Electronics Boutique's EBWorld.Com Enters Agreement To Be Exclusive Online Games Retailer For The IGN Network of Sites
-- EBWorld.com Expects Partnership To Yield Significant Increase In Sales
Referrals
-- IGN Is The Number One Games Network On The Internet
WEST CHESTER, Pa., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: ELBO), the world's largest specialty retailer of electronic games, today announced that EBWorld.com, the Company's separate e-commerce division, has entered into an agreement to be the exclusive online games retailer for the IGN network of sites. With this agreement, EBWorld.com will extend opportunities for IGN users to pre-order the hottest new game titles online before they are available in retail stores. To enhance the commerce relationship, EBWorld.com and IGN are currently providing visitors to the www.ign.com network of websites easy access to online games purchases and have plans to include a co-branded news section on the www.ebworld.com website.
IGN is the largest computer and video games destination on the Internet and number one games network in terms of content, unique traffic, time spent on the site and frequency of visitors. The network averages nearly two million unique visitors every month. Additionally, IGN is part of the newly formed online media company Affiliation Networks, Inc., which supports its networks and partners with sales and marketing services, audience development and promotional opportunities that are beyond the reach of most independent sites.
"We believe our partnership with IGN is representative of the tremendous growth opportunities that exist to expand our Internet presence and increase e-commerce sales," commented Seth Levy, President of EBWorld.com. "IGN is one of the largest website communities and top informational sources on the net appealing to our target customers. Since the set up of this agreement in early February, monthly sales referrals for EBWorld.com have increased significantly. We are confident that this relationship will be an integral component of the aggressive growth plans we have for our Internet business in fiscal 2000 and beyond."
Electronics Boutique is the leading specialty retailer of video and computer games and also sells video game hardware, PC productivity software and accessories. The company currently operates 547 stores in 45 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia and South Korea, primarily under the names Electronics Boutique and Stop 'N Save Software. The company has also established a separate e-commerce division, EBWorld.com, Inc., to accelerate the growth of its Internet business. During fiscal 1999, there were more than 10 million visits to the company's website at ebworld.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Electronics Boutique ("EB") is including this statement for the express purpose of availing itself of the protections of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward- looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, but are not limited to, EB's dependence on the continued introduction of new and enhanced video games and PC hardware and software; the cyclical nature of the video game market; the rapid technological changes which occur in the video game and PC industry; EB's ability to open and operate new stores on a profitable basis; the intensely competitive nature of the electronic game industry and its rapid changes in consumer preferences and frequent new product introductions; the seasonal nature of the retail industry; EB's dependence on its suppliers for products; risks inherent to conducting international operations; and consumer spending patterns and prevailing economic conditions. Please refer to Electronics Boutique's registration statement on Form S-1 on file with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of these and other risks that could cause results to differ materially.
SOURCE Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp.
CO: Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp.; IGN; Affiliation Networks, Inc.
ST: Pennsylvania
IN: REA MLM CPR
SU:
04/12/99 10:30 EDT prnewswire.com
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