paltry gains of 3 percent or less. Star-Tribune (MN) Sept. 19, 2008 Forbes Sept. 17, 2008
Sep 192008
QVC UK to Launch Beauty Channel
Beauty products, DRTV Retailer, UK/Europe
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Sep 192008
QVC UK will introduce a dedicated beauty channel in the United Kingdom, using the Red Button multiscreen functionality on Sky Digital to stream four different video feeds: the main live feed, the main feed on one-hour delay, a feed of Today’s Special Value and the new Beauty Channel. The move will allow QVC UK to re-purspose canned video and work around the dearth of available channel numbers on the Sky platform. Broadband TV News Sept. 18, 2008
Timex Group B.V. has named Kathleen Walas senior vice president of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility. Among her responsibilities will be worldwide corporate branding, public relations and employee communications. She will report to Timex Group B.V. President and Chief Executive Officer Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. Natonal Jeweler Network Sept. 18, 2008
Sep 182008
Spot gold rose 1.1%, or $9.60, to $872.30 an ounce from its close in New York yesterday, when it surged more than 10% or nearly $90, exceeding the previous biggest one-day gain in 1980. The price of the commodity is rising as investors scramble in search of a hedge against risk. In 1999, when the Bank of England started selling half of Britain’s bullion reserves, the price of gold was $254 an ounce. The Guardian (UK) Sept. 16, 2008
Rosie O’Donnell to Pitch Talk Show DVD in HSN Exclusive
CDs/DVDs, Celebs & Stars, DRTV Retailer
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Sep 182008
“The Rosie O’Donnell Show-Season One: Rosie Reminisces” (priced $19.95 with free s&h) will go on sale exclusively on HSN, beginning Sept. 21. O’Donnell will take calls from viewers that day during appearances on the network at noon, 6 PM and 11 PM ET. The Rosie O’Donnell Show’s original run was from 1996 to 2001. Playbill Sept. 17, 2008
‘Sex in the City’ Designer to Sell Carrie Bradshaw-Style Fashions on HSN
Celebs & Stars, DRTV Retailer, Fashion - Womens
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Sep 182008
Patricia Field, who designed costumes for Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, will present her Destination Style New York collection on HSN for five days, beginning next Tuesday. Items in the 50-piece collection will retail from $35 to $200. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Ms. Field recalls her work designing fashions on the Sex in the City TV show and movie, as well as the genesis of the dress collection she will sell on HSN. (A design the Destination New York Style Collection appears at left.) Boston Globe Sept. 18, 2008
Reba McEntire to Promote QVC’s “FFANY Shoes on Sale” Event
Celebs & Stars, DRTV Retailer, Footwear
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Sep 182008
The country music star will appear in print and television public service announcements supporting the 15th annual QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale” breast cancer fundraising event, which will be broadcast live on QVC Wednesday, October 15, 2008 from 7 PM – 10 PM (ET). the fashion fete once again brings together one of the largest multimedia retailers in the world, QVC, and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY(R)), who together have donated over $28 million to the cause. Now in its 15th year, three-hour broadcast will feature shoes at half the manufacturer’s suggested retail price — including several pairs from a new fashion footwear line that McEntire has formed in partership Brown Shoeline. Net proceeds will benefit leading breast cancer research and education institutions. The event, which is put on by QVC and the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY), has contributed more than $28 million to Breast cancer-related causes during its decade-and-a-half history. QVC Press Release on MarketWatch Sept. 16, 2008
Comcast Drops ShopNBC from Basic Service in Richmond, VA
Carriage (Cable & Satellite TV)
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Sep 182008
Comcast, the Richmond, Virginia-area cable and internet provider, has dropped ShopNBC and five other networks from its basic service line-up in order to meet customer requests for additional services. (Because one analog channel consumes the same amount of bandwidth as 10 digital channels or 3 HD channels, the lineup change will allow the company to free up bandwith for other uses.) More than 60 percent of Comcast customers in Indiana have digital cable and will not be affected by the switch. Those who are affected can take advantage of Comcast’s offer of a free digital box for a year so they can get digital programming. Thereafter, the cost of the box will be $1.99 per month. Palladium-Item (IN) Sept. 17, 2008
Sep 172008
HSN Marketing Vice President John A. Lebbad has listed his four-bedroom, three-bath house in Boca Raton for sale at a price of $1.499 million. South Florida Blockshopper Sept 16, 2008
