QVC Parent Takes Over BabyStyles/TheRightStart
Jul 28th, 2009 by admin
The QVC parent Liberty Interactive is continuing to build up their niche mail order area by picking up some pieces of the insolvent baby supply company The Right Start along with their numerous web-domains:
Picture of The Shop Exchange: QVC Parent Takes Over BabyStyles/TheRightStart [source:excitingcommerce.com]
“According to bankruptcy filings, Liberty Interactive agreed to pay just $1.365 million for a cherry-picked list of Right Start/babystyle’s assets. Making the cut: nine of the company’s 33 former locations; the web operation; and all the trademarks and whatnot.
[Some choice finds from among their hundreds of stockpiled domain names: celebritybaby.com, dadstyle.com, babygear.com, babyshower.com, nurseryfurniture.com, stealherlook.com (?) and etardation.com (??)]”
The new CEO is Mike Wagner, the former boss of the also insolvent The Parent Company (whose remaining pieces were recently bought by Toys R Us, and a part of which is now reincarnated as a live shopping offering).
Further background info available in the Daddy Types blog (Daddy Talks–With The New CEO Of The New The Right Start):
“Liberty Media is big in the e-commerce space,” Wagner said, and though they are happy with Right Start’s nine most profitable stores, “the real focus is online with right start, babystyle, and tinyride.”
I mentioned the giant pile of interesting URLs the company had, and Wagner totally agreed that they were an attractive part of the package. In fact, they were among the star assets in the bankruptcy auction. “There were a couple of individuals” bidding aggressively on just the URLs, he said.
The other brands, too, babystyle and tinyride, were part of the valuation, and Wagner envisions TRS rolling out multiple online brands or product lines in the future. [He called out babystyle's premier gear advice and infant costumes in particular, which makes me think babystyle will be a collection before it's a store.]
Besides the flagship QVC, Liberty Interactives other high profile sites include the offerings of outdoor supplier Backcountry. Morever, Liberty Interactive is involved in everything from Bodybuilding to (Halloween) costumes to flowers and gifts.
Originally posted in German by Jochen Krisch, adapted for excitingcommerce.com by Jason Soo.[source:excitingcommerce.com]
Related posts: